Money Follows Value

I recently read a blog post by Chris Miles in which he said, “Dollars follows value.” I think he said something similar when he was interviewed on the WAHS Podcast. Statements like this often go ignored or at the very least, people don’t stop to evaluate what it means. But it’s an extremely powerful statement and the key to making money.

It doesn’t matter what your work-at-home goal is, if you don’t provide value, you won’t make money. An employer won’t hire you if you don’t make him see how you will contribute to his business. People won’t hire you or buy your wares if they don’t believe it will benefit them. That’s why in my marketing articles and nearly every podcast, I harp on the importance of talking about your skills or products in terms of benefits to the buyer. (Benefits = value).

I’ve started reading, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandburg. In it, she recounts how when she was hired as COO of Facebook, she started getting calls from people in her network wanting to come to work for Facebook. But one woman stood out because instead of calling and giving a list of her talents, skills and experience, she asked Sandburg what she needed. Finding out what people need and becoming the solution is the key to making money.

So how do you deliver value to make money?

1) Ask or find out what is needed. Read the job announcement carefully for clues to what the employer needs. Ask potential clients what’s not working or where they need help. Value is determined by the buyer, so you need to know what the buyer needs before you can deliver.

2) Frame your talents, skills, experiences etc to fit the needs of the buyer. Tons of people want to work at home, but all for different reasons. When I’m talking with a mom, I frame my products/services to meet her needs, such as flexibility and time for kids. But if I’m talking with a retired person wanting a little extra to sustain their lifestyle or a disabled person wanting to be productive, I reframe my products/services to meet their needs.

3) Define your products/services/skills in terms of benefits. What does being able to type 80 words a minute mean for an employer or someone needing a transcriptionist? It means speed. It means more value for their investment. Don’t assume buyers can make the leap from your features to how they can benefit him. Be obvious. In my work-at-home job books and courses, I include a list of hundreds of job resources, but I don’t just tell them about this list (feature). I tell them how the list will help them (benefit) by being able to start applying to jobs right away.