Give Value If You Want To Survive

October 6, 2008

To become successful in business, you’ve got to give value. True – you may be able to exchange crap for money in the short term but you won’t get the repeat business, or referrals that are essential to the survival of your business. And you’ll probably kill your reputation too.

So how do you go about finding a way to give value? Well, for a start, I think you’ve got to forget about what you want for a minute and work out a way to give others what they want.

Mark Hayward recently asked the following question on Twitter: “What Is Your Ultimate Job Or Life Description?” And most folk responded with the things they wanted to do to help others. Few mentioned what they wanted for themselves, without explaining what they were going to give to get it.

Which ones do you think have the most chance of success? I’m betting it’s going to be the ones who intend to make money by giving value to others.

Finding a way to give value is as simple as finding out what people need and finding a way to make money by giving it to them.

This doesn’t mean ignoring your passions. It just means focusing on a niche you’re passionate about and finding out what other folk who are interested in that niche want. What problems do they have that need solving? What gaps in the market need to be filled?

Which companies give you great value? What do they do that makes them use again? Have you had bad experiences with businesses that didn’t give good value? Please share in the comments section.

Image Credit: Melanie Major

Posted by cathlawson | Filed Under Ideas

Comments

17 Responses to “Give Value If You Want To Survive”

on October 6th, 2008 2:35 am

I totally agree with you, Cath.
Passion needs to be extended to give value. The sense of service is the source of strength for the entrepreneurs.

Akemi “spiritual entrepreneur” @ Yes to Me’s last blog post..Gratitude Friday, Edition 14, Gratitude For The Things I Don’t Like
Jim Gaudet on October 6th, 2008 2:45 am

I think Google give me the best value. I think about how much I use Google and I don’t have to give them a dime.

Think about everything you use with Google, write it down. I did this a while back and the list was huge. I couldn’t believe how much I rely on free Google services.

~ Jim

Jim Gaudet’s last blog post..How to say I Love You over the Internet?
Betsy on October 6th, 2008 3:19 am

Hi Cath – In my gift business, I often find that value is seemingly unrelated to the product we provide. Akemi gets it, above. Good business relationships are nurtured by genuine interest, exchange of newsworthy information, acknowledgment and congratulations, celebrating or sympathizing with life events, just as friendships are.

A client will value you if you’re all about knowing their company, their, industry, their challenges, and providing ideas to make things easier and making them look like champions. The transaction itself winds up being almost incidental to this process.

Betsy’s last blog post..AUTUMN IN EVERYTHING
Vered - MomGrind on October 6th, 2008 3:25 am

Thinking about blogs, which are a type of a business (even if not a very lucrative one for most people), I believe people tend to look for either entertainment or advice (business, tech or self development). The blogs that manage to answer these needs seem to be growing nicely.

Vered – MomGrind’s last blog post..Thanking My September Top Commentators
Davina on October 6th, 2008 3:29 am

Hi Cath. Passion is magnetic! Service with a smile keeps me coming back. Inflexible policies keep me away.

Davina’s last blog post..Creative Luny Landing In The Sand
cathlawson on October 6th, 2008 9:59 am

Hi Akemi – you definitely give value in your business. From he moment a customer contacts you – your friendly service shines through. Also, I like the way you follow up via email and invite customers to contact you if they have further questions. Not enough businesses do that.

Hi Betsy – i sounds like you have a great business. Those who offer a more personalized service always provide greater value. There is nothing worse than been treated like a number, or an anonymous source of cash.

Hi Vered – In the case of blogs I think that’s true. When I’m looking for new blogs to read – I’m usually looking for one of those two things.

Re: making money – I think far too many folk are expecting to make money from blogging too quickly. Also, for many of us, I really do believe it’s necessary to provide a product, or service our visitors need, as opposed to relying on advertising.

Things like Google Adsense seem to work well for some blogs such as technology, finance, or travel. But for others Adsense can be a waste of time. It certainly doesn’t do well on this one. I guess I could make it more in your face – but I’d probably not get so many visitors.

Hi Davina – that is so true isn’t it – passion is v magnetic. I too hate inflexible policies – especially those that tie you in for a fixed time – eg 3 years. Those tend to be the companies that treat customers really badly – just because they can get away with it. It sucks.
Brad Shorr on October 6th, 2008 12:32 pm

Hi Cath, WordPress offers great value – a powerful tool that’s always improving. In general, when I think of companies I’m really attracted to, they tend to be local shops rather than big, recognizable chains or franchises. Maybe that’s because I can feel the passion and customer concern in a more personal way.

