How Do You Create Value for Your Company, Your Customers and Your Collaborators?

Things to Consider When developing a Plan for Creating Value

 I have long talked about the need to create value for a company, its customers and collaborators and I have given supporting theories. but are there ways to turn those recommendations and theories into actions that can be taken.

I think we can start with looking at how one of the great thinkers of our age, Abraham Maslow,  thought about society. He created a pyramid of needs that individuals have that must be met. The lower level of needs need to be met at some level before the next level on the pyramid can be reached. Those levels are:

  • Physiological Needs – basic survival (food, shelter, etc.)

  • Safety Needs – security, health, stability

  • Belongingness and Love – relationships, group identity

  • Esteem Needs – status, recognition, achievement

  • Self-Actualization – personal growth, creativity, fulfillment

    Understanding these levels of Maslow's hierarchy can get us started toward how we can create value for company, its customers and collaborators. If you could determine which level your customers are on you can create a strategy to reach and serve those customers. 

    I have used a process I developed that was based on research done by Gerald Zaltman and Nan Lin. While these individuals didn't work together, they studied the decisions individuals made and  how society and emotions impacted their decisions. Using their work I created the Consumer Adoption Drivers, Those Drivers are:

    1. Group Influence Intensity – Peer pressure exerted on customers

    Supported by: Nan Lin

    • WorkSocial Capital: A Theory of Social Structure and Action

    • Justification: Lin’s theory explains how social networks and the resources embedded within them (e.g., influence, norms) affect behavior. Group influence fits directly into this social capital model, particularly through mechanisms of social reinforcement and conformity.


    2. Perishability – How long the product is deemed useful

    Supported indirectly by: Gerald Zaltman

    • WorkHow Customers Think

    • Justification: Zaltman’s work explores how consumers unconsciously evaluate value, utility, and relevance over time. The concept of perishability ties into how consumers perceive product lifespan and relevance, often influenced by metaphor and emotion.


    3. Psychological Appeal – Status associated with the product

    Supported by: Gerald Zaltman

    • WorkHow Customers Think

    • Justification: Zaltman argues that unconscious emotions and metaphors shape product appeal. Psychological drivers like status are core to his model of how meaning is constructed and how symbolic value leads to adoption.


    4. Price Sensitivity – Budgeting considerations

    Supported indirectly by: Gerald Zaltman

    • WorkHow Customers Think

    • Justification: While not focused directly on price sensitivity, Zaltman’s insights into subconscious priorities and mental trade-offs help explain how consumers value cost relative to emotional and functional needs.


    5. Relative Price Influence – Availability of substitutes

    Supported by: Gerald Zaltman

    • WorkHow Customers Think

    • Justification: Zaltman’s frameworks help marketers understand how consumers compare products emotionally and cognitively, including how alternatives are evaluated based on symbolic meaning—not just functional substitution.


    6. Frequency of Purchase – How often a product is bought

    Supported indirectly by: Nan Lin

    • WorkSocial Capital

    • Justification: Frequent purchases can reflect habitual behavior influenced by social routines and peer norms—core concepts in Lin’s theory of social action within networks.


    7. Search Time Intensity – Time spent looking for the product

    Supported by: Gerald Zaltman

    • WorkHow Customers Think

    • Justification: Zaltman emphasizes that consumers’ decision-making often occurs below awareness. The intensity of search may reflect subconscious need complexity or identity alignment, both of which Zaltman explores.


    8. Tangible Differentiability – Physical product differences

    Supported by: Gerald Zaltman

    • WorkHow Customers Think

    • Justification: Consumers don’t always respond to objective physical differences. Zaltman’s research shows how perceived differences are influenced by metaphor and internal narratives, which affect adoption.


    9. Intangible Differentiability – Non-physical product differences

    Supported by: Gerald Zaltman

    • WorkHow Customers Think

    • Justification: This is Zaltman’s core strength. His metaphor elicitation technique (ZMET) focuses on the meaning customers assign to brands, relationships, and guarantees—making intangible factors central to choice.


    10. Technical Complexity – Need for training to use the product

    Supported indirectly by: Nan Lin

    • WorkSocial Capital

    • Justification: Accessing help and training is often mediated by social ties. Lin’s theory explains how people leverage their networks to acquire new knowledge or support, influencing their ability and willingness to adopt complex products.



    If you combine the Consumer Adoption Drivers with Maslow's Hierarchy you can derive some considerations that can be used to create customer value.  

    1. MAPPING ADOPTION DRIVERS TO MASLOW’S HIERARCHY:

      Consumer Adoption DriverMaslow’s Need LevelRationale
      Group Influence IntensityBelongingness and LovePeer pressure and group conformity stem from the need to belong.
      PerishabilityPhysiological or SafetyA product's usefulness ties to survival or security (e.g., food vs. insurance).
      Psychological AppealEsteemProducts tied to prestige or recognition fulfill esteem-related needs.
      Price SensitivityPhysiological / SafetyBudget constraints reflect survival and security concerns.
      Relative Price InfluenceSafety / EsteemChoosing substitutes often balances security with social image.
      Frequency of PurchasePhysiological to EsteemBasic goods = survival; luxury = esteem.
      Search Time IntensityEsteem / Self-ActualizationMore search indicates a deeper personal fit or alignment with identity.
      Tangible DifferentiabilitySafety / EsteemPhysical uniqueness can imply reliability or status.
      Intangible DifferentiabilityEsteem / Self-ActualizationBranding, guarantees, and relationships support identity and purpose.
      Technical ComplexitySafety / Esteem / Self-ActualizationComplexity requires learning; overcoming it supports esteem or mastery.

      Summary Insight:

      Maslow’s hierarchy helps explain why consumers behave the way they do. Lower-level needs (physiological/safety) are functional, while upper levels (esteem/self-actualization) are emotional or symbolic. This aligns well with Zaltman’s view that most consumer decisions are subconscious and emotionally driven.

      Now if you were to combine Maslow hierarchy, Consumer Adoption Drivers and the need for the company and collaborators you could develop actions that could be taken to create value for the customers, collaborators and the company.

      High-Level Mapping Across All Factors:

      Maslow NeedConsumer DriverCompany MustCollaborator Must
      PhysiologicalPerishability, Price SensitivityOffer basic value, manage shelf life, control costManage stock turnover, promote affordability
      SafetyPrice Sensitivity, Technical Complexity, Relative Price InfluenceProvide reliability, service support, stable pricingEnsure trust, technical support, easy returns
      BelongingnessGroup Influence Intensity, Frequency of PurchaseBuild communities, loyalty programsFoster local social proof, repeat purchase incentives
      EsteemPsychological Appeal, Tangible/Intangible DifferentiabilityEnhance brand, emotional connection, social statusTrain for value-based selling, deliver prestige service
      Self-ActualizationSearch Time, Intangible Differentiability, Technical ComplexityEnable discovery, personal growth, innovationProvide customization, consultative selling

      Application of Theory to Practice

       Now you are in a position to develop specific actions for each Consumer Adoption Driver that will create value for the customers while at the same time creating value for the company and its collaborators.

      For example, if you were to consider a high end auto dealer you might create some personas for you various customers and create a grid that includes the 4Ps, Maslow and Consumer Adoption Drivers.

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