Value Proposition Module

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CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

In this session we will present a model that will

help you create an effective value proposition

statement; effective being defined as one that

any other person gets your value and can

explain it clearly and simply to any other

person.

The construction of our personal value

message is critical yet it is simply the first of

the building blocks in the foundation of our

preferred practice.

It is our message, however we still need to

package it and then send it – and to address

these subsequent issues we have created the

Presentation Styles and Interview modules.

Once we know what our message is, how to

package it and how to deliver it – we will move

to applying it in the cultivation of our

professional networks – whether they be

referral points or resource providers.

By creating an effective value proposition

statement your tangible reward is that you will

save your time by needing to deliver it once,

and you will reduce the frustration that arises

when you realize that another person doesn’t

“receive” your message the way you want!

Your real reward: the other person appreciates

'you' and 'your value', and they are impressed

with your communications effectiveness and

the level of confidence you have of your

service.

MOST of us package our ‘what we do’ message,

in a format that describes HOW we deliver our

value, rather than in a way that describes WHAT

another party ‘gets’!

We should be asking ourselves: "Are we

offering what people are buying?"

In this session we will introduce and then work

through a straightforward 3-step model in the

creation of a listener-friendly way of delivering

our message.

The model is clear and straightforward and

works with both the rational and the emotional

aspects within each of us. To be succinct, we

have a tendency to validate ourselves in two

ways:

We have a habit of talking from our point of

view rather than structuring our message from

the other person’s point of view, and

We use a rational justification, based upon our

expertise, rather than working with the actual

decision-making motivators – the emotional!

The message we send, with all good intentions,

is received by another as equally succinct: “It’s

all about me, and here is the evidence that you

should value me!”

Understandably, most people will respond to a

message like this in a less-than-positive way.

What is viewed positively by all of us is respect.

Therefore, our model will help us structure our

message focus on the other party’s ease of

understanding rather than on our own ego.

To begin, you may wish to take a moment and

write your current value proposition in the

workbook now. This will give you an excellent

comparison for what you create later in this

session.

CHAPTER TWO: PREPARATION

Before we start with the model, let's recognize

just a few biases that may inhibit us during the

creation of our value proposition:

* we tend to start by equating ourselves with

what we do – others don’t!

* we want to talk about what we do from our

point of view rather than another’s – others

want to be engaged in a conversation

* we are attached to our educational

credentials! – others tend to view these as

check-list items

* we try to convince as opposed to inform –

others resent this, and

* we feel a gap between how we see ourselves

and how we ‘want’ others to see us!

These reflect what we feel is relevant – the

question and challenge that we are really facing

is: What is relevant to the other party?

Many of us have heard a story, or one like it, of

someone with a reputation echoed in the

quote:

“He’s such a good salesman that he could sell a

refrigerator to an Eskimo!”

Quick Question: “How would you feel about

being 'described' in this way?

Many professionals have a visceral response to

the idea of being seen as a salesman, let alone

one who might be viewed as wearing a white

belt and/or white shoes – and – this feeling has

a direct impact on how we represent ourselves!

In this situation, some of us are concluding

that the salesman is slick and that somehow

the buyer is being talked into something that

they really don’t want.

This may be true, yet it may be very UNTRUE –

and our response highlights our own

perspective rather than what might be reality.

The approach: We will deliver a message to

assist the listener understand why they may

WANT what we offer, and this requires that we

set aside what we WANT and focus on them!

The model will help us deliver our own value

message in a way that another party will be

able to grasp, thereby increasing the

probability that they will decide that YOU are a

good or GREAT option for them to improve

their own situation.

Result: Quality & Quantity – or - more and

better clients!

A different, and positive Result: those who

understand your value, yet find that the two of

you aren’t a fit, are equipped to explain to

others WHAT you do – and often can think of

others who might want your services; this is

the first step in building yourself a Team of

Advocates who are able to advertise your value.

We’ll address the HOW TO DO THIS in a later

module.

APPROACH: We will have the best results if we

create our VP in a way that assumes the party

to whom we are delivering this is not a buyer,

but a potential advocate.

CHAPTER 3: GUIDELINES

This will put the focus on our creating a

statement that can now be delivered by the

other person simply, clearly and with earnest!

