How Adding Value Increases Success and Income

Why Adding Value Is the Key to Success

If you want to make a real difference in people’s lives, it comes down to one thing—adding value. That means focusing less on yourself and more on what others need.

1. Are you meeting a genuine need?
2. Have you successfully tackled a problem?
3. Did you find solutions that benefit many?
4. Are you simplifying life for others, making it easier and less complicated? Are you saving people time and improving efficiency?

The common thread here is that whatever you do, it should add value.

Let’s look at a simple example most people can relate to.

The Melon Scenario

Picture yourself in the grocery store, standing in the produce section looking at the melons—watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew… maybe even a pineapple.

Now you’ve got to make a decision. You’d like to have a variety, but you know if you buy too much, some of it is probably going to go to waste—unless you’ve got a lot of people eating it.

So you pick one.

You take it home, and now you’ve got to deal with it. You’ve got to cut it up, work around the rind, deal with the seeds, or core it if it’s a pineapple. Then you’ve got to find something to store it in, figure out what to do with everything you just cut away, and clean up the mess when you’re done.

Most of the time, part of it sits in the refrigerator longer than it should… and some of it ends up going to waste.

Now think about this:

1. How much of the melon you buy goes to waste?
2. How long does it sit in the refrigerator before you use it?

A Grocery Store Solution

Now think about what the grocery store could do.

Instead of selling you the whole fruit, they cut it up for you. They take care of the rind, the seeds, the coring, the mess—everything you didn’t want to deal with.

They package it in different container sizes so you can buy just what you need.

Now you’re not guessing how much to buy. You’re not wasting time cutting it up. And you’re not throwing as much away.

That’s value.

And because they’ve done the work for you, they can charge more for it.

Benefits for Everyone

It’s not just a win for the customer—the grocery store benefits too.

By cutting and packaging the fruit, the grocery store can charge more than it would for selling it whole. They’ve taken the same product and increased its value.

There’s another side to it as well. Sometimes the store has fruit that’s damaged or not good enough to sell whole. Instead of throwing it away, they can cut around the bad parts, salvage what’s good, and still sell it. Instead of losing money, they recover it.

And when you buy that packaged fruit, you’re not just paying for the fruit itself. You’re paying for the packaging, the labor, the cleanup, and even the disposal of the waste. All of that is built into one price.

They don’t break it down for you—they just give you one number.

Now you’ve got a situation where:

• The customer saves time and reduces waste
• The store increases profit and reduces losses

That’s a win on both sides.

Taking It Further

The Result of Adding Value

At the end of the day, everybody benefits.

The customer gets something that’s easier, faster, and more convenient. They get exactly what they want without the extra work, the mess, or the waste.

And the grocery store benefits too. They’re increasing their profit while putting things in place that make the customer’s life easier and better.

Most likely, the customer comes back.

That’s what adding value does.

The Outcome

In this melon example, value is being added on multiple levels.

The customer gets what they want without the hassle of cutting it up, dealing with the waste, or cleaning up afterward.

The grocery store reduces losses, increases profit, and creates a better experience for the customer.

You could even take it a step further—the companies supplying the packaging materials benefit as well, even though the container itself is a throwaway item. It’s still part of the overall process that delivers convenience and value.

Everyone benefits.

A happy customer means a repeat customer.

Adding Value

Happy Customer + Happy Owner = Success—and a Growing Business

You might be reading this and thinking, “What does this have to do with me? I’m not selling fruit.”

Maybe you’re a coach. Maybe you’re in the trades. Maybe you’re a teacher. Maybe you’re just someone bagging groceries.

It doesn’t matter.

The principle is the same.

If you want to understand how this connects to your mindset, take a look at What Does Success Mean to You?

For example, maybe you bag groceries. You offer to help the customer out to their car. You take the cart back to the storage area so it’s ready for the next person. Now the customer can just get in their vehicle and leave, and the cart isn’t left rolling around where it can hit someone’s car.

In the trades, maybe you take the time to explain to the client why something needs to be done a certain way—and you explain it in terms they understand.

Those are small things, but they add value.

And when you consistently add value, people remember you.

Stay tuned