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Whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee, there is one critical skill you need. That skill is the ability to sell – goods and services, yes – but also yourself and your value.

How can you communicate your value?

Convey Trust

Trust is bedrock.

Think about it. Would you make a major purchase from someone you didn’t trust?

This is why it is important to be a trustworthy person, true to your word and aligned in your actions.

Connect to Needs

New entrepreneurs often become enamored with an idea, and their question becomes: “How can I sell this product or service?”

But the real question – the one that will actually create a business – is “How can I bring value to others?”

Successful businesses focus on serving, and the sales happen as a welcome side effect. True visionary leaders are gifted in that they can not only see the needs that exist now, but those that will exist in the future.

Create Solutions

Once you have identified needs – whether current or future needs – you can then seek to create solutions. The people who lead are those who bring solutions. What problems can you solve? What innovative ideas do you have? What needs can you support?

Clarify Strengths

You may be a trustworthy person. You may see the needs of others. But, for some, the question of strengths is a stumbling block.

“What are your strengths?” can be a daunting question if you have never taken the time to explore how you are wired and to identify the patterns of your strengths throughout your life to this point.

If you ask an aspiring entrepreneur what they want to do, they will often say, “I want to help people.”

“Great! How can you help people?”

This can be a sticking point for those who don’t know their strengths.

One of my favorite exercises is to work with people to identify their strengths and then help them know where to apply them. This often results in “AHA!” moments followed by success in business.

Confidently Communicate

You may have all the above, but there is one thing that could hold you back. That one thing is the ability to communicate confidently. This is having the boldness and enthusiasm to say, “I see you. I know your needs. And I am passionately confident I can help you.”

Everywhere, there are people with needs. And they are looking for someone who can help them. Will you be the one to step forward with bold confidence and answer the call?

Confirm Results

This goes back to trust, bringing the sales cycle full circle. Testimonials, reviews, referrals, social credibility, test cases, examples, or reports – all of these prove you can do what you say you will do.

The “About” page on a website is the second most visited page. People want to know they can trust you. And just before they purchase, most will check the reviews to know they can trust that you will deliver the results. This is the modern-day version of “trust but verify”.

Communicating Value Checklist

If you are a budding entrepreneur, an employee, or a seasoned business leader, review this list regularly and ask yourself these questions.

• Convey Trust – Am I trustworthy? Do my conversations convey trust?
• Connect to Needs – Am I seeking first to add value to others? Do I practice this daily?
• Create Solutions – Do I make time for innovation and creativity? Do I focus on problems or on developing solutions to those problems?
• Clarify Strengths – Have I taken a strengths assessment? Have I reflected on the things I have accomplished enough to see patterns emerge?
• Confidently Communicate – Do I speak with boldness and confidence?
• Confirm Results – Am I delivering results to my clients and customers? Do I need to add evidence of those results to my website or in my materials?

Here’s the bottom line. Everyone has strengths that can deliver value to others. But not everyone acts on those strengths and communicates that value. It takes intentionality and daily practice.

Will you be a leader who communicates value?

For valuable resources on Leadership Strengths and Tools, click here.

Deb Ingino is a highly sought-after executive coach, mentor, consultant, and speaker worldwide. Deb is well versed in business operations and in the importance of asking key questions most business leaders won’t ask themselves. She brings deep experience in leadership development, strategy, high performance team building and effective communication. She has a passion for leading people to discover and maximize their strengths as well as those of fellow team members, while offering advanced strategies to achieve high performance. Deb is the perfect fit if you’re ready to take your leadership and impact to the next level!