I see so many business owners make the same mistake – not being clear on how they add value. I remember starting my business and doing everything. Working with any industry, I trained anything a company wanted and I worked anywhere in the world.
I had no boundaries, no limits and in the end almost no business. Not knowing the true value you add means that you water down your unique skills. And this is not good for anyone. So when I hit burnout, as one does when they have no direction, it because clear that I had to do something different.
I remember wishing that dream clients would just knock on my door, and ask me to do something I completely loved. But in reality, I ended up doing work that just got me by. I remember wishing I could work from home, but all of my clients wanted me on site. I remember wishing I could only train people that truly wanted to learn, but most of the time clients forced managers to come on training. All the things I wished for would never have come true without me changing the way I did business. So today I want to share this idea with you.
Leading with value
When you develop a business from a place of value, it is bound to be a success. But there is one more key element, that is creating something valuable that you absolutely love. This is why I always ask my clients, before we talk about the business they want, to tell me exactly the life they want to create. If you can create that life you will be in a powerful position to be happy and successful.
So how to you lead with value. When I think about selling I am always drawn to the “sales funnel”, it sits well with me because it is about value. So image you offer someone a mini transformation for free, once they see the value you can add to their lives, you then offer then a paid version to continue working with you. This is leading with value. And is very different from keeping all your best secrets behind the wall of payment.
But what if people just take the free stuff and walk away! I hear you, and I want to tell you that it is fine for people to do that. Something to remember is that people only pay attention when they have paid. So the big transformation will only happen once people invest, and that is ok.
Leading with value becomes a bit of a numbers game. As you might know that if 100 people download your free mini version then 5 of those people will buy your product, service or program. And once you have a working strategy, you can then tweak it to get 10 out of 100, then 15, 20, 25 etc.
So let’s talk about how we start to build a valuable offering.
Building a valuable offer
There are two core things to think about when building your offer:
- What do you love to do
- What would you clients love to pay you for
If you can find an overlap in these 2 areas you will have something you love that bring value and earns you money.
So the start by writing down all the things you love doing, these could include your current work, hobbies, skills, past roles. The way you interact with people, in groups or one to one. Anything that you love would make the list.
When I redesigned my business after burnout my list went something like this. I love working with groups of people but having set hours and boundaries. I love working with willing individuals and watching them grow through learning. And I love teaching, coaching, and bring people together. I love having the flexibility to work anyway at times that suit me.
Value ladder breakout
The value ladder is one of my favourite strategy tools. It helps bring all your ideas together into one clear customer journey. Moving them through the stages of value that you can add. Not everyone will reach the top but along the way they will get what they need.
So think about what you offer, a number of people try to move their customers to the end goal without any warm up. This is really hard because your ideal customer won’t trust you and the value you add yet.
The most important part of the value ladder is the first run. This will be the place that moves people from not knowing you, into your area of influence.
Once in your area of influence, you can then help that customer make a buying decision. But all the time they don’t know what you do, or how you can help, they will be choosing someone else to support them.
So you think about the end goal product or service and then work backwards. What will move people on that journey in the best possible way. And then you create a free mini version. Something to wet their taste buds! And it needs to be amazing.
I really believe in giving away your best information for free, but not giving yourself away for free.
When people buy my 12-week program, yes they get 70 odd videos of great learning, but the more important thing that no one can get through a freebie is my time, the 36 hours group coaching in the program is the really money value. And that is the shift in mindset you need. Anyone can find any information online or in books. So you are not selling information, you are selling your experiences, the community to build or the belief you hold for people.
What next?
Want to know more about setting up your own value ladder? Check out the free templates that I have been giving away all through November. The one coming out on Friday is to set up your own value ladder!