Month: July 2025

Ellen Dupont, founder of Online ED, is at a crossroads. Her agency is doing well, clients keep coming, and the reputation is solid. But under the hood, she’s making some serious adjustments.

“What we do works, but it no longer feels right. We deliver quality, but the model we’re working in is wearing out. Margin pressure is increasing, clients expect speed and strategy, yet still think in hourly rates. I don’t want to become a factory. Or a stress machine. But meaning? Yes, please.”

Positioning: from production to purpose

“We’re at the table for the content plan, but also for strategic decisions. The problem is: that role often isn’t priced. Or even seen.”

Ellen notices she’s increasingly contributing to direction, not just visibility. But this kind of strategic thinking rarely shows up in the pricing.
According to Moenaert & Robben (2022), lasting client value only emerges when the service provider takes on the role of co-creator. That role isn’t granted – you have to claim it and prove it.

Best practices

• Start every project with a role conversation: Is this about content or about course-setting?
• Make strategic contributions visible: with templates, roadmaps, or reflection notes.
• Offer phased services – from strategy to execution – to make your value more explicit.

Pricing: when speed makes you seem worth less

“A good video edit used to take three hours. Now? Thirty minutes with AI. And clients expect it to be cheaper.”

So, efficiency gains are immediately translated into lower pricing expectations. But according to Liozu et al. (2020), value-based pricing is all about the ability to define and anchor impact – not the number of hours.

Best practices

Link output to results: brand clarity, click-through rates, or conversion.
• Productize your work: “Brand campaign with intake and output test” sounds different than “18 hours of work.”
• Use examples: show how your work accelerated results or provided clarity.

Trust: the invisible contract

“Sometimes I just feel it: this is going to work. And then everything flows. But sometimes… I have to prove myself every step of the way. That’s when things get hard.”

For Ellen, trust is everything. It determines whether clients give her space – or second-guess every move. According to Zeithaml (1988), it’s the process – not just the outcome – that defines how valuable the collaboration feels.

Best practices

• Use visual journey models with clear phases and decision points.
• Schedule regular check-ins – even when things seem ‘fine.’
• Set clear expectations from the start: feedback, approvals, and iteration loops.

AI: accelerator and pitfall

“We use AI a lot. For copy, subtitles, structure. And it helps. But it also makes our work invisible. And therefore… vulnerable.”

AI saves time, but it makes the creative process less tangible. Clients only see fast output and forget the thinking behind it. According to Huang & Rust (2021), value is shifting from execution to interpretation and choice – that’s the real differentiator.

Best practices

• Position AI as a quality booster, not a replacement: “We make better choices faster.”
• Show your interpretation: why this tone? Why this order?
• Offer packages that combine AI efficiency with a human touch.

Choosing the right clients

“Sometimes I know in advance it’s going to be tough. But I still say yes. Because the calendar needs filling. And then it costs me twice: time and energy.”

Ellen speaks from experience: not every client fits your way of working. Yet saying “no” remains difficult. According to Porter (1985), defining who you don’t serve is key to sustainable positioning.

Best practices

• Define your ideal client – and name who isn’t a fit.
• Use an intake form to assess rhythm, feedback style, and collaboration habits.
• Plan a reflection moment after each project: are we continuing or was this one-off?

Conclusion

“I want to do meaningful work. Not grow for growth’s sake. But tighter, cleaner. With clients who fit us. Then it flows.”

Ellen’s story will likely resonate with many service providers.
Not doing more, but doing it better.
Not running harder, but choosing more consciously.
In times of acceleration, hourly rates, and AI, purpose may be the strongest compass we have.

Sources

Moenaert, R. K., & Robben, H. S. J. (2022). Strategic Market Management. Leuven: Acco.
Liozu, S. M., Hinterhuber, A., & Somers, K. (2020). Value First, Then Price: Quantifying Value in Business Markets. Routledge.
Zeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer Perceptions of Price, Quality, and Value. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2–22. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224298805200302
Huang, M.-H., & Rust, R. T. (2021). A strategic framework for artificial intelligence in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49(1), 30–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-020-00749-9
Porter, M. E. (1985). Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. Free Press.

In conversation with Rafaëlle De Troeyer

Rafaëlle De Troeyer—who brings over 20 years of HR experience at companies such as ERM and CLdN, including 10 years in L&D, and a broad background in leadership development and organizational change—shares her insights on how to prepare employees effectively for this challenge. Her perspective resonates strongly with my own methodologies at Add Business.

1. The Core of L&D: Practice-Based and Co-Creative Learning

For Rafaëlle, learning is above all a dynamic and human process. She explains:

Learning is not a checklist, but a continuous process. It’s about creating space to experiment, to make mistakes, and to learn from each other. Only then does the trust emerge that’s needed to truly make a difference in conversations.

She strongly believes learning only becomes valuable when it’s immediately applicable:

Learning is only valuable when it can be applied directly in practice. That’s why I always make sure any training aligns closely with the participants’ daily reality.

Mistakes, in her view, are not a sign of weakness, but essential:

Making mistakes is not just allowed—it’s necessary. It’s a vital part of the learning process and helps employees gain confidence in new conversation techniques.

Reflection plays a central role in her approach:

Reflection is the key to growth. Without consciously pausing to consider what you’re doing, development remains superficial.

And on ownership:

Ownership arises when employees are involved in shaping their own learning journeys. That makes learning personal and relevant.

This vision translates into three powerful pillars:

• Practice-based cases – Training with real-world scenarios
• Reflection – Joint reflection on both successes and failures
• Co-creation – Involving employees in designing their own learning paths

2. The EDIP Methodology: From Experience to Action

A key element of Rafaëlle’s approach is the EDIP methodology, a framework rooted in leadership development and military training. She explains:
The four steps of the EDIP methodology, illustrated with an example of applying the DISC model in a sales context:

Explain
This step introduces the theory or concept. It covers the goal, benefits, and required steps for execution.
For example: explaining the theory of DISC, including the four personality types (Dominant, Influential, Supportive, Conscientious), and how this knowledge helps improve sales conversations.

Demonstrate
Here, you show how to carry out the task. This can be done through a live demo or a video.
In the example: the sales manager demonstrates a conversation with each DISC type. They show how communication is tailored—being direct and to the point with a Dominant type, or taking time and building rapport with an Influential type.

Imitate
In this phase, the sales professional practices the demonstrated techniques. This allows them to rehearse in a safe, structured environment.
In our example: the sales professional practices conversations with colleagues simulating different DISC types. Feedback is given to refine the approach for each type.

Practice
Independent application and repetition
The final step is autonomous practice. As the saying goes: the three keys to mastery are practice, practice, practice. This method breaks complex tasks into manageable parts and reduces the ‘firefighting’ behavior that comes from getting lost in the process.

By combining theory and practice, supported by reflection, this learning becomes sustainable and effective—firmly connected to the reality of commercial work.

3. From Training to Growth: The Role of Co-Creation

For Rafaëlle, co-creation is essential for ownership and long-term development:

Employees themselves know best what challenges they face. Involve them in the design of training and case studies. That’s the only way to create ownership and keep learning relevant.

Co-creation ensures buy-in and enables continuous improvement of training based on real-world feedback.

And about the learning environment:

A learning organization doesn’t happen by itself. It requires a culture where making mistakes, giving and receiving feedback is the norm.

Scenario-Based Learning in a Commercial Context

I like to use scenario-based learning to train commercial teams with realistic, tailor-made cases.
We start by identifying typical customer challenges and critical moments in customer conversations.

The power of scenario-based learning:

• Safely practicing decision-making
• Learning to recognize and handle resistance
• Understanding complex customer dynamics

Scenario-based learning helps employees deal with unpredictable situations and prepares them for the complexity of real customer conversations. – Rafaëlle

4. Learning as a Strategic Pillar

By using practice-oriented learning, co-creation, scenario-based methods, and smart tools, we’re building a culture where learning leads to engagement, improved performance, and sustainable growth. That transforms L&D into a strategic lever—not a cost center.