Tag Archives: value

Posted on

How to Boost Your Business with a Powerful Tool!

Every now and then you come across tool or a process that provides a ton of value in a simple and effective package. This tool or process is easy to understand, easy to integrate into your existing systems, and it provides an extraordinary level of value to you and your business.

The EAC – ITD chart is one of these tools. You need to leverage this tool into your business! Download it from the Business Tools tab on my website.

The Tool

I originally built this tool as a method to track project health when I was responsible for overseeing a large portfolio of projects. It is a simple little graph that tells you right away if your project managers really understand their projects and if their projects are going to meet the organization’s financial expectations.

So, what is it and how does it work?

Posted on

Is Your Business Missing Out on Valuable Opportunities?

Microsoft, Amazon, Apple and Facebook get much of their value through the use of Multisided Platforms (MSPs).

MIT Sloan define a multisided platform as “technologies, products or services that create value primarily by enabling direct interactions between two or more customer or participant groups.” For example:

  • Apple connects app developers with iPhone users who have a need for the functionality that the app provides.
  • LinkedIn connects professionals, recruiters, and advertisers.
  • Microsoft uses Windows to connect users, third party app developers, and third party hardware manufacturers
  • Amazon and Alibaba connect sellers of products with a vast set of users that want to buy products.
  • AirBnB connects building owners with people needing to rent space.
  • Uber and Lyft connect drivers and passengers.
  • American Express, Visa, Paypal, and Square connect merchants to consumers.

MSPs are a very valuable and viable business model that creates value by reducing search or transaction costs for all participants.

Is your business leaving money on the table by not leveraging an MSP approach? Or, worse yet, are you leaving your business vulnerable to competition who have determined a unique MSP offering that threatens your existence?

What can you do to leverage the MSP strategy and how can you implement it in your business?

Posted on

3 Valuable Principles for Successfully Setting Price

Way too frequently business leaders set the price for their products or services based solely on their own perception of the value of what they offer. They do not look at things from the perspective of what the customer wants, needs or values.

Consequently, they price too high, which limits their ability to grow. Or, they price too low and leave “money on the table.”

What Does History Teach Us About Price?

Posted on

The Cost of No Change

We have all experienced a situation where a potential client refused to purchase our product or service because they were happy with the status quo and afraid of change. Basically, their fear of change outweighed any concerns and frustrations that they were experiencing with their current way of doing business.

Until we are able to convince the client that what we offer can add more value than pain, we will typically have a hard time selling anything.

I ran into a great example of this about five years ago when I bought a Bluetooth keyboard for my iPad.

I had been using my iPad for doing a lot of writing while traveling on business. The iPad was light, very convenient to pack and perfect for doing some simple document editing or article writing. When I bought the iPad, one of the sales people was trying to upsell and get me to buy a wireless keyboard. At that point I saw this as simply an upsell attempt. I had not experienced any of the pain of trying to scroll and type on a small screen.

Posted on

Are Your Customers In Pain?

Are you actively looking to partner with your customers and add value to them by helping them identify and solve their biggest pain points or are you just trying to sell them another product?

When we become so focused on meeting sales quotas and goals we lose sight of the real reason our businesses exist . . . they  exist because we provide something of value to our customers. One of the most important tasks for any business is not to sell their product or service but to work with their potential customers to understand where the customer needs help and how your business can fill that need and provide real value.

I have seen many businesses over the years slip into the trap of myopically focusing on selling products or services. They spend more time coming up with the “perfect” charge rate sheet or the “perfect” product discount sheet then they do working with their clients to understand the challenges that are being faced and how they can assist the client in overcoming these challenges.

Guess what happens to these business . . .