May 18, 2021

Value is Not Measured in Effort #102

41 minutes

Today the discussion focuses on the misconception that the value you offer through your service is equal to the effort you exert while providing it.

The Episode: Value is Not Measured in Effort

Sometimes we can begin to think that in order to truly provide value to clients we have to put in the most effort possible. Here at the OTA we believe this is fundamentally untrue, and that almost always, the best possible outcome is for things to just work. That means that less is often more, and the true measure of your expertise commonly lies in how simple and easy you are able to make things for the people you work with. This inner dialogue that we have with ourselves about our ability to help and provide value can be harmful and so we are here to remind you of what your clients are actually coming to you for!

In This Episode

The OTA community question that sparked today's discussion [0:16:37]
Glorification of 'difficult' and why it's okay to not have a problem [0:19:26]
Valuing your own work and expertise first [0:26:09]
Working less for higher returns [0:30:02]
Examining your own feelings about your worth [0:33:39]

“Your job is to give a client what they need, when they need it. It is to optimize for the client.” — Jonathan Goodman

Giving Clients the Right Amount

Simply put, online training involves more upfront effort, and less as time passes. Coaches and clients can make assumptions about the value that is on offer, but on examination, it is clear that value is not directly correlated effort. If you imagine things from your client's perspective, there is a point where giving them more, can make your service worse. You do not have to add on extra unnecessary challenges and components to their plan!

Shifting Perceptions of Expertise

The online world often leads us to too much emphasis on difficulty, but it is also completely fine to not have a problem. Although part of the modern, social media-influenced psychology, this is a long-standing human tendency, where if something appears easy or quick, we possibly value it less. When paying for services, it is useful to remember that you are not only paying for the actual labor or advice, but also the expertise that has been acquired over time in order to carry out the work.

Working Less for Better Results

The common experience of imposter syndrome also plays into this, and when we feel unsure of ourselves we can often feel as if we need to do more. But true expertise is being able to do things more successfully with less effort! We see that this issue is mostly about our own feelings and that if we remain focused on client outcomes and feedback, we can allay many of these doubts.

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