As a service business owner, you often face the challenge of demonstrating your value as you provide intangibles to your own target market. Words like “amazing” and “special” will backfire, especially if you apply them to yourself. Rather than resort to adjectives, you can support your claims with facts that scream “credible” and “valuable.” For example:
(1) How long did it take you to get the expertise?
How many hours of training? What did your training cost? Can your own clients get the skill without a similar investment?
When presenting your value, you can say something like, “I’ve invested over $10,000 and six months to get my training.”
Even when you repackage information that’s available on the Internet, you add value. You can say, “It took me over 50 hours to compile this information. What’s it worth to save that time and get the info you need right away?”
Alexis Dawes makes this point effectively in her ebook on reaching desperate buyers. My affiliate link is
http://www.ReachDesperateBuyers.com
(2) How much more time do you save?
Here you have two sources of comparisons: DIY and competent versus less competent, experienced versus novice, trained versus new.
For instance, when I moved to my new home, I had to invest in painting a couple of rooms. In my case, the DIY option was not realistic: I’ve never wielded a paintbrush and certainly don’t have the drop cloths, ladders and tape.
I found someone on Craigslist who quoted an impressively low rate. Luckily, my decorator friend came to the rescue.
“Do you want to get paint all over the floor and the baseboards?” she asked. “And that’s just the beginning of what can go wrong.” When I hired a a skilled painter, I realized the original quote would never provide acceptable quality.
You may have to spell out these differences. For instance, a lawyer has to be careful about promoting herself on the Internet. But she may be able to claim, “My practice includes appeals as well as trials. Therefore, when I prepare your case, I know how to think ahead to prepare an appeal.”
Can you apply these ideas to your business? Here’s mine:
When I work with my own clients, I remind them that every hour invested in copywriting means an hour that’s not available to bill clients or expand your marketing. That’s my comparison with DIY. And my experience lets me “get” what clients are about faster than copywriters who are new or who do not specialize in Internet marketing.
How do you contribute value? Comment below.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you! You’re SO right!
Gillian – great point. You’ve got a unique product and niche.
Great question, Ruth. When I work with clients in the Strategy Session (or even Breakthrough Session), we work with success stories. It’s all about choosing a copywriter or consultant who “gets” what you do.
Eric – absolutely! And your articles can reflect these approaches and ideas.
Great post, Cathy. I think a lot of people really need to understand this point and convey it in their copy. It is so powerful when done effectively!
Among the various services I offer to new and to expanding businesses is feasibility studies – which I’m rebranding as the phrase puts people right off – my argument is that you save time and heartache by checking whether your business idea is workable before starting – after all you don’t want to be another statistic, another business that didn’t make it – do you ?
I am convinced that one of the most difficult aspects of internet marketing is finding what is it in you and your programs that have intrinsic value for others. It would seem that once you can pin point that, developing the sale should be easy.
What would you say is the most important step you can take to discover your value?
Hi Cathy,
Great article!
I just wanted to point out that you can also show your value through the articles you write. For example, if you have a service business, you can create an article like my, “How to Choose an Article Submission Service” where I give prospects 10 questions they should ask. I explain why they should ask those questions. Everything I tell prospects to ask is something my service does at http://www.articlemarketingexperts.com/special that no one else does!
I also have an article on the Web that says, “Why Article Templates Don’t Help You Write Articles Faster.” Now, I have my own instant article writing templates that you can get at: http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com
Now, you’re probably thinking — why would I write an article like that if I have an article templates product. Because in my article, I revealed what my competitors templates are like and why that won’t help you. I then explained the type of templates you need, which meant I was describing the ones found at: http://www.StartWritingArticlesFaster.com
In many cases, your value comes from what makes you different!
Eric