I do a lot of talks and writing about how critical it is for info pros to provide insight, not just information. I'm always on the lookout for good descriptions of what "added value" means in a research context.
I also always read the monthly newsletter of Access Information, a Denver-based research and information management company. The April 2010 issue has a great summary of what "value added research" means.
Adding value involves:
- knowing (really knowing) what would be most useful for you client
- communicating regularly with your client
- providing distilled deliverables
- offering primary research
- providing project management for large jobs
- following up, showing you care
Nice job, Wanda, Judy and Marcy!
I really like this explanation of how to achieve "value-added". From a consumer stand point the term "value added" means nothing. It does not give great value to the product itself. The baseline value of the product will have to stand on its own.
This definition of what adds value is really a consumer driven thing. Doing what is best for the consumer is really either what you do (as defined above) or it isn't.
All things being equal, baseline value of the product, consumers will purchase from a sales rep who really cares about their needs and not just throwing in some "extra" things to make the sale.
I have tried for years to get sales reps to understand that the value they "add" comes from them. It isn't something that the company provides to help them make up for their lack of understanding of the consumer and his/her needs.
Posted by: Eric Mulford | June 06, 2010 at 06:44 AM