value proposition Archives

Transforming the Way You Think About What You Do

Have you ever made a comment in passing, only to have the other person jump on it with great enthusiasm as though the ordinary (to you) item you mentioned was a ground-breaking insight?

I was talking to a client the other day and she was telling me her internal struggles with the idea of raising prices and how she’d fought against my advice to do so because she felt inadequate even though she often had people say how marvellous her work was and how it changed their life.

In her words:

“It wasn’t until I actually followed the strategy you laid out for me that I realised how much more impact I created when I charged higher prices in the context of everything else you helped me set up.

Suddenly my clients paid more attention and followed instructions better… so guess what? Their results multiplied and my business grew even faster!”

The trigger was my simple statement:

“For you, it’s second nature. For others, this is life-changing.”

Here’s the deal, when you don’t put yourself out there and share your expertise because you assume that people already know the information you have, you’re not merely depriving yourself of sales and opportunities, you’re preventing other people from moving ahead and solving their problems too… and that’s a serious problem!

You probably remember the old saying: “One man’s meat is another man’s poison.”

It’s a dramatic way of stating that we’re all different and therefore, you should never underestimate the unique value you deliver to your clients.

At the same time, never underestimate the value that others can deliver to you and don’t just measure things in $ terms.

When you give yourself real credit for the value you deliver to clients there’s an almost magical transformation that takes place in yourself and your business. I’ve noticed that the week we work on this in my Profitable Business Accelerator is often the week that everybody reports a shift in their profits and other measures of success.

So ask yourself the question today:

“What is something that is second nature to me, that would deliver huge value to others who don’t know what I know?”

… if you can’t think of anything immediately, I can guarantee that you are shortchanging yourself and undermining your own confidence.

We Don't Give Ourselves Enough Credit

Often, the things that come easily to you are highly valued by your colleagues and clients. If you reflect on what specific things these are, you will feel motivated and appreciated and you will find that others will accept your ideas and proposals more easily.

Accelerate Your Sales Challenge

This week commit to spending at least 10 minutes before you start each workday making a list of all the things you can think of that add value to your clients. Review your list and keep adding to it each day.

… Tip: stick with it for a full 10 minutes (set a timer) even if you are sure there is nothing to add. The review will cement what you already know you are good at that adds value in your mind, and once your unconscious mind know that you are going to persist anyway it will offer more positive contributions.

#TuesdayTips

Do you sometimes feel under-valued? Do you sometimes feel that people would buy your product or service if they only realised what it could do for them? Many people do. I used to feel that way all the time (sometimes I still do, but I know the problem lies with me), and I frequently talk to friends and clients who feel that way.

The easiest way to find out whether other people are hearing and understanding what you say is to listen to their response. At networking meetings, people will often say to me, “Most people don’t value my work for what it is worth.” The reality is that they have not managed to communicate the value of their work to others. It’s a pretty natural response when we don’t get the interest and buy-in we’re expecting, but the truth is that there is something you can do about it – and that something is to take responsibility for the response you get.

The Meaning Of The Communication Is The Response You Get

I’d like to illustrate this with a true story about Sally, a client of mine who was having trouble relating to her co-workers. One day she walked into my office and said, “I’m so over my boss, he is impossibly inconsiderate!” After a series of questions to uncover what the heart of the issue was for Sally, I learned that she had been in a meeting with her boss and had stated, “It’s a little bit draughty in here, isn’t it?” and then got very hurt and angry when her boss didn’t offer her a glass of water.

Somehow, when Sally had said, “It’s a little bit draughty in here, isn’t it?” she had expected her boss to understand that she was thirsty and needed a drink.

Now before you say to yourself, “Well, clearly Sally has a problem!” I’d like you ask yourself if you’ve ever made an indirect request hoping that your friend, partner, or colleague would understand that you are asking for help. You know what’s really interesting? This is how we communicate every day. You hear people saying, “I told her, she has to know – she has to know that I’m upset with her!”

“What did you say?” you’ll ask, and they respond, “Oh she just knows, I’m sure of it.”

“Don’t be!”

The real meaning of the communication is the response you get. If her boss doesn’t get Sally a glass of water then she can’t have made it clear that she wanted a glass of water. If your significant other doesn’t change their behaviour, you probably didn’t tell them clearly what the problem was and what response you were looking for.

If it happens once, the problem might be the other person – if it’s happening often then it’s probably time to take a good look at how clearly you communicate.

How Does This Apply to Sales?

In a sales context, that translates to, “If someone doesn’t want to pay your fee then YOU didn’t make it clear enough how valuable your services are to them.”

Now whose fault is it if the client doesn’t perceive the value of your service? Is it the client’s fault or is it your fault?

Many people don’t like to take that sort of responsibility on themselves. If you are taking charge of your own life and living at cause rather than at effect … if you’re empowered to influence others, then you should be willing to realise that you haven’t communicated in the most effective way that matches the needs of the person you’re talking to.

If you feel that prospects who are a great fit for your services aren’t taking you seriously then look at the value proposition you are sharing with them, the words you are choosing, and the mindset that backs up everything you say.

Meta Description: Do you ever complain that people don’t understand or appreciate your product or service as much as they should? NLP teaches that the meaning of your communication is the response you get and you can change the response by changing your flexibility.

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