---
title: Value Adding Your Way to Oblivion
description: In today's excerpt from my speech at EO's Nerve Conference from last week, I share this insight - what I call The Value Add Trap.
---

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# Value Adding Your Way to Oblivion

[ Doug Davidoff ](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/author/doug-davidoff)  Apr 29, 2009 8:20:01 AM

The fundamental purpose of marketing is to differentiate.  As I shared my [post Monday](https://blog.imaginellc.com/commoditization-noise) - th[e problem with differentiation is that when everyone is trying to do it](https://blog.imaginellc.com/commoditization-noise), it becomes meaningless noise and customer ignore it.

In today's excerpt from my speech at [EO's Nerve Conference](http://www.bethe5percent.com) from last week, I share this insight - what I call The Value Add Trap.  Think about the last time a salesperson said to you, "this is our value add."  What was your visceral response?  The problem with traditional, offering-centric approaches to marketing is that all they end up doing is adding to the complexity.  In today's over-complicated world, buyers just shut you out.

[display_podcast]

Instead of taking a company centric viewpoint, start looking at everything from the persepctive of your customer.  The simpler you can make their life - the more powerful your value proposition will be.

[B2B Sales Strategy](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/topic/b2b-sales-strategy), [Demand Generation](https://www.liftenablement.com/blog/topic/demand-generation)

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