Brad Shorr’s last blog post..Do You Pay Your Bills on Time?
Evelyn Lim on October 6th, 2008 1:02 pm

I’d think it is important to ensure that we over-deliver somewhat at the start. That way, we won’t be deluged with complaints and refund requests….LOL!! Also, when we build our credibility with our clients, their resistance tends to drop; thus providing us the chance to do follow up sales!

Evelyn Lim’s last blog post..What Enneagram Profile Type Am I?
Kelly@SHE-POWER on October 6th, 2008 1:18 pm

I will always return to companies who provide a comparable product, but offer it with excellent, service and little benefits that show a personal touch and a sense that they care. If the price is a bit more expensive that is fine if the service and little extras are there.

This is especially important in hospitality and tourism, I think. But even with a service like my mechanic, the whole reason I stuck with him initially is because he did a minor job for me FOR FREE the first time I went there. he said it was “nothing” to him and he was glad to help. Do you think I have ever considered going to another mechanic? No. That act made me feel he was trustworthy and cared about his clients and something special.

Now, I just need a way to use this knowledge to get paid for doing something creative that I enjoy.

Kelly

Kelly@SHE-POWER’s last blog post..Quote of the Week: Love Across The Miles
cathlawson on October 6th, 2008 2:46 pm

Hi Brad – I used to have a franchise and I was passionate and gave excellent personalized customer service

But I understand what you mean – large companies often don’t offer that personal service that makes you want to use them again. Not all small businesses do either though – especially where I live.

Wordpress is a fab example. So much work went into it and the creator obviously took a lot of time working out how to give value to the customer, before thinking about making money – because Wordpress is free.

I don’t know if you know the answer to this Brad – but I read somewhere recently that the creator of Wordpress is a millionaire. How did he make money from Wordpress? Was it through donations, or the affiliate programs he uses when folk download wordpress – eg hosting companies, or did he have some other means of monetization?

Hi Evelyn – that is a good point. As you say, once you’ve done a good job for them to begin with, they’ll be less resistant to buying from you again.

Knowing this puts you at an advantage to begin with, as so many businesses never bother to contact their customers again after the first sale. And no matter how good they were – you tend to forget about them when they don’t keep in touch.

Hi Kelly – little things are important aren’t they? Like a lot of women – I’m not too trusting when it comes to mechanics as so many of them try to rip us off. So I can understand why you trusted the guy who did the small job for free. Little things like that really help to build long term relationships.

You will come up with something. I know Mark’s post made you think a lot about what you really want. Trouble is – a lot of ideas don’t come to us easily when we’re trying to force them out.

No matter what you choose – I hope you will finish your novel – you’re so close to completion now and I really want to read it.
cathlawson on October 6th, 2008 3:13 pm

LMAO Rita – I’m so sorry. I do suck when it comes to emails. I did read it last night, but I realised I was a day late by then anyway. I’ll send you a reply shortly.
mark_hayward on October 6th, 2008 7:36 pm

Hi Cath – thank you for the link! And for extending the conversation.

As a small business owner I could not possibly agree more with you regarding giving value! Finding customers in this current economy is tough and if you want that ever-import “repeat customer” value and customer service need to be turned up another notch.

Also, agree, Kelly finish your novel…we all want to read it.

mark_hayward’s last blog post..What is your ultimate job (or life) description?
Paunchiness on October 6th, 2008 9:50 pm

Originally I clicked the link looking for an article about giving value to readers of blog posts…this goes far deeper than that. I think its an important idea that a lot of people miss the mark on. Thanks for the post.

Paunchiness’s last blog post..Goose Eggs
cathlawson on October 6th, 2008 11:35 pm

Hi Mark – You’re welcome. I thought your original questions sparked an interesting discussion and I noticed that a lot of folk were mentioning what value they were going to provide to others first.

Repeat customers are so important aren’t they? But a lot of folk like coming to a smaller guest house type hotel like you have, as the service is usually a lot more personal.

Hi Rita – I got it – sorry for delay.

Hi there – you’re welcome. And I guess you could apply the value giving to blogposts too – or to your blog overall. It will get folk coming back again.
Barbara Swafford on October 7th, 2008 7:32 am

Hi Catherine – If a find a company that has good service, quality products and a good return policy, I will return to them. They have the customers interests in mind, and it shows.

Barbara Swafford’s last blog post..I’m Leaving You In Good Hands
cathlawson on October 8th, 2008 11:42 am

Hi Barbara – a good return policy is important isn’t it? Even if you don’t need to return something it gives you that peace of mind if you’re buying.
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