It has been a fascinating journey, to create SALT. Mostly, because it has allowed me to bring my own professional value into focus. Not my “daily job” remits. Not what is written on my CV, or on my LinkedIn page. Finding my value has been about embracing the complexity of my professional history, and figuring out how this eclectic body of knowledge, skills and expertise can be beneficial to businesses. As a symbol for my value, I have chosen salt.
I like salt because of its cultural richness. Nowadays a staple seasoning in our kitchens, salt comes with a very interesting past. Among ancient civilizations, salt was used as a preservative, a precious trade commodity and a global currency. Salt would disinfect wounds and purify souls. If you are “worth your salt”, you are at the top of your game. If you belong to those the Bible defines the “salt of the earth”, congratulations! This means you are a very fine human being, in both morals and deeds. In my childhood memories, I associate salt with my mother’s cooking: she would open a big white jar, grab a pinch of salt or two, and sprinkle it on the food she was preparing. To me, salting looked like a magic ritual, entailing great mastery: to release its full flavour, a dish needs salt in the right amount – just not too much and not too little.
In kicking off this journal, let me ask you: what’s your SALT?
Companies usually focus very much on what they do, but they tend to overlook what they are actually providing their customers with. If you are in fashion, you are making clothes, but through your clothes you are offering body protection, comfort of movement, or confidence. You might be also offering a wearable toolfor people to fit in or to stand out. Beyond their facilities and services, the hospitality industry creates the physical and mental space for their guests to escape, recharge, enjoy. Most of the times, the value of a product consists in multiple functional and symbolic benefits, as it is for salt.
Discovering your value means to understand the ways your customers enjoy your products. Be mindful of that while attending your daily business. Understanding the “customer value” of your products will help you to orient budgets, production processes and performance towards effective relevance. Sprinkle that salt into your decisions: your business will be able to release its own kind of flavour, its own kind of magic.