In the place where I lived, there was this woman who sells fried yam and potatoes that I patronised. Even though there were other vendors selling the same thing, but the way she ran her business was a bit different. Others would just wrap the fries in a nylon and give you. But should would sprinkle sauce on top of hers, and even give you toothpick. These created value and made people to patronise her. The extra value she gave to her customers was what drove the patronage she needed. Even though she started business after the others, but she overtook them. By the time the others started copying her in the way she ran her business, she already took advantage of the market. As a business person, you need to go further a bit to create value, because this is what motivates your customers to stick around. ![pexels-mikhail-nilov-6969962.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmVNUQtC36MVA7buydgByEQUGHy6zAGPMwEbmqpx3F8xtv/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6969962.jpg) _{Image from [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/food-italian-pizza-restaurant-6969962)} A lot of people and businesses might be doing exactly what you are doing, so you need to do something different to give you an edge. The market is becoming very competitive that customers are no longer motivated by your flashy adverts alone, because they see that often. They are not also motivated by your marketing tactics. What motivates them is value; something real, tangible, and can improve their lives positively. In order to sustain your business through this era of insane competition, then you need to have the mindset of "value first, then profit later." As a business person, when you focus on giving your customers genuine service, profit will follow naturally. Adding value begins with understanding. If you will add value to your customers, then you have to understand their needs, their preferences, their expectations, and even their concerns. When you understand these, it will be easy to give them what they want. A customer will feel better knowing that the business does not see them as just mere buyers, but as people who have preferences and should be valued. It is how you treat your customers that will determine if they will be motivated to remain loyal to you. Your product may be similar to others in the market, but the services you render to complement it may make all the difference. As a matter of fact, the value you create is what gives you an edge. To also provide the needed value, you need to be transparent and honest. Trust me, a customer will know if you are genuinely interested in their needs and their well-being or you just want to make money. When you recommend what is good for your customer and give them what they want, you send a strong message to them that you are not just interested in their money, but you genuinely care about them. This will motivate their continuous patronage, but much more than that, they will also refer you to others, and your sales will increase. You can grow your customer-base by treating the existing ones well. The customer you satisfy may open doors for you in places that you never even expect. ![20260112_163248.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmUExTuGm8zV2rDyHQwpbLcW7ZuhZE8aDgNHikEpAp4agn/20260112_163248.jpg) _{Image from [Pexels](https://www.pexels.com/photo/shopping-cart-with-money-on-top-of-a-laptop-5632379)} You should also know that every customer matters, without a recourse to their status or background. There was a friend of mine who got a major breakthrough in his business during the Christmas period, and this was how it happened. He sells toys and kiddies stuffs down the road. So a kid came in the company of his older sibling to buy a toy. They were treated well and they were happy with the services rendered to them. They told their mom about it and she was impressed. It happened that their school was planning a Christmas party and needed where to buy kiddies stuffs. The kid's mom who is a teacher in the school remembered the shop, so she made her recommendations. That was how they bought off almost every toy in the shop, and he made really good profit. If he had not treated the kids well, he would have lost out on that opportunity. It is also worthy to note that you need consistency in order to create value. It is not what you do once and then stop, rather it is what you do again and again. When a customer constantly receives quality services, and everything that goes with them, like timely support, etc, they will build confidence in your business. So always have in mind that value is what you should do and keep doing, so as to motivate your customers. ***Thanks for reading***

Peace on y'all

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