RE-Xing: REflecting On The Value You Have To Offer
It’s easy to question the value of your skills, knowledge and experience. Hey, I’ve been there many times during my career when work became scarce, I lost a major client or I felt burned out of providing certain services.
This commonly can be the case when standing at the starting line of creating your own business. Those same self-doubts can creep in pretty quickly. That’s when it’s time to step back from the emotions to think more like the confident entrepreneur you are.
First off, your value as perceived by prospective customers often depends on the quality of the solution(s) you’re offering. The more impact your solutions can have with a customer, the more your work should be valued. Will you save them significant time, money, resources, etc.? Will you help them make more money, attract better employees, engage more customers, work more efficiently/effectively, increase the value of their business, etc.? Honestly, you know how valuable you will be to your customers.
Another entrepreneurial mindset regards your value is who you are as a professional. Don’t underestimate the skill set you bring to the table. Your previous job titles likely don’t reflect all of the services you actually provided. For example, sales representative does far more for a company than just seek out and secure transactions. The job includes functions such as customer feedback curator, the company’s face in the industry (e.g., industry relations and marketing), product development consultant, industry networker, trend analyzer, business communications specialist, project manager, sales event producer, conference speaker, opportunity spotter and personnel recruiter. These are all marketable services, individually and as a package to market.
To better recognize your professional value, make a list of every function you’ve had in your career. After completing your list, cluster the skills you want to emphasize as your business services. Match those services to the “pain points” of your prospective customers, as you’d define in your business plan.
This is just the start for appreciating the value you have to offer.
