3 Easy Steps To Writing a Value Proposition That Sells

Jul 27, 2022

A value proposition is a simple statement that tells your customers and prospects why you are in business. At its core, it’s the promise your company gives customers about what it will deliver and why they should choose your product.

Value propositions form the foundation of marketing campaigns and sales pitches, so they can’t be vague or too general. The stronger the statement, the easier it will be to sell your product or services.

Putting in the pre-work to build a rock-solid value proposition is well worth the effort and will help you include precise results that benefit customers.  By following these three steps, you can create a value statement that sells:

STEP 1: Define your target market and ideal customers

Start by defining the most likely buyer of your product or services. You can conduct formal research using a third-party vendor or informal research on the internet. Narrow down your target by asking answering the following questions:

  • Is your target a person or a business?
  • Where are they located?
  • What do they think or know about your current brand?
  • If a person, how old are they? What gender? What is their socio-economic background?
  • Who else is competing for their loyalty in your market space?
  • Where does your target go to find information, e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter?
  • What are their pain points?
  • What do they value?

STEP 2: Identify the problem you are trying to solve

How will you know if customers will buy your product or service? The answer is you must identify the problem(s) you are trying to solve. Otherwise, your solution won’t resonate with the customers you specified above.

To clearly articulate the problem, think of your customer pain points as unmet needs. Then, answer the question, “How will your product or service specifically meet those needs?”

Examples of customer pain points include:

  • Inconsistent customer experiences
  • Poor quality of service or products
  • Complicated buying process
  • Not available on a preferred channel
  • Too expensive for what it delivers

STEP 3: Identify your unique market differentiators

To outperform competitors, you must identify distinguishing characteristics that only your company can own. These should be unique. If potential customers believe all available offerings deliver the same value, they will buy whatever’s available at the lowest price.

Ask questions that identify what benefits customers will gain from working with you. Examples of market advantages include:

  • Reputation – Employees, customers, partners, and the public hold positive opinions about your organization.
  • Innovation – The capability to develop new approaches using new or proprietary technology.
  • Customer Satisfaction – Processes and approaches consistently pleasing customers and resolving issues quickly.
  • A unique geographic location – Easier access to services for customer convenience.
  • Recognition – A logo and Brand image are quickly recognized and associated with quality.

Need more help? You can find free value proposition templates on marketing sites like Hubspot or check out this post from the Amendola blog.

Janet Mordecai

Janet Mordecai brings more than 20 years of marketing, communications, and public relations experience to her role as Senior Account Director at Amendola. She has a track record of repeated success in generating revenue, growing market share, and driving global brand equity in previous roles. Prior to joining Amendola, she held senior-level MarCom and product marketing positions for high-performing healthcare organizations, including Blue Shield of California and Medical Security Card Company dba/ScriptSave, Roche, Signify Health and Matrix Medical Network. Janet’s portfolio is vast, having provided advanced healthcare innovation consulting through her independent business. During her work career, she has proven herself to be a sought-after expert on brand equity for high-performing marketing organizations, managed care plans, pharmacies, PBMs, and technology platforms. She knows the ins and outs of creating campaigns, managing content, and significantly improving marketing operations for healthcare organizations of all sizes. Janet is a professional healthcare writer, published author, and winner of the Julia Child International Cookbook Award for Positive Cooking: Cooking for people with HIV. She is heavily involved in Southern Arizona Justice for Veterans (SAJV) where she is on the board of directors. She earned her degree in social work from the University of California Berkeley.