Digital Marketing, Small Business Strategist

Confident Marketer

  • Home
  • Get Started
    • Build Your Business Plan
    • Organize Your Marketing
    • Prevent Overwhelm
    • Gain Confidence
    • Products
  • Consulting & Coaching
    • CEO Circle Community
    • Business Consulting
    • One Time Consultation
  • Sue’s Blog
  • About
    • About Sue Painter
    • Testimonials
    • Leave A Testimonial
    • Media
    • Speaking
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Lead Your Business / 4 Ways To Offer True Value In Business

4 Ways To Offer True Value In Business

October 20, 2013 by Sue Painter 12 Comments

Would you prefer to listen to this article? Use the audio player below.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/SuePainter/mp3s/True-Value-in-Business.mp3

 

 

Value in businessA few days ago I ran across something that the philosopher Aristotle said about money, which I instantly thought applies to offering true value in business. He said that there are 4 characteristics of money. If what you are using as money doesn’t meet these 4 characteristics, it really isn’t truly useful as money, or it won’t last long-term.

Here are Aristotle’s four characteristics for money:

  1. It must be durable
  2. It must be portable
  3. It must be divisible
  4. It must be intrinsically valuable.

Now, if you think about the currency we use here in the United States, it doesn’t meet Aristotle’s definition. Our currency isn’t durable and it is no longer intrinsically valuable since it is no longer backed by gold. But that’s a topic for another day.

These four characteristics got me thinking about small businesses and how we offer true value to our clients or customers. I believe we can measure the value of what we offer using these same four things.

  1. Does what you offer to your clients hold its value over the long term? In other words, is it durable? Can they take what they get from you (either a product or a service) and use it more than once? Does it last?
  2. Is what you offer portable? Can customers or clients take the product or service and apply it in a variety of situations? The wider the application of what you offer, the more useful, lasting, and dependable it is. If what I teach a small business owner can be taken and applied to more than one situation (or even more than one business) that’s true value and any prospect will perceive it that way.
  3. Is what you offer divisible? In other words, can your services or product be broken down into parts and used, part by part, when needed. Let’s say you sell a set of cleaning products for the home. If these products can be divided up and used individually for different cleaning solutions that’s good thing. If there’s only one way to use what you sell (either product or service) that limits the value. A great example of something not being divisible is a waffle maker. Most people believe it can be used for one thing – making waffles. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of waffle makers sit on kitchen shelves way in the back and are rarely used. Waffle makers are not divisible.
  4. Is what you offer intrinsically valuable? Can a customer or client take what you sold them and bank on it helping them when they really need it the most? Is it backed by your word or by your guarantee?

I believe it helps us as business owners to think about what we offer to prospects from their point of view. How can we show them that our products and services are “real currency” for them – vital to their business? The more we can do this, the better off they are. And the more we will easily find new clients and customers, too.

Want to read more about creating high value for your clients? Try “Lead Your Business, Don’t Just Own it” (click here to read). Here’s another blog post that helps you see how much “currency” your business has – How To Get A Broader View of Your Business (click right here).

If you need help tweaking your offers you can get a One and Done Hour with me and we’ll review and make changes to what you offer and how you price it, so that it is intrinsically valuable to your prospects and clients.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Filed Under: Lead Your Business Tagged With: Business Growth and Development, Business Planning, Clear Vision For Your Business, How To Make More Money, Money and Business, Small Business Strategy

Get your copy of "20 Questions to Help You Expand Your Business Without Frustration or Overwhelm©"

I understand I will also receive email updates from Sue Painter or from the Confident Marketer. We never rent, sell, or share your contact information. See Privacy Policy​​ here.​

Related Posts

  • 3 Reasons Not to Start a Business
  • How Far Will You Stretch To Grow Your Business?
  • Money Back Guarantees for Coaches and Consultants

Comments

  1. Trudy Scott Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist says

    October 29, 2013 at 4:14 pm

    What a great way to think of both money and your services!

    Reply
  2. Heidi Alexandra says

    October 28, 2013 at 3:49 am

    Great perspective to review a business with – thanks for the new way to review my business (and my clients)

    Reply
  3. Mitch Tublin says

    October 27, 2013 at 9:56 pm

    Sue, A good checklist for reviewing your business through a different lense.
    Which is always a good thing to do.

    Reply
  4. Lisa Manyon says

    October 27, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Sue,
    Thought provoking for sure. I really like this point ” If there’s only one way to use what you sell (either product or service) that limits the value.” — It’s important to be able to offer your products and services in many ways and I’ve been pondering this a lot lately (especially with more and more requests for speaking, training and workshops).
    Write on!~
    Lisa Manyon

    Reply
    • Sue Painter says

      October 27, 2013 at 2:24 pm

      Lisa,
      I thought about that a lot, too. People DO like usability, flexibility in what they buy. And as small biz owners we can do that.
      Sue

      Reply
  5. Mary Ellen Miller says

    October 26, 2013 at 8:17 pm

    As always you provide outstanding advice Sue. Love the waffle maker analogy! I don’t even own one because it would just take up space!

    Reply
    • Sue Painter says

      October 27, 2013 at 2:24 pm

      Mary Ellen,
      I own one, but not sure why……we always end up going out for waffles.
      Sue

      Reply
  6. Tiffany deSilva says

    October 26, 2013 at 3:10 pm

    Love this breakdown, Sue! This is a great way to see how your services measure up in the value department.

    Reply
    • Sue Painter says

      October 27, 2013 at 2:25 pm

      Thanks, Tiffany. It is kind of an out-of-the-box but useful way to think about business.
      Sue

      Reply
  7. Jessica says

    October 24, 2013 at 6:14 pm

    Interesting how it doesn’t apply to our money but you did a great job of using it as an example of how we run our business… I for one am NOT a waffle maker 🙂

    Reply
    • Sue Painter says

      October 27, 2013 at 2:25 pm

      🙂 I know you are not, Jessica!
      Sue

      Reply
  8. Katherine C. H. E. says

    October 23, 2013 at 7:17 am

    Great checklist of ideas to review! And fun that it comes from Aristotle!! Thanks, Sue! You ROCK!

    XO,

    Katherine

    Katherine C. H. E.
    Author, Be True Rich

    Reply

Join the Conversation Cancel reply

Sue Painter

Search

JOIN ME ON FACEBOOK

Sue Painter, business consulting and coaching

Contact Sue

Voice: 865-414-3393
Skype: knoxvillesue
E-mail: Sue@ConfidentMarketer.com
Contact Form

Knowledge Center

Search

Meet Sue

Passionate about helping small business owners create income with confidence, clarity, and big vision. Certified Book Yourself Solid Coach, and expert author for ezinearticles.com and SelfGrowth.com.

EPC Insitute LogoBook Yourself Solid Coach Amazon Best Selling Author Certified Agile Marketing Specialist Badge Ezine Articles Expert Author Blogspot - Top 100 Business Coach Blog Award Find Sue Painter on Amazon Social Media Marketing Society Member

Affiliates • Refund Policy • Disclaimers and Legal Rights
Affiliate/Earnings Disclaimer • Terms of Use • Privacy Policy

© Copyright 2010 - 2021 Confident Marketer

Consulting and Online Training for Women Entrepreneurs
All Rights Reserved