Value propositions: what-how-why

A value proposition is the promise you make to your prospects about the value that you, as a company, will deliver.  It’s the number one reason a prospect should buy from you.

A value proposition is a clear statement that:

• explains how your product solves the customer’s pain and how they will gain from your offering
• What the compelling advantages are for your customers and why they should buy from you
• tells clearly how you are different from the competition

It’s for people to read, scan and understand
I am a strong believer that you have to present your value proposition unambiguously as the first thing the visitor sees on your home page, in your e-mail or brochure.  But of course, it also has to be translated into visuals, other statements expressed in collateral, landing pages or other entry points of the site. With a quick scan of your landing page, prospects in your domain are supposed to understand what you do and how you are different, so they can qualify you in… or out.

If your value proposition makes people ask clarifying questions, you’re doing it wrong. If they have to read a lot of text to really understand your offering, you’re doing it wrong. Yes, sufficient amount of information is crucial, but you need to draw them in with a clear, compelling value proposition first.

In my agency, we use Paymoapp as our project management tool.  Their value proposition is clear and you understand immediately what they can do for you:

Moving Projects Forward

A modern project management app for small & medium businesses
One platform for Team Collaboration, Timesheet Management and Project Accounting

Use the right tone of voice and jargon

Your value proposition needs to be in the customer’s language. With your value proposition, you want to join the conversation that is already going on in their head. To do that correctly, you need to know your customers and the buzzwords they are using.  Some SEO keyword search can help you with that. (Have you ever tried answerthepublic.com; maybe not the most complete tool on SEO but really cool!)

What makes a good value proposition?

• Clarity! It’s easy to understand.
• It can be scanned and understood in about 5 seconds.
• It communicates the benefits a customer will get from purchasing your products and/or services.
• It says how your offering is different or better than the competitor’s offer.

What is not a value proposition:

• It’s not a slogan or tagline
• It does not start with “Welcome to our site”
• It’s not “watch our video”