What would you say, ya do here?

Determining the market value of your talents is difficult.

Pinpointing the vehicle of your uniqueness requires the intersection of two types of understanding.

Knowing thyself, and knowing thy customer.

Here are a few questions that have been helpful in the appraisal of my own value, both as an entrepreneur and an employee.

Let’s start with the first category. Knowing thyself.

• What is everybody always asking you about?
• What do you know that people would pay money to learn?
• What have you accomplished that people would not only respect, but also desire to learn and utilize to gain the same benefits for their company?

Answers to these questions will no doubt have patterns for you. And if you use your own experience as empirical data, your unique value will start to crystallize. That will give you leverage.

During my transition from working for myself to working for the man, many of these questions were critical. The content not only helped me build a compelling resume, cover letter and portfolio, but also empowered me with a new understanding of how my value fits into the larger organizational machine.

Jobs didn’t come pouring in overnight, but equipping myself with that personal knowledge made the transition that much smoother.

The next set of questions are about knowing thy customer. This requires us to put on our empathy hats, get out of our own heads and connect our value with the marketplace. Try asking these.

*Who would give their right arm to acquire the valuable expertise you now realize you possess?
*What contribution are you going to have to make to other people to cause them to give you the amount of money you want to acquire?
*When people thank you for how your work has personally helped improve their lives, what, specifically, are they grateful that you taught them to do? 

These are a bit harder because you have to make some assumptions. You have to look back over your body of work and figure out what problem you’re really solving for people.

Not the problem you want to solve for them. Not the problem you think you should be solving for them. But the one they ask for.

Many of my mentees from over years have told me that while the resources they got from me were very useful, it was the support, encouragement and reflection of their reality that made the biggest difference.

That was a pattern that told me people aren’t looking for information, they’re looking for affirmation. Google can give them the former. My gift was giving them the latter.

Have you figured out the market value of your talents yet? If not, or if you’re looking to do a reappraisal, focus on knowing thyself and knowing thy customer.

Build from there, and the vehicle of your uniqueness will carry your career to wonderful places.

What are you know for knowing?