Quick to Judge.

The easier it is to measure the value we add, the easier it is to get someone to buy.

I, like almost everyone else with access to a newspaper, have been following the afghan war very closely for the best part of a decade now. Through invasions, surges and casualties. And still the debate rages as to how effective it has been and whether it is worth the lives.

News of the biggest coalition offensive since the beginning of the war beamed across the world recently and the debate has reignited. People are fiercely criticising the effectiveness of attempts to drive out the Taliban and stabilise the region.

This got me thinking about what right we have to judge such action when you take into account what little the public really knows of military operations and strategy.  Once again I was reminded, everyone gets assessed. Regardless of field or expertise.

Markets have metrics.

Understanding this concept is crucial to the process of bringing your ideas into fruition.

You will be judged against a metric of some kind, so you might as well be prepared for it. It is essential that it be obvious for a prospective client to realise that your offer has value. Any attempt to deny the measurability of what you offer will serve only to hinder your progress.

The most obvious metric is money. If what you do makes the buyer more money than he or she has had to exchange, then you have added real, measurable value. At this point, he or she would be crazy not to buy again if there is still a demand for what you are selling.

But let’s consider a more complex example; Let’s say you are active in your church, and your job is to maintain a strong and vibrant congregation. You are then measured by bums on seats, and if you want your contribution to be tangible and valued then you had better be willing to hold yourself accountable for bums on seats. ‘Bums on seats’ is a metric.

So what do you need to work out?

What metrics does your buyer value? And how can you measure and communicate your ability to hit those metrics? The key to knowing the metrics is to know:

                The business model.

                The reporting systems of your buyer.

The business model is quite simple: where and how do they make money? The reporting systems are what does your buyer get judged on by his or her buyers? How is he or she evaluated?

Now, if you can package your offer to show evidence of how you can actually measure and prove your ability to add value in the way the buyer needs, you will find your powers of influence expanded exponentially.

Regardless of what you are doing, people will assess your value based on their own criteria.

Understand it, plan for it, and offer the value you know they need.