The model creation guidelines for

effectiveness:

clean, clear and crisp – or “to the point”

people decide emotionally, justify that

decision ‘rationally’

proving our value claim

First hint: de-personalize our value from

ourselves.

Second hint: if we don’t know and feel our own

value, it is guaranteed that the other party

doesn’t!

Third hint: we are working on a statement of

value – and in itself is only the first step in

living your value for your clients – keep this in

mind as you evolve your value proposition - as

you will find that in a year from now you will

have refined it further.

Fourth hint: people incorporate new

information in a linear fashion, and the

moment the sequence disconnects from the

listener, the message is lost.

THE STRATEGY of this model: It is all about

‘them’!

The focus is on what they want, recognizing

how they incorporate information, and working

toward equipping them to pass along your

message!

The model itself has 3-Steps – and a quick

overview is as follows:

Step One - THE WANT! This first sentence

addresses an emotion and from the listener’s

point of view can be defined as the WHAT DO I

GET?

Step Two – THE HOW & WHY! This portion

of the model includes a rational justifier

relating to the delivery of the WHAT identified;

this is usually done via our HOW we do this,

and then we include a direct statement

addressing the question the listener is asking:

WHY YOU?

Step Three – THE SURE! Finally, we end with a

statement that supports the proof that Steps

One and Two are true!

To make the creation of your VP statement

easier, let’s dissect each step into the separate

parts and work our way through that.

CHAPTER FOUR: STEP #1

STEP ONE: this is a general statement at a

high level, focused on satisfying an emotion.

We want our VP statement to begin by having

the listener immediately relate to a specific

emotion in a way that it defines for

them….WHAT EVERY CLIENT GETS.

The STRUCTURE of your statement is important

to connecting with the other party:

"I emotion being satisfied my clients' regarding

their topical issue(s).

For simplicity, let’s start by listing just a few

emotions to which we can all relate: Security,

Comfort, Stability, and a reduction of Stress!

Who of us doesn’t want ‘more’ of these?

Here are a few examples of the layout:

"I help remove the stress for my clients with

their tax issues.....

"I secure my clients' and their family's financial

affairs....

"I simplify my clients' lives in regard to their

estate planning.....

"I ease my clients' through their legal issues

and headaches......

Now, let’s create a sample opening sentence

for our Refrigerator sales fellow using STEP

ONE:

“I give my customers a sense of comfort that

their food is being preserved!”

This is short and to the point – yet doesn’t

cause any confusion – because it is a general

statement to which you & I, AND the Eskimo

can all relate, even IF we relate to it very

differently!

Now we wouldn’t really expect a refrigerator

sales person to talk with us in this way, as we

would normally already be in a store looking at

refrigerators.

The point: we have self-identified ourselves to

the salesperson as being motivated by

something otherwise we probably wouldn’t be

looking – and his or her challenge is to package

the opening statement to reflect what emotion

you are wishing to have satisfied.

The conversation might start with their asking

you what prompted you to be looking – and

once that has been answered – they now have

the information required to position

themselves, their role and their product to

align with your point of motivation.

Yet, it all comes down to food preservation,

whether that be defined as a security issue by

the Eskimo, or a food storage system for more

urbane types!

When we have created STEP ONE clearly, it

becomes a perfect transition to what we want

to talk about…..ourselves…and the HOW we go

about our role!!

CHAPTER FIVE: STEP #2

STEP TWO: the rationale: HOW & WHY

This is the body of our value proposition if you

will, as we want to factually state how we

deliver our service – and this can often be

simply stated as our process.

We want to present our information in a linear

manner and we want to talk about the HOW

before we get into the WHY.

When the listener hears your connection as to

how you deliver the WHAT, they likely move

quickly onto "WHY YOU?"

In most courses we have taken or in books

which we've read, this is called the USP - or

Unique Selling Proposition. The purpose for

this part of your VP statement is to articulate -

this is how I am DIFFERENT (in a good way) or

this is where I FIT in my industry.

Therefore, as the WHY ME is a personal claim –

it is important that the claim is both simple and

factual and that it reflects your sense of values.

This should also be structured in a positive

manner, rather than in a way that the listener

may feel that you are referencing your

competitors in a negative light.

