If there's one trait I've most admired about today's successful women, it's their innate ability to know their value, communicate it and most of all, stand on it. It was the topic of Monday's post in The New Power Girls series and definitely a common denominator among the modern women entrepreneurs I know and have met.
Power Girls know what they're worth and refuse to be shaken on it.
For Entertainment Consultant and Independent Producer Jen Grisanti, who has worked on some of the best projects in entertainment, it's a matter of giving clients the room to thoroughly question her process - then generating high level results for them. Ellia Communications founder/president Kathy Caprino stayed firm on a book idea through a year of pitching. Today, Breakdown, Breakthrough: The Professional Woman's Guide to Claiming a Life of Passion, Power and Purpose is on store shelves and a success.
It's being confident in what you and your company bring to the table, then owning it.
Here's how:
Know You: The first step is to become best friends with what you've got to offer. It's as simple as taking an inventory of your talents and wins to identify what you can deliver. Comb over where you've seen your successes and what you're able to do well. Take notes and keep chewing on it until it's resonated and set in your mind. This is your value proposition.
Know Your Market: As a serial entrepreneur, I constantly examine industries where I'm considering creating ideas. The snapshot of who's who and who's doing what makes it possible to understand where the idea fits in. Read the trade magazines in your market. A pulse on what's going on will help establish your company's worth within it.
Know How to Say It: Communicating what you've got to offer doesn't need to be overly fluffy, just on target. Ask yourself what the person on the other side of the table might see as an advantage in working with you. Bring whatever it is with you on the call. It'll not just demonstrate your value but also show that you're familiar with the needs of your customer.
Know You Can Do It: The ability to stand on value stems in big part from having confidence that you and your company can deliver. If you're lacking in this arena, look no further than your past accomplishments. A glance at what you've done well will help remind you of what you can ace and that you know how to get results.
Know When to Give: Worth is often determined by factors beyond the cache of a company's product or services. Market conditions, trends and other issues can play a role, so be willing to flex as needed. It's not just about lowering prices but knowing when to raise them, as well as when to walk away from situations that aren't a fit. Trying to force something that isn't working can drain time and resources and can set a precedence for failure if you're not careful.
Most of all, stay on your game.
"Whether that be a new technology you are offering, your own personal brand or a marketing partnership -- whatever services you are selling, you have got to be an innovator with original ideas and the best executer of those ideas," said friend and fellow female entrepreneur Meghan Cleary, of Miss Meghan Media.
Spoken like a true Power Girl? You bet!