Creating Value 101: Your Ultimate Guide
You’re about to to learn the most important skill in business.
Creating value.
It’s what every business coach buzzes about.
“Create more, and the world will be at your doorstep,” I mentioned offhandedly to a client.
His response? “Sounds catchy, but what does that actually mean? What is value and how do I create it?”
A great question… and in the spirit of creating value WINK, I thought I’d make this a deep dive into that buzzword “Value”.
Welcome to Value 101.
Buckle up!
The True Definition of ‘Value’: In the dictionary, ‘value’ is all about worth and importance. But in business? It’s everything.
As the business that creates the most value wins.
In business it’s about meeting needs; knowing your clients’ challenges, then delivering solutions that don’t just solve, but WOW.
In a nutshell? Business value is where utility meets the “wow” factor. It’s not just fulfilling a need, but going that extra mile. That’s why some coaches stand out — they don’t just deliver, they resonate.
The Value Equation:
Still, the term “value” remains nebulous. So let’s look even closer at how to build value.
Taking a leaf from Alex Hormozi’s book $100m Offers, which is centered around the best Value Equation I have seen:
So in essence, building value is all about:
- Knowing your clients’ needs, wants and dreams (Dream Outcome)
- Building certainty in your clients you can get them to their dream outcome (perceived Likelihood of Achievement)
- Helping them get to their dream outcome with less effort, sacrifice and time
The Value Creation Process:
Ready to create some value? B
ut first… note value is just a perception. So the most important part of all of this is increasing the level of your thinking.
Low level thoughts = low value. High level thoughts = high value.
You with me?
Let’s dive in:
Step 1: Research & Understand Your Audience.
- To deliver value, you first need to know what your audience truly desires — their dream outcome.
- Along with what challenges, blockages and beliefs they have that are stopping them getting to their dream outcome.
- Not sure where to start? Check out my article here to get inside your client’s head.
Step 2: Spot Gaps in the Market.
- In Austin Kleon’s book Steal Like An Artist, he says:
- “Copy your heroes. Examine where you fall short. What’s in there that makes you different? That’s what you should amplify and transform into your own work.”
- This is what this is all about. Spotting where the market and your competitors fall short. Filling these gaps is where opportunity lies!
Step 3: Craft Unique Selling Propositions (USPs).
- What makes you different from all the other coaches? Identify it, refine it, and communicate it.
- Click here for some free training I did on it (no email required)
- Coaching is not for the timid.
- Be bold.
- “If they zig, you zag.”
Step 4: Constantly Gather Feedback.
- Creating value is an ongoing journey.
- Never stop speaking with your audience, run polls, ask questions, and encourage reviews.
- You need to get obsessed about your audience.
- Remember it’s not about you, it’s about them.
- (Tip: ask for advice not feedback, then your audience will feel like they are part of what you are creating)
Step 5: Iterate and Improve.
- The only constant is change.
- The market, technology, and customer preferences evolve. So should your offerings.
- Plus people can be fickle.
- Which also means there are always opportunities to be had.
- The key is, are you relevant? Be relevant and you win.
Real-world Examples:
Here are 27 ways to create value, starting with creating value for potential clients and then clients:
Potential clients:
- Write an article for one person: Create content that speaks directly to your audience’s problems and challenges. Much like I have done with this newsletter.
- Value-driven Initiatives: Create a mini-course, email sequence, ebook, podcast, workshop, webinar or challenge that helps your ideal client get one step closer to their dream outcome in less time and less effort. E.g.: A 1-day guide on crafting a unique CV.
- Personalised Recommendations: Send an article, book or podcast to a prospective client that speaks directly to a challenge they have shared.
- Building Bridges: Connect two people you feel should meet. You’ll never be forgotten
- Tailored Coaching: Offer complimentary sessions tailored to potential clients. E.g.: Career Audit, Business Strategy Session, Quarterly Planning, etc.
- Constructive Feedback: Share a video critique of someone’s LinkedIn or blog, especially beneficial for business coaches.
- Go Live: Run live sessions on topics your audience grapples with.
- Inspire: Inspire your audience with vulnerability, story and courage. Live the transformation of coaching.
- Awe your audience with your loving presence, compassion and listening.
- Appreciate and Amplify: Acknowledge people. Share their work. Celebrate them. Cheer them on. Be a beacon of hope and positivity.
- Community Creation: Bring people together. Create a free group. Whatsapp/Telegram/Facebook group.
- Combine Clients and Prospects: Put your potential and current clients in a room together. Let your clients spontaneously speak about the impact of your coaching.
- Innovative Offers: Create new offers or programs. If you are constantly hearing “no” you need to get more creative. Business is easy if listen to customers, look at data, try stuff and remain prolific.
Current clients:
- Surprise and delight: Send random meaningful gifts. For a client’s recent 40th, I sent him a copy of The Telegraph from the day he was born. Out of all his presents that day, mine stood out.
- Unwavering Faith: Believe in your clients more than they believe in themselves.
- Deep Connections: See, feel and hear your clients like no one else has in their life.
- Draw Out Truth: Say what no one else would dare to say. Be the person in their life that draws out their truth.
- Generous Sessions: Offer bonus sessions. Run a double length session. For example I once offered a client a bonus session, and just said, “Tell me your story…”
- Client-centric Content: Write an article for a client’s specific challenge. *Remember to share it with them.
- Check-ins: Show your clients how much you care and listen. Surprise them with calls or messages between sessions, checking on specific things they have shared with you. “How did your interview go with…?”
- Stretch Their Limits: Challenge your clients thinking. I once pressed a client to condense a 10-year vision into 6 months, leading to a pivotal business insight.
- Serve Beyond: Work with people around your clients. I have run sessions with clients and their Executive Assistants — it’s changed their relationship and effectiveness.
- Go The Extra Mile: Delve deep into areas affecting your clients. When one client struggled with jet lag, I not only developed a travel protocol but also involved his EA.
- Client Get-togethers: Connect your clients. Bring your clients together for a lunch or something fun.
- Continual Growth: Walk the walk by hiring the best coaches your money can afford. Share your own learnings, insights and stories with your clients. Never stop growing. Always be ahead.
- Simplify: Take complex challenges your clients are having and simplify them.
- Cheer and Celebrate: Celebrate your clients. Most people lack cheerleaders. Be that for your clients, helping them revel in their successes.
Conclusion:
So there you have it. 27 ways to create value for potential clients and clients.
Which 2–3 are you going on act on this next week? Hit reply and let me know. I LOVE hearing your stories and how you are using these articles.
And as always, what’s more important than WHAT YOU DO is WHO YOU ARE.
If you are someone who is inherently kind, generous and creative, ideas to create value will come easy.
You just need to listen to what people are saying and what they are asking for. There are clues everywhere!
Good luck!
Big love,
Joel
