Sales people and business owners alike can usually talk all day about their products and services, features and benefits but very few can clearly articulate what the bottom line unique value their business brings to its customers.

In today’s noisy marketplace, this is really alarming.  If the very people that are your company’s face to your customers and prospects can’t communicate the ultimate value their company delivers to its customers, how can the business stand out in this competitive fast paced market?  They need to articulate their company’s Unique Value Proposition.

What is a unique value proposition anyway?  Essentially, it is the message you deliver to the marketplace that gets prospects to sit up and take notice of your products or services. It’s what gets them to say: “That’s exactly what I need. Let’s talk now!”

Creating a value proposition can be difficult, not because value or results are hard to identify but because they are easily confused with the company’s products/services and their features.

Instead of explaining exactly what value customers can get from purchasing from their business (as opposed to the competition), businesses often turn their value propositions into a laundry list of what they offer:

Acme Manufacturing is a leading global company that delivers best-in-class products, development and support using the highest-quality material and manufacturing methods.

This statement doesn’t focus on the value the company brings, rather it is a bunch of trite language ( “best in class,” “leading” and “global”). To a customer, it sounds like white noise.

What customers notice is VALUE.

What’s in it for them?

Saving clients more than xxx million every year

Improving time to market by xxx percent

Reducing spending by xxx of dollars

These brief statements pack a powerful punch.  They identify the customer need (reduced costs, accelerated time to market, etc.) and spell out the results delivered.

There isn’t a prospect in your marketplace that wouldn’t sit up and listen to anyone that can deliver these kinds of results. If you can already quickly and clearly state the tangible value your business brings its customers, you are well on your way to a strong unique value proposition.

At Kinetic Insights, our PathFinders are skilled in helping leaders unleash the greatness in themselves and in their organizations. Call or email us for a quick discussion that just might put you and your team on the path to significant change.

Gail A. Froelicher is Founder, CEO and PathFinder of Kinetic Insights, LLC. For over 11 years, Gail and her team of PathFinders have journeyed with their customers to forge successful paths in rapidly changing business environments.

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