(Listen to this post, here.)

For the last 20 or so years of their driving lives, my parents fell into a set routine:

Every three years, they would turn in their old car and lease a new one.

But not just any car … it was always, always, a Buick Park Avenue.

Why that car? Good question.

I have no idea.

I do remember, however, that other than selecting from among the many available color options – Gold Fire Mist Metallic, Medium Red Pearl, Desert Sunrise, Unrefrigerated Deli Meat, etc. – the cars didn’t change much from year to year.

Same controls, same options, same exterior design and interior layout.

Among the small changes made, it would be generous to even call them “upgrades.” In terms of visible modifications, they were more like adjustments in seasoning – a little more spice here or there, noticed by only the most attentive owner.

And yet, every time a new car arrived, my dad spent days doing what he called “studying the manual.”

Now before you dismiss this behavior as symptomatic of an old man with too much time on his hands, there was quite a bit of logic behind his approach.

As he explained, it was precisely because the cars changed so little from year to year that the only way to become aware of any improvements was to go through the manual and note what was different.

How else would he know that sequential fuel injection had been added to the 3.8-liter 3800 V6 engine?

Or that window and windshield glass had been thickened to decrease ride noise?

Or that beginning in 1997, each of the two ignition keys could be preset for different drivers, readjusting the mirrors and seats automatically as soon as the car was started?*

(*One time, I accidentally borrowed my mom’s keys and the car, assuming I was also a five-foot, two-inch, short-armed human, tried to crush me to death against the steering wheel.)

The point is, my dad wasn’t wasting time. They had already paid for the car; with each new feature uncovered, he was increasing his perceived value of the purchase.

Low Cost to You, High Value to Them

When it comes to working as professional service providers, we likewise have opportunities to expand the perceived value of our services. Except we can often do it with little (sometimes zero) increase in cost to us – whether in time or dollars spent.

Here are just a few examples of things I do to deliberately tip the value scales in my clients’ favor…

#1. I invite clients to call or text anytime.

It doesn’t mean I’m always there to answer the phone or available to respond to a text (I might be off accepting a prestigious award or something).

And the truth is, the perceived value is in the offer, not the action – few clients ever contact me outside of normal hours anyway.

But knowing they can reach me quickly and easily if something does come up separates me from a larger, impersonal marketing agency.

Cost to me: Zero.

#2. I republish their content on LinkedIn.

After publishing client newsletters, I continue to post excerpts to their respective LinkedIn accounts, giving their content more legs and more impact.

I began doing this seven or eight years ago when I discovered a service called MeetEdgar that does it mostly automatically (don’t ask, I have no idea where the name comes from either).

I don’t charge extra for it – my MeetEdgar account allows me to piggyback others on top with no additional fee.

Cost to me: A little bit of admin time each month.

#3. I offer additional visibility.

I often mention and point to client newsletters or web sites in this very newsletter.

It helps me when I’m in need of an example to make a point; it helps them by providing increased exposure.

Cost to me: Zero.

#4. I’m exceedingly flexible.

Most of my clients publish a newsletter on a set monthly timetable. Often, we’ve got everything written, formatted, and scheduled several days in advance.

Sometimes, though, it comes together at the last minute, with my tech guy and me literally pulling things together the night before we publish.

I don’t promise I’ll always be able to pull it off, and sometimes I can’t (I might be tied up being interviewed by a major media outlet or something). But if I can do it, why not?

Here again, this is in stark contrast to a typical marketing agency that would require days (maybe weeks) of lead time.

Cost to me: Zero.

These are examples in my business; yours will undoubtedly be different. But you get the idea.

Here’s the bottom line.

One of the things (among many) that I disliked about working for a big company, was that we were forever playing a game called, “How can we steadily increase our fees while cutting our costs without customers noticing or at least not leaving?”

(Yes, as a matter of fact, I did work for the cable company.)

It was customer service Jenga: keep pulling out pieces and hope nothing falls over.

And maybe that’s the best you can do as a big company.

But you and I can take the exact opposite approach: keep finding ways to add value for our clients – especially when it costs us little or nothing.

It’s better for them and, ultimately, it’s better for us.

Because the more they get for the same dollar, the worse your competitors look in comparison and the harder it is for them to even think about going anywhere else.

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Discussion Questions:

1. What’s the most interesting car you’ve ever driven?
2. Have you ever been almost crushed to death by something (extra credit if it was your husband)?
3. How do you add extra value to clients?

Share your answers below…

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