4 Tips to Boost Your Value Proposition

There's no selling without a kick-ass value proposition. Here's a few tips to leverage if you want to give yours a boost! (But again, it's up to you, isn't it?)

You'd be surprised to see how many business owners try to sell stuff (including their own name card) without leveraging an impactful value proposition people can relate to.

Worse, you'd be even more surprised to see how many of them don't even have a value proposition at all!

I see the issue frequently in my work with entrepreneurs and business owners. And to be frank, it’s something I’m having a hard time understanding, if only because an introduction without value proposition gives me absolutely nothing to play with and keep the discussion going.

Think about it. Someone introduces themselves in the flattest way possible. How do you get things going?

“I make money doing sh*t for clients, whatever they throw at me I’m doing it”. Uh?

“I’m a designer”. Oh? That sounds fun…

“I’m a developer”. Oh… that sounds technical…

“I’m a coach”. Meh… anybody is a coach these days.

“I run a restaurant”. Okay! That must be tough!

“I run a cosmetic company that wears my name”. Wooo…

“I run a company that sells insurance, do you need one?”. Oh, come on!

Does that sound familiar to you? I have no doubt.

Does it sound like something you’d say? Probably as well, even though you really shouldn’t.

The reality is, this type of valueless introduction is so classic to me I’m now surprised when someone tells me what they do in a language that turns me on.

Sounds exagerated? Hmm, not that much, really.

So, here’s a question for you: can you tell what pattern I’m describing here? Beyond a clear lack of pitch, I mean.

The answer is simple: most business owners lack a value proposition they can rely on to turn people on, get them curious and excited, and turn chit-chat into a conversation that possibly leads to… building leads!

Now, I won’t go into the details of how to build a kickass value proposition here, but I’ll give you three ideas to use right now to leverage your own value proposition smartly and efficiently.

1.    Think storytelling.

Nobody cares about ‘what you do’ because it’s boring.

Too direct? Sorry if I punched your ego a tiny bit, but provoking people and ideas is what I do and you’ve got to call a spade a spade.

Being a designer, a developer, a coach, a restaurant owner, or an assistant is boring because makes you sound like (pretty much) everyone else. And people don’t want to spend their time talking to random ‘everyone elses’.

They are, however, hoping to be surprised and stimulated by someone different who can tell some interesting stories about the impact they make day after day. And that's precisely where you want to hit.

2.    Put the expected transformation first.

Putting a dose of storytelling in your introduction is only a first step - you also want to hit directly into the expected transformation your ideal client wants to achieve.

Two points here.

One, when introducing yourself, make sure your pitch resonates with people you want to work with.

Maybe the person in front of you won’t be receptive, but that’ll tell you they aren’t your target and so you’ll be able to move on faster.

If they recognize themselves in whatever you are saying, however, the alchemy moment will start naturally because your pitch will resonate and turn into immediate value worth spending time on.

Two, replace the status by the impact.

They won’t care about your insurance agent, developer, designer or coach tag but they will want to know more about the exciting transformations you make. Especially if they are a potential target for you!

3.    Shock people to hook them up.

If you want to hook people up, shock them. In a nice way obviously, but do it!

Give them something to click on. Give them something to remember. Give them something to be excited about, and something to repeat to others.

Don’t be a designer. Create spaces and make people feel special wherever they are.

Don’t be a developer. Create unique games and creative experiences everyone talks about because they are awesome.

Don’t be a restaurant owner. Work with the best organic suppliers and give their tastebuds a Wow! moment.

Don't be a social entrepreneur. Change the world!

Don’t be a just a coach. Provoke, challenge, transform lives, scale businesses, and get them where they won’t go without a mindset change. And give them a kick in the butt, since you’re a it.

Can you imagine the impact of this on your next pitch? Just saying, though. In the end, it’s up to you!

4.    Package it.

Last but not least: Turn that kick-ass value proposition of yours into a relevant offering people will buy into without thinking (too much). Not because it’s cheap compared to others, but because it’s spot on, meaningful, transformational (remember point #2?) and impactful.

My five minutes are long gone so I’ll keep that part for another day, though.

In the meantime, feel free to get in touch! I’m curious to see what your value proposition sounds like!

Yours,

A.

PS: Part of this week’s newsletter was published in partnership with E27, the Asian Startups Community Platform.