Setting Aside Solutions: Rethinking How to Position Our Value
It’s funny how our approach to life can be so drastically different depending on whether or not we are in “work mode.”
If a friend wants to get together (in a socially distanced and responsible way, of course!) to talk about parenting challenges or a new career opportunity, we do what friends do—we listen, ask questions and generally provide support. And because we’ve established trust with our friend over time, we’ve earned the opportunity to offer our perspective. But, too often, what comes naturally in friendship isn’t so second nature when it comes to business.
A prospect or a colleague asks us what we do and, wanting to showcase our organization’s or personal talents, we begin listing the stuff we deliver. The pattern goes like this: first, we say the product or service we deliver, then, if pressed, we name for whom and how we deliver it. The challenge is that every time we take this approach, we short-change our value and lose an opportunity to begin building trust.
In my line of work, the stuff I provide can be anything from developing an internal communication plan to building a PowerPoint deck for an investor presentation to ghost writing an article to leading a strategic identity workshop. What I do, though—the value I ultimately provide—isn’t any of those things. Through guidance and partnership, I help people identify and shape the stories they need to tell for the audiences that need to hear it in order to drive the outcomes and actions the storyteller desires.
Communicating that value is important. Repeatedly demonstrating that value is critical. In fact, being a thought partner—whether personally or professionally—is the key ingredient to building trust and establishing an ongoing relationship. At different points in the relationship, different solutions may be called for. Sometimes it does happen to be the deck or workshop that’s appropriate; other times, it’s just open and honest dialogue to help organize thoughts and create clarity. The key is to set aside the notion of selling your stuff. Instead, center your sales approach around building and maintaining client or customer relationships.
How do you define your or your business’s value? Are you positioning your value so that the right people seek you out not just once or twice, but repeatedly? Are you telling your story so that your clients or customers understand the depth of your expertise? Are you ready to reshape how to market yourself or your services?
If you’d like to bounce these ideas around or are looking for help in shaping your story, I’d love to talk.