The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 32 Degrees
Today, we’re going to deal with a possession that most service providers allow to get covered with dust and languish, unused, in the corner.
It’s something that has enormous value, but only if that value is fully recognized by the service provider FIRST. Without that, no client will even notice it.
It’s kind of like a diamond that’s just covered with dirt and grime so much that no one notices it. The possession I’m talking about is your ability to choose the right path for a client who wants to achieve a certain goal.
I’m talking about the value you have to deliver where you point your finger down the right path for your client and say, “Go that way!”
The possession I’m talking about is the ADVICE you are able to give to get your client on the right path towards the destination.
How well are you paid for that? Are you paid at all for this?
Some service providers DO get paid for this. Many don’t. Many either completely devalue it, or they do it all in their head and just spit out the answer for the client. This makes it completely invisible and worthless to your client. They don’t even know that your 15 years of experience, trial and error went into that split-second decision.
Your Puritan work ethic tells you that nothing fast could be valuable. In fact, it might be a SCAM!
Your clients will have no idea about the value of your advice unless you figure out how to communicate that… and get paid for that. The point isn’t to be perfect, no one is. The point is to become aware of this so you can IMPROVE.
If you get paid only for doing, you’ve already set yourself up for being perceived as a vendor in the eyes of your clients.
Think about it. There’s a reason you have to pay for a doctor’s visit. No one goes in saying, “There’s no way I’m paying for this unless he gets me healthy…”
You’d get laughed out of the office with an approach like that. Why?
Because you’ve been trained. Trained that the advice of the doctor is valuable all by itself. And you’re going to pay for that advice whether or not you like it.
Ask yourself, “How can I get paid for thinking? How can I get paid for advising? How can I re-introduce the advice part of my business as something that is extremely valuable?”
I can tell you that becoming a LEADER in your area of expertise will start to bring you opportunities for doing this.
People will search you out to ask you questions about which direction they should go.
From there, it’s up to you to charge them for that value. Believe in your own value enough NOT to skip over this.
So how do you become a leader?
Well, you can’t just go out there and proclaim yourself one. Instead, you have to earn it.
I’m a fan of the Platform. Some sort of newsletter or podcast or something that repeats with no end. The Platform positions you as a leader (maybe even THE leader) over time.
If you don’t have one yet, just ask yourself, “How am I going to set myself apart from the crowd in the coming year? How do I make myself an Incomparable Expert?”
The Platform is one good answer.
If you want a fast start, the next Platform Lab starts early January. Register now before it fills up.