Remember: this is NOT a sales pitch, simply an

INFORMATIONAL or POSITIONING statement

that provides clarity to the listener.

The goal is for the listener to understand where

we are on the spectrum of service providers in

our industry and how we are unique in the way

that we deliver our service.

So to recap:

first part of STEP TWO: how do you deliver?

second part of STEP TWO: why you?

Let’s walk through a couple of examples how

STEP TWO might be created:

Example 1 "For my clients, I create a plan that

will address their specific tax planning issues.

My practice is quite unique, as my discovery

process works through both the factual and the

motivational circumstances, allowing me to

fully understand each client as a person. I play

the role of strategist for each of my clients

rather than the taking a tactical approach of

working through their tax issues in isolation

from their other financial objectives."

Example 2 "For each of my clients I do the

technical tax work myself and then coordinate

the other specialists that are required for

implementation of the tax strategy.

My approach of moving beyond 'knowing my

clients' to 'understanding them' results in the

broadening of my service and gives my practice

a more personal and individual focus.

These are simply a couple of samples, so let’s

go back to our Refrigerator fellow and see how

he might structure ‘his’ STEP TWO:

“The refrigerator is Polar Bear proof - via these

features.

What is unique is the ease and simplicity of use

compared to hiding food under a pile of rocks!

This is very simplified, yet gets right to the

heart of the issue.

Now that we have addressed the emotion, and

have presented the rationale, we are set to

move on.

CHAPTER SIX: STEP #3

STEP THREE: the proof: SURE!

In this sentence we want to state that what we

have said previously is accurate.

Delivering this in a quiet and confident way will

tell the listener that we are a valid option in our

field and that those we work with 'value' what

we have previously stated.

On a rational basis, it provides further evidence

that they can 'share' with others – and we have

made it simple for them to do so.

Let's work with a general type of proof

statement, delivered in a couple of different

ways.

The statement:

"My clients refer their friends and family

members!"

Unto itself it provides the listener with evidence

that your existing clients are happy.

For some of us who are analytical types

(read: engineers) the statement might be

presented akin to:

"83% of my clients have referred a new client to me

during the past 2 years, and of those referred, I

continue to work with 100% of them."

For some of us not-so-analytical types

(read: the rest of us!) the statement might be

presented as:

"As a consequence of my approach, my clients

refer their friends and family members and my

professional associates entrust their clients to

me."

Therefore, to review:

3 - Steps ERP if you like acronyms

1. Emotion - the WHAT!

done to relate to the listener from their point of

view - as in, what do THEY get!

2. Rationale - the HOW & the WHY!

done to describe the role briefly and to

differentiate us from others in the same role!

3. Proof - the SURE!

done to support the previous two components

and provide evidence to the listener that we are

'credible'.

Once again – let’s return to our Refrigerator

sales guy and how he might conclude his

overall VP statement.

"In the 32 years that we have been servicing

our 118 clients in the north, we have yet to

have a polar bear or any other wild animal

'crack' any of our refrigerators."

This sentence is to the point and provides the

Eskimo with evidence that what the sales guy

said was credible.

CHAPTER 7: COMBINING the 3-STEPS

With respect to our Refrigerator Sales Fellow,

let’s review how the combination of the THREE

STEPS comes together in an overall statement:

“I give my customers a sense of comfort that

their food is being preserved!”

“The refrigerator is Polar Bear proof - via these

features.

What is unique is the ease and simplicity of use

compared to hiding food under a pile of rocks!

"In the 32 years that we have been servicing

our 118 clients in the north, we have yet to

have a polar bear or any other wild animal

'crack' any of our refrigerators."

Now, let's go back to the original statement:

"He's such a good salesman that he could sell a

refrigerator to an Eskimo!"

Using our 3-Step model, and from our just

completed work – here is how the 'sales-guy',

may have come up with his statements.

Step 1: “I give my customers a sense of

comfort that their food is being preserved!”

This indicates that he understands 'what the

listener' might be interested in having. i.e.

WHAT IS IN IT FOR HIM.

The issue is security, not the way you and I

might value it, but from a totally different set

of measurements.

The "security" in question in this case is from

POLAR BEARS.

Step 2: The tool is Polar Bear proof - via these

features. What is unique is the ease and

simplicity of use compared to hiding food

under a pile of rocks!

The descriptor of the use of the refrigerator

is simple to explain and the uniqueness is

relative to the options that the Eskimo

considers.

While we are wondering about the capacity,

the dependability and the power-usage of a

new fridge, the Eskimo is wondering about the

capacity, the dependability and the actual

physical security of the unit!

Step 3: In this case we need to address the

ramifications of the refrigerator NOT living

up to expectations - as the Eskimo's family

will go without food!

So, he will need to hear how we are going to

ensure that our refrigerator will not become

non-functional!

"In the 32 years that we have been servicing

our 118 clients in the north, we have yet to

have a polar bear or any other wild animal

'crack' any of our refrigerators."

Therefore, at this point we can now understand

how the Eskimo is open to further discussion

around a refrigerator as an alternative to his

'preservation' issue! It is all about his family of

course, yet food is the issue in question.

NOW……..

How do you view the sales guy's approach?

CHAPTER EIGHT: IT IS ALL ABOUT YOU!

Was he selling or satisfying a want?

Your VP statement is more than simply a

positioning statement – it is about sending a

message that you can help or not..…and that

you are clear about what help you are able to

provide.

The real moral to the story: our audience is

much larger than we think!

Once that is understood, we can begin

developing our own feel for how to package

our message - and that is something that takes

practice and a bit of time.

The typical reason for not doing this previously

isn't rocket science - we simply have used our

own perspective and incorporated our own

biases.

As a contrast, let's look at a real-life example of

an accounting firm and what they have come

up with as an initial statement to help them

move forward in building their statement:

"We are here to take all the hassle out of our

clients' tax lives....

"We do this by taking a complete picture of

their personal and business circumstances and

then restructure these in an integrated way to

maximum their tax-efficiency.

"We are different in the general with our

holistic approach and on the more tangible

level - we have the downtown expertise

delivered at a suburban price!

"Because of this, our firm has doubled in size

during the past 3 years due to all the referrals

that we've received.

CHAPTER NINE: USING YOUR STATEMENT

Now that we have created our own new value

proposition statement, let’s look at the

PRACTICAL transition from creation to

application.

Some sample “WHEN and HOW” we use our new

statements are as follows:

1: Networking events: this is the best known

environment to test your statement - a new

audience, not particularly friendly, but

attending themselves with a purpose. Tell

them what you do! Some call this the elevator

speech – and in some ways it is: Short and to

the point as you are governed by a time-limit!

2: Introduction from another party: introduce

yourself and help the introducer feel like they

are not sorry that they provided the

introduction!

3: Interviews with client prospects:

If this is an initial meeting – give the new

audience a frame of reference – and give them

a sense that the meeting is about them, not

you – by saying ‘what’ you do via your

statement!

If this is a second meeting – start by reminding

them ‘what’ you do and if they didn’t get the

message the first time, (via your previous

descriptor), they certainly will this time – and

will confirm for them why they are there talking

with you again!

4: Meetings:

Start – when those in attendance are not all

familiar with you and / or your role – ease their

minds: tell them ‘what’ you offer! If you do a

round table introduction and have an

opportunity to introduce yourself – take

advantage of it – Tell them what you do!

End – when you have attended a meeting and

then mingle during a break or at the end –

position your statement vis a vis the purpose of

the meeting. “I’m here, looking to get ‘x’ from

the session, as “I help my clients………”

CHAPTER TEN:

RECAP - Review, Reward, Action

To conclude, let’s identify what we have

covered:

TO REVIEW:

1. we are creating our value from the

listener’s point of view

2. we are present it in a linear, clear and

simple way

3. we are packaging it to ensure that they

can easily pass it along!

YOUR REWARD:

1. TIME Say it once!

2. CLARITY Say it simply!

3. CONNECTION Say it well!

YOUR TO-DO List:

1. Use the workbook to guide you in the

creation process

2. Practice your statement on a variety of

people – and then ASK them what they

hear!

3. Your litmus test: Deliver your

statement to your mother! If she gets

your value – and can pass it along to

her neighbor – you are done!

The level of our efforts in this module

will be well compensated in our next

one – INTERVIEWING – as it will allow us

to productively align ourselves and our

service with the issues of importance to

a client or a new prospect.