Creating Your Value Proposition: Step 2
If you read my last post, you should now have a list of your company’s attributes. Do you? If not, give that post a read. We’ll wait.
OK, now that you’re back, I want you to start thinking like Steven Spielberg. Once Spielberg finishes filming, it’s off to the edit room to complete the project…you too!
Prioritize to Make a Good Story
Once you’ve distilled/synthesized the points to your value proposition, it’s time to prioritize them into a cogent story. Initiate the process like you’re writing a script.
First, create the agenda of points your value proposition will put forth, much like scenes in a movie. Decide with your team what point to present first, then second , etc. until you’ve covered the points your clients need to understand.
Understand What Your Audience Wants
Take the time to precisely determine who the ideal client is to who you’ll be presenting the value proposition. Here’s why:
Often when I consult with clients in this process, they start with the history of their organization dating back to their “Pony Express days” versus the over-arching value point their product/service offers today. They get mired in their backstory and take far to long to illustrate their uniqueness among their competitive set. No joke…one client’s first five pages were devoted to this! Simply put, get to the point and by “point” I mean that which will matter to them, not you.
Everyone’s a Critic
You’ll do this work and come up with a great value proposition. And then…your clients will poke holes in it, like a critic of Spielberg films would do. To counter this, do your best to preempt client questions/objections throughout the body of your value proposition.
Now that your value points are in a linear thought line you can now storyboard the presentation.
Storyboarding
Storyboarding is the act of creating the graphics that bring your value points to life. Find a blank wall in one of your conference rooms and place on the conference table a ream of paper. You’re now ready to facilitate the conversation to storyboard your value proposition using the paper to represent each value point you’ve outlined. Think one minute per page as a guideline.
Put the pages up on the wall. Do they make sense? Does it flow well? Does it deliver a powerful story that will compel your audience to act? Or, will your clients “head for the aisles” because the story fails to capture their attention? Consider these questions and adjust your proposition accordingly. Face it…if YOU aren’t motivated by the end result, no one else will be. It’s like a movie going straight to video!
Next week we’ll discuss how to deliver the message so that it’s a fun, interesting story to share with a client.
