It is your job as a business person to help your customers understand the value of your product or service that they might not be able to see, as they are the ones who determine the extent of its value in the first place. To stop losing sales you must effectively “win” the buying process, as the best value always wins.

A value proposition summarises why a customer should use your product or service. Generally, it is short and generic and it defines the value they will receive. These statements can be powerful and impactful in the early stages of the buying process. The value proposition doesn’t necessarily add value, but it shows the potential of it. 

Your value proposition must be focused on specific and tangible benefits for the customer, and directly linked to the resolution of their specific problems or opportunities - the bigger the better. 

On the other hand, a value offer is specific, account-based, and tailored to each buyer. It’s used in the middle of the buying process and, instead of being a sentence or paragraph, can be multiple pages long if presented compellingly. The value offer is a well-thought-out deliverable that adds immediate value to the buyer.

To be the first one to add value, you must first have the necessary conversations. Therefore, you must reach out to people and connect them in any way that you can. Once you have the connections and conversations you must then have the knowledge and process to give your customers something that no one else can. The majority of this will be in your value offer.

Here are four primary points to consider when making a great value offer:

1. Always prove value

It’s pointless to say that you’re better than your competition, or that your product is superior. Rather, let your customers say it in their testimonials as the more proof you show the better. You can also use case studies, articles, and third-party reviews.

To know what you need to prove you must ask your audience what is most important to them and then dig deeper. Then ask your successful clients about what helped them most. Once you’ve done this you can combine your findings and you’ll discover what is most important. If you can add value then it should be fairly easy to prove it. 

2. Provide deep insights

Everyone already knows the pain the prospect feels so now’s the time to tell people why they feel it and how you can solve it. If you can do this then you can provide a way to offer a solution that has not been done before and you can separate your value from your competition’s.

As well as solving the known pain point you need to be able to help the customers see the hidden pitfalls, which are future problems that they can avoid if they address them now. This is where the insights become deeper. Show them the problem they didn’t know was out there and then solve it.

3. Create true agency

Value is created when a need meets a deadline. When adding value, you must make sure that your solution is valuable to the client. For example, as a B2B business, you’d do this by mentioning and using factors that need to be solved because they impact your client’s bottom line and will give them a competitive edge.

4. Show them the way

By showing how your product is different and better than a competitor’s product is a key step to showing your ultimate value. And yet the true value is included when you can teach and explain how the execution will work.

Everyone focuses on the end result but most people are scared because they’re unsure of the process. They will use you once they can connect you and your product with an actionable plan and road map to success.

To do this you can put the four elements above into a video, a nicely-designed brochure, or even a landing site that’s specific to your customer. Give them the information in a way that they’ll want to receive it. Buyers control the process so you must make the most of the chance to provide them with the best value. Your only job as a salesperson is to add value and help others, and creating true value is the way to do it.

Examples of great value propositions

HubSpot

HubSpot is a marketing platform for entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses online. Its slogan, ