The Paradox Of Value

Value is a lot like power. The more you give it away, the more you have. If you try to hoard it, you won’t be perceived to have much. If, on the other hand, you share it freely, you will be sought out for more.

I’m really talking about added value. Specifically, how do you provide information that is useful and valuable to others, even when it’s proprietary and you are not getting paid a fair market rate for it?

A classic example is work done by consultants and coaches. Many consultants, for example, will protect their “stuff” for fear that if they share it, no one will want to purchase it. While I’m not advocating that consultants or others give away all their intellectual capital; I am advocating that they freely share nuggets of information that will help others.

I was recently talking to an HR consultant who wanted to put together a low-cost seminar for potential customers. He wanted to outline all the things that people need to do to improve their hiring and employee retention programs. As he described his program content, it was obvious to me that the seminar was simply one big selling opportunity. In other words, he wasn’t providing any real “meat” for the seminar participants; he was just trying to sell them on his services. In fact, he didn’t want to give away the good information for fear that if his participants had it, they would not need him.

What this consultant did not understand is that his participants are less likely to buy anything from him if he does not demonstrate that he has something of value. The easiest way to do that is to share freely. The reality is that we all have access to lots of information; but when we need something done, it helps to have someone that has been in the trenches. So, if this HR consultant was willing to share more, he would provide greater value. In turn, those participants that gained value would be more likely to engage with the consultant for services.

Quite honestly, that is why we send you this e-newsletter every month. We know that if you perceive value with the articles, you will consider us for your sales training needs. Sure, you can take the information and implement the ideas, and we sincerely hope that you do. But sometimes you may want more. You may want a more interactive and structured process, you may want to get more focused, you may want to be held accountable by someone else or you may want help building more effective skills and lasting habits. Or you may just want a seasoned speaker for your next sales meeting. While we love those opportunities, it doesn’t matter whether you use us for other services or not. If we’re providing value, it can only help you. In turn, it will help us by raising our credibility. We know what goes around, comes around – if not directly, indirectly.

It all comes down to helping others first and demonstrating real value. The rest will take care of itself.



The Paradox Of Value - To learn more about this author, visit Will Turner's Website.

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