{"id":1304,"date":"2025-07-25T09:59:40","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T09:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/addbusiness.be\/2025\/07\/25\/cockpitgesprek-met-ellen-dupont-van-online-ed\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T10:12:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T10:12:19","slug":"cockpitgesprek-met-ellen-dupont-van-online-ed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/addbusiness.be\/en\/2025\/07\/25\/cockpitgesprek-met-ellen-dupont-van-online-ed\/","title":{"rendered":"Cockpit Conversation with Ellen Dupont from Online ED"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row row_height_percent=&#8221;0&#8243; overlay_alpha=&#8221;50&#8243; gutter_size=&#8221;3&#8243; column_width_percent=&#8221;100&#8243; shift_y=&#8221;0&#8243; z_index=&#8221;0&#8243; uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;157292&#8243; css=&#8221;.vc_custom_1724092097497{padding-bottom: 100px !important;}&#8221;][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;4\/6&#8243;][vc_column_text uncode_shortcode_id=&#8221;200439&#8243;]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\u2019s making some serious adjustments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we do works, but it no longer feels right. We deliver quality, but the model we&#8217;re working in is wearing out. Margin pressure is increasing, clients expect speed and strategy, yet still think in hourly rates. I don\u2019t want to become a factory. Or a stress machine. But meaning? Yes, please.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Positioning: from production to purpose<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re at the table for the content plan, but also for strategic decisions. The problem is: that role often isn\u2019t priced. Or even seen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ellen notices she\u2019s increasingly contributing to direction, not just visibility. But this kind of strategic thinking rarely shows up in the pricing.<br \/>\nAccording to Moenaert &amp; Robben (2022), lasting client value only emerges when the service provider takes on the role of co-creator. That role isn\u2019t granted \u2013 you have to claim it and prove it.<\/p>\n<h3>Best practices<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Start every project with a role conversation: Is this about content or about course-setting?<\/li>\n<li>Make strategic contributions visible: with templates, roadmaps, or reflection notes.<\/li>\n<li>Offer phased services \u2013 from strategy to execution \u2013 to make your value more explicit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Pricing: when speed makes you seem worth less<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cA good video edit used to take three hours. Now? Thirty minutes with AI. And clients expect it to be cheaper.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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 \u2013 not the number of hours.<\/p>\n<h3>Best practices<\/h3>\n<p>Link output to results: brand clarity, click-through rates, or conversion.\u2028\u2022 Productize your work: \u201cBrand campaign with intake and output test\u201d sounds different than \u201c18 hours of work.\u201d\u2028\u2022 Use examples: show how your work accelerated results or provided clarity.<\/p>\n<h2>Trust: the invisible contract<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cSometimes I just feel it: this is going to work. And then everything flows. But sometimes&#8230; I have to prove myself every step of the way. That\u2019s when things get hard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For Ellen, trust is everything. It determines whether clients give her space \u2013 or second-guess every move. According to Zeithaml (1988), it\u2019s the process \u2013 not just the outcome \u2013 that defines how valuable the collaboration feels.<\/p>\n<h3>Best practices<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Use visual journey models with clear phases and decision points.<\/li>\n<li>Schedule regular check-ins \u2013 even when things seem \u2018fine.\u2019<\/li>\n<li>Set clear expectations from the start: feedback, approvals, and iteration loops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>AI: accelerator and pitfall<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cWe use AI a lot. For copy, subtitles, structure. And it helps. But it also makes our work invisible. And therefore&#8230; vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>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 &amp; Rust (2021), value is shifting from execution to interpretation and choice \u2013 that\u2019s the real differentiator.<\/p>\n<h3>Best practices<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Position AI as a quality booster, not a replacement: \u201cWe make better choices faster.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Show your interpretation: why this tone? Why this order?<\/li>\n<li>Offer packages that combine AI efficiency with a human touch.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Choosing the right clients<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cSometimes I know in advance it\u2019s going to be tough. But I still say yes. Because the calendar needs filling. And then it costs me twice: time and energy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ellen speaks from experience: not every client fits your way of working. Yet saying \u201cno\u201d remains difficult. According to Porter (1985), defining who you don\u2019t serve is key to sustainable positioning.<\/p>\n<h3>Best practices<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Define your ideal client \u2013 and name who isn\u2019t a fit.<\/li>\n<li>Use an intake form to assess rhythm, feedback style, and collaboration habits.<\/li>\n<li>Plan a reflection moment after each project: are we continuing or was this one-off?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>\u201cI want to do meaningful work. Not grow for growth\u2019s sake. But tighter, cleaner. With clients who fit us. Then it flows.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ellen\u2019s story will likely resonate with many service providers.\u2028Not doing more, but doing it better.\u2028Not running harder, but choosing more consciously.\u2028In times of acceleration, hourly rates, and AI, purpose may be the strongest compass we have.<\/p>\n<h3>Sources<\/h3>\n<p>Moenaert, R. K., &amp; Robben, H. S. J. (2022). Strategic Market Management. Leuven: Acco.<br \/>\nLiozu, S. M., Hinterhuber, A., &amp; Somers, K. (2020). Value First, Then Price: Quantifying Value in Business Markets. Routledge.<br \/>\nZeithaml, V. A. (1988). Consumer Perceptions of Price, Quality, and Value. Journal of Marketing, 52(3), 2\u201322. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/002224298805200302<br \/>\nHuang, M.-H., &amp; Rust, R. T. (2021). A strategic framework for artificial intelligence in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 49(1), 30\u201350. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s11747-020-00749-9<br \/>\nPorter, M. E. (1985). Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. Free Press.[\/vc_column_text][uncode_block id=&#8221;887&#8243; inside_column=&#8221;yes&#8221;][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/6&#8243;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>With the Cockpit Conversations, I want to reflect with entrepreneurs on the course they\u2019re taking. Not classic success stories, but honest conversations about sharp turns, strategic choices, and the reality of running a business in a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cockpit-conversations"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Cockpit Conversation with Ellen Dupont from Online ED - Add Business<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/addbusiness.be\/en\/2025\/07\/25\/cockpitgesprek-met-ellen-dupont-van-online-ed\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cockpit Conversation with Ellen Dupont from Online ED - Add Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With the Cockpit Conversations, I want to reflect with entrepreneurs on the course they\u2019re taking. 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