Glad to see you back and that you are continuing to follow my article series revolving around the question – Why would somebody pay you for something they can find free on the Internet. I got this idea for a series of articles based on a post from Maria Forleo. Go read the article if you have not already, and be sure to watch the video too! There is some great information there, and Marie is quite an engaging personality, I am sure you will enjoy it.
Just a couple more articles left in this series, but in case you missed any, so far we have covered:
- Introduction to the series.
- Results vs. Random Information
- Getting the sequence right
- Searching for Answers
- Missing Pieces
Today we will talk about Motivation and Accountability. I will also tie in the idea of perceived value in today’s article. Then, tomorrow we will wrap up the series!
Motivation & Accountability
In Marie’s article and video, she brings up the point that when you pay for something you are more motivated to hold yourself accountable and actually use the information. If you are just searching the Internet you might do the following:
- Go to Google and search for your topic.
- Open up 20 or 30 tabs with web pages you find on Google that “might” have the information you are looking for.
- Look at a couple of the web pages, then get tired of the whole thing.
- Shut down your computer and go do something else.
You are not overly motivated and don’t feel the need to be accountable. It’s all free information anyway, and you can always come back later.
But, when you have gone to the expense to purchase a resource for the information that you want and need, you feel a responsibility to use that information. You don’t want to waste your money, so you actually do it! Also, instead of spending your time searching the Internet, you can get right down to work. When you search, then decide to come back again another time, you likely have to start from scratch, scouring Google for what you want. It’s a non-starter for me!
Perceived Value
Have you heard of the theory of perceived value? In my view, it fits right in on this topic.
Perceived value is when you feel that one thing is better than another because of its price. For example, it is pretty much automatic that if something costs money, you will feel that it is better than something that is free. I feel that it is this perceived value that pushes you to hold yourself accountable and motivates you to use the information that you have purchased. Perceived value is a very powerful motivator and the act of making the purchase almost converts it from the perception of value to a fact in your mind. So, having spent some money for the information you needed pushes you to use the information – it is a valuable resource after all.
Come back again tomorrow for the wrap up of this series! It is a great topic tomorrow, and I am sure you will enjoy it, find it useful and feel that it puts an exclamation point on this series! See you then!
Leave a Reply