I have a confession to make. I’m sick of purported “value” peddlers. It only takes fifteen minutes in the online marketing space to get bombarded from every direction about “value”. In my opinion, it is the most overused and under-delivered promise in the online marketing space. All of the marketing gurus and wanna be experts tout how they focus on adding value to their tribes. This value-laden rhetoric sounds great and would in fact be wonderful IF in fact it actually made a tangible difference in the lives of real people like you and me.

 

Now, don’t get me wrong. There are a some people who actually deliver on their lofty promises. A regular consumer of true sages can reap tremendous benefits. For example, I get tremendous value from podcasters like Andy Stanley, Pat Flynn, Michael Hyatt, and Ray Edwards to name a few. I have also gained life-altering insights from authors and online entrepreneurs such as Dan Miller of 48 Days and Dave Ramsey of Financial Peace University. Whether through blogs, podcasts, courses, webinars, or in-person trainings their words educate and inspire me and thousands of others. For that I am grateful.

Thanks to today’s Information Highway called the Internet anyone cannot grow a tremendous and influential platform. But, herein lies the beauty and curse. Because the gatekeepers are gone, anyone who thinks he or she has something worthwhile and influential to say now has no barrier to stop them. While there are many people with valuable products and services that we become aware of through the Internet, the reality is that a much larger proportion of people are more smoke and mirrors than substance. Life coaches are a dime a dozen. The online world is flooded with e-books that offer little more than a few practical (usually obvious) tips. And, under the auspices of “value”, seemingly everyone is more interested in selling me something or getting me on their email list than having any kind of meaningful relationship. Please tell me why I am interested in their outdated insights, their top  tips that are common knowledge, and their indispensable tools that are rusty at best. It sounds crude. But,

Where is the insight?

It may be a little harsh. But, I’ve come to think of many of these purveyors of value vomit as themselves “value vampires” because their ineffective products and services suck the dreams, energy, and too often money from hopeful consumers. Please don’t get me wrong. Most of these people are well-intended. Yes. There are a few rotten apples. But, most are working to build a revenue stream so that they can pursue their own dreams and entrepreneurial pursuits rather than “working for the man”.  Others just altruistically hope to make a difference.<

But, here is the big problem. [Tweet “Too many people are being crippled by the dark side of these value vampires”.] I have sat with people who are now jaded by their negative experiences of spending hundreds and often thousands of dollars on paid products and services that they now feel was a complete waste of money. I’ve recently sat down with more than one person who is now suspicious of everything after feeling jilted by a disappointing Mastermind experience. Just a few days ago I spoke with my sister about her “learning experience” of spending hundreds of dollars flying from the East Coast to Chicago for an event that was billed as a great networking experience only to walk away feeling like she got nothing from the experience. Sad stories like these abound.

To reiterate a point, value vampires don’t usually realize how much harm they do. Most simply don’t understand what it really means to offer value. A quick look in the dictionary will inform them that value means “something of great worth”. All of us who promote products and services need to reassess the true worth of what we present to our tribes.

First, we do ourselves and our tribe a favor when we commit to three value principles.

Three Value Principles

1. Commit to showing value before selling it (show me how you’ve successfully applied the principles or “innovation” that you suggest. Let me see how it has benefited your tribe through testimonials or other anecdotal experiences)
2. Commit to quantifying the value (since the word “valuable” means of great worth, quantify for me how much value you have added to the bottom line of your clients. Quantification isn’t necessarily in monetary terms. For example, it could also be time saved or network expansion)
3. Commit to understanding that value must be personal before it is promotional (Value is in the eye of the beholder. You must strive to know my needs well enough to really know what I value or what adds value to me. It isn’t valuable just because you say it is

Second, to avoid being a value vampire, you must understand what value really means. I have developed a five-step framework that assures real value is being offered. I use the VALUE acrostic to help you remember it.

Five-Step Value Framework