Why adding value isn’t working
Do you keep hearing the phrase 'add value'?
Want more clients and customers? Add value. Want more names on your mailing list? Add value.
So you're doing that. But it isn't working, not in the way you hoped.
Want to know why?
Firstly, shall we drop the expression 'adding value' and get back to basics? It means giving. Giving people something that they need or want, that will help or serve them in some way. The premise being that you give something, you show your skills, you attract your ideal customers and further down the line they buy from you.
Let's be honest. This 'premise' is a strategy. For giving. This is a gift with strings attached.
Have you ever had a date where dinner comes with certain 'expectations'? Adding value has the potential to be the marketing equivalent.
So why does it work so well for some people and not for others?
Some people do this brilliantly. There are three important things to note about the people who do this well:
They LOVE giving what they're giving.
They don't give the gift and expect any return.
They give in a way that feels good to them.
Looking from the outside at people who add value and make a lot of money, it's easy to see why this has been touted as a 'strategy'. So if adding value isn't working for you, these might be clues as to why:
You don't love giving what you're giving.
You're giving with expectations.
You're giving in a way that doesn't feel good to you.
How do I know this? Why, it must be time to cringe and confess…
The back-story: Summer 2014… Smashed my upper limits using an energy shifting technique I'd developed and inadvertently turned myself into a money magnet. Did the same for a lot of other people. Opened a group programme. Made $45,267.
After that, I was asked to speak as a 'launch expert'. And to be honest, I'm not a launch expert.
Adding value inevitably came up in the conversation and when I thought about it, one of the keys to my success was this:
I gave. A lot. Every minute of time and every piece of work was from my heart. I was thrilled to have people interested in my work. I was honoured and humbled that anyone was enjoying it. I was excited at the amazing results that people were getting after just a taste of what I can do. And I had fun, every single day. I was grateful, joyful and generous.
And I made a shitload of money.
But during the summer, it wasn't a strategy. It was just me, doing what I do. Giving from my heart and being thrilled and honoured that anyone was interested.
So when I came to re-launch in November, that's what I set out to recreate. I still loved the giving part. I love hosting group energy clearings, helping loads of people and am always amazed at - and humbled by - the interest in my work. I also know how to manage the process so I give in a way that feels good for me.
So why were sales slower? I was only ticking two out of the three boxes.
When I got honest with myself, I found that I was expecting some sort of return. Not in an obvious way, aimed at any particular individual. But a general expectation that some of the recipients would sign up for my programme.
I had to admit – I had expected 'conversions' (shudder).
It didn't feel good.
And I realised - when we give with any expectation attached, it isn't really a gift. Because when we think of 'adding value' as a means to an end, as part of a sales process, then who are we really adding the value to?
It might be taught as a 'strategy' but I guarantee that the people you see using the 'adding value' idea successfully are ticking all three boxes. If we're adding value but not rocking our business, where might we be missing the mark?
Here are the questions I ask myself:
Do I truly love giving whatever it is that I’m giving?
Am I expecting a return on my gift?
Does the way that I’m giving feel good to me?
There are a million and one ways to 'add value' or to 'be of service' or to just 'give stuff away'.
Find a way that YOU love. Give without expectation. And do it in a way that feels good to you.
With love,
Michelle xx