Most of us have a hard time thinking about our business this way. After all, the very word business implies a simple transaction, an ordinary exchange of goods and money.
That transaction has a story. That customer chose you, and your brand, because you made them believe what they received from you is worth as much as the money they gave you.
A successful customer relationship isn’t just about your product living up to expectations, though. It all starts with a problem to which a person needs a solution. Not a prospect, but a person, just like you, who is looking for a real world problem to be solved. It just so happens that you have that solution.
Even if you don’t know it, the product you provide is the entire solution to someone’s problem. If you echo that problem in terms your potential customer can relate to, they will begin to trust what you have to say.
So what does that look like? Perhaps the best way to give you an idea of an effective value proposition (explanation of the value of your product) is to first show you what it doesn’t look like.
1. An effective value proposition isn’t self-absorbed.
Remember, you have to explain what’s in it for them. Your future customer isn’t compelled by your Better Business Bureau badge, the fact that you’ve spent 25 years in business, or your new 0% interest financing offer. Sure, those things can assist the sale later on in the process, but this is about getting people to accept your product, and more importantly you, as the solution to their problem.
2. An effective value proposition doesn’t confuse the brand’s problem with the customer’s problem.
This goes for just about every aspect of your business, too, not just copywriting. So you need some more leads to stay on track for this quarter? Don’t hurriedly put together an email campaign with never-before-seen discounts. That’s a solution to your problem, and it’s apparent. Your brand will never equate to an easier or better life for your customer, but will only be seen as a money-making scheme with no passion behind it.
3. An effective value proposition is appealing enough to excite a community.
You want people to be passionate about your brand, and if you find the right solution for the right audience, they will be. This doesn’t mean you have to be elaborate or poetic, it just means you need to convey what your brand and product are about in the clearest, shortest, and most exhilarating way possible.
Creating an effective value proposition will ensure your customers are getting an accurate perception of your brand. But it doesn’t start there. To even know who you are reaching and what you need to say to them, you must formulate who your brand is to the very core.
Who is your brand? I use the word “who” because it’s helpful to think of your brand this way–as a personality. Your brand is more than a product, more than a logo or a book of style guidelines. Your brand has values that run deeper than just giving your customer a good product. Your brand even has opinions that aren’t shared by everyone. That personality, that identity is what will set your brand apart from the rest, and what will make people cling to your brand and identify your brand as an extension of themselves.
Your brand’s identity will come from studying the people who will benefit most from what you have to offer. Get inside their heads. Become the person who needs your solution. Find micro-communities of these people on the internet and listen to what they’re saying. If you look closely enough you’ll start to recognize a common problem, and a unified way of speaking about that problem. This is a gold mine. Nothing is more valuable to your brand than being able to connect with your audience using the words they are already using.
Once you learn how to properly address the problem your product solves, you’ll be able to shape a value proposition that echoes the reality of that problem, and energizes consumers to solve it.
There is always a new and better way to get to the heart of your customer’s problem. Say it in fewer words, illustrate it in a more focused way, or start from scratch if necessary. You’ll be glad you put the time into better relating to the people who need your solution.