Do you want to make money?

I don't know for you but I sure do.

And there is only one thing to do to make it.  Build value.

Just whatever you do.  Either you create a new product, refurbish an old one or you plainly want to keep your job.  Just build something that has value for the buyer.

Put yourself in the shoes of your eventual customer.  And then ask yourself "what's in there for me?" But not for you the seller.  Not for what YOU think they are getting out of it.  But rather what is it that they are really getting.

Create value.  It sounds so simple isn't it? But it’s not. It is just lately while I was observing a tramp in my neighborhood that it dawned on me.

See this tramp is there every morning.  He stands at the door in the subway.  When ever someone comes, he opens the door for them.  He has a can in his hand and hopes that people will drop a few pennies in the can for the service he provided.

Most people don’t.  In fact I can see in their eyes that they are a bit annoyed he actually tried to help.

Why is that?

See in his mind he thinks he’s performing a service to people that passes by.  But what he misses is that this service is of no value to people. It’s something that they can do themselves in no time.  There is no value in that. 

As a comparison.  I was in Boston a few years ago for business and after the meetings I decided to go for a walk and visit the city.  There is a historic cemetery there where famous people were buried like the original people from the Tea Party.  There is a lot of tourist in the cemetery wondering around the tombs.  At the entrance of the cemetery there is a tramp.  The guy gives to the passing by tourists a map of the cemetery and a short description of who is buried where and what did they do in history.

Now talk about value creation!  When people gets out of the cemetery they give the map back to the tramp… with a tip.  And I can assure you it is not only a penny.  I myself gave a 5$ bill because this is what I felt it was worth to me.  

So this guy understood one thing.  He understood that there is a lot of people not from the town wanting to know who were lying there and he managed to create maps and description for people to follow.

He did the process.  He put himself in his target market’s mind and asks what himself what they want.  Its either something that the customer cannot do, cannot create, or don’t have time to create or needs it for other purpose that will bring him even more value.