When I talk to them for the first time some businesses want me to come in and wave a magic wand to solve their problems. Just make it go away. Cause the problems to disappear. Spread some fairy dust. They don’t say it that way but it boils down to fairy dust. I can only bring direction, confidence and know-how to a firm. Implementation and execution have to come from within the organization. Fairy dust doesn’t enter the equation. Every business owner has to muster the willpower to act and follow-through.

People and firms that want me to wave a magic wand and spread fairy dust over their office lack the guts to make the necessary changes to fix the challenge. I choose to work with people who are success stories in the making…winners! Losers identify themselves quickly with excuses for their lack of success. They have a fairy dust attitude. Often their strategy consists of wishing and hoping, not taking bold action.

If fairy dust thinking ever drifts your way, blow it away. If you’ve got a problem, get a plan. I start each business I work with by having them prepare a MAP….your business MAP. You decide on your 5 or 6 MAIN ACTION PRIORITIES. We put them on your one page business map and work out your specific goal for each area. Then how you will measure success for each goal. Then we write out the 2, 3 5 or 10 actions that will achieve each goal. Now we know what success is and can measure it. You can also measure my value to you by how well I help you achieve the goals on your MAP. We stick to the MAP. Call if you need help. Forget the fairy dust.

Not everything has the value of one.Life’s game
The game of Monopoly teaches you that everything has its own worth. Board Walk and Park Place occupy the same size squares as the other pieces of real estate on the game board. Board Walk and Park Place cost more. They bring in more rent. Even Board Walk holds more value than Park Place. So the game of life distinguishes different value and values.

Uniqueness
Everything in life has its unique value. For sure you can do trade-offs. But, different items have different values, sometimes significantly different values. The constitution says all men are equal. Marketers know that all women are not equal. Pareto’s 20/80 law puts the myth to equality. As the French say, Vive la difference.
Knowing the higher value (or inequality) of your target market, your best customers, makes you or breaks you in business.

Differentiation
We think of ‘commodities’ as things of a kind that are the same. Wheat is wheat. Coal is coal. Strawberries are strawberries. Not so. They are not the same. Some strawberries taste like sawdust. Durham wheat is harder and gets used in pasta. Less than 1% of coal is Anthracite which gives off no hydrocarbon vapours.
Everything proves differentiable. You, your business, your product or service, your kids. No two snowflakes come out the same. Figuring out your special difference, the thing that sets you apart will help your firm excel.

Personal worth
Everyone on this planet owns a special talent. Each person is the Wayne Gretzky at something. Doing what we best excel in makes us most successful. What is your one special talent?

Distinctions
My friend, The Sage of Allanburg, defines genius as ‘the ability to make distinctions’. Look for the difference(s). Some things hold more value. Remember…..Not everything has the value of one.

“I didn’t see the value”
Victor Kiam owned the Remington Shaver Company. You know… “he liked it so much he bought the company.” You probably saw his commercials for the Remington shaver on TV for years.Well he also had the chance to buy Velcro. But, he didn’t. Why? “He didn’t see the value”. The real reason people don’t buy something, or anything is…THEY DON’T SEE THE VALUE.What is value?
How do people evaluate? In our heads we plug in to this formula:

Value
= Need + Trust
Price

If I don’t need something it holds no value to me. If I don’t need something, any price is too much. Even if I need something, if I don’t trust the manufacturer or seller to deliver the product/service in the proper way to satisfy my needs, then the value is severely diminished. So if I really need something and trust the provider to best satisfy my needs, I’ll pay the price and buy.Your marketing strategy is how you create value. Do it by following this formula. Find the need. Magnify the need. Prove the need. Illustrate the need. Always look for additional needs to bolster the product/service value.Build trust by serving the client. Show them their need(s). Help them. The job of selling is to live the formula and establish value. Selling uncovers the need, expands, proves and illustrates the need to reflect the real situation. Oftentimes a potential customer can’t see the full need without some help. “All great salespeople educate you.” What ways do you build trust? That’s a whole subject in itself.Marketing and sales play from the same simple game plan ….the value formula.