George Westinghouse and the Value Equation
The Current War is a movie based on the competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose vision of the electrical power delivery system in the United States would be implemented. In the movie, the character of George Westinghouse offers a compelling description of the value equation, which he used to his advantage. It’s a lesson for us as professional services providers. The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.
TRANSCRIPT
John Ray: [00:00:00] I’m John Ray on the Price and Value Journey. I recently heard some words from George Westinghouse on the value equation. Well, it was probably not George Westinghouse himself, but actually the words put in his mouth. You see, I was watching a movie called The Current War, a movie which tells the story of the race between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to sell their competing visions of an electrical grid in the late 1800s. Edison pushed his original vision of direct current, while Westinghouse championed alternating current. Westinghouse’s vision won as alternating current was much more effective and less costly to distribute over long distances.
John Ray: [00:00:55] At one point in this movie, Westinghouse says, “The value of something isn’t what someone’s willing to pay, but the value of something is what it contributes.” This statement is the value equation at work. When a client assesses your service or product, they are judging the contribution your services will make to their business and their life. For them to buy, they must perceive that the benefits they will receive, whether in money earned, time saved, pleasure derived or something else is more than the price they pay. The only person who can determine this value is the client. It’s their perception, their determination of that contribution.
John Ray: [00:01:46] As depicted in the movie, Westinghouse used the value equation to his advantage. After Edison reneged on paying the talented inventor, Nikola Tesla, a promised $50,000, Tesla quit and Westinghouse pounced. He offered Tesla a royalty of $2.50 per AC horsepower, which would amount to much more than the flat $50,000. Tesla accepted and Westinghouse’ vision was on its way to realization.
John Ray: [00:02:22] The actual history is a bit more complicated, but the movie illustrates the point quite well. All Edison saw is that $50,000 was an immense amount of money. His ego kept him from seeing Tesla’s value. Tesla has no perceived value to Edison. Westinghouse, on the other hand, saw that the long-term contribution Tesla could make to his company dwarfed even a royalty payment like the one he proposed. The value which was at stake was immense. The opportunity to build the electrical grid for the entire United States.
John Ray: [00:03:06] That’s the value equation at work, Westinghouse and Hollywood style. It’s utilized by the buyer in every transaction. I’m John Ray on the Price and Value Journey. If you’d like to connect with me, go to Johnray.co or email me John@JohnRay.co.
About The Price and Value Journey
The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire, and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.
If you feel like you’re working too hard for too little money in your solo or small firm practice, this show is for you. Even if you’re reasonably happy with your practice, you’ll hear ways to improve both your bottom line as well as the mindset you bring to your business.
The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.
John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey
John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.
John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneur and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their “grey matter,” such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
In his other business, John is a Studio Owner, Producer, and Show Host with Business RadioX®, and works with business owners who want to do their own podcast. As a veteran B2B services provider, John’s special sauce is coaching B2B professionals to use a podcast to build relationships in a non-salesy way which translate into revenue.
John is the host of North Fulton Business Radio, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Nashville Business Radio, Alpharetta Tech Talk, and Business Leaders Radio. house shows which feature a wide range of business leaders and companies. John has hosted and/or produced over 1,100 podcast episodes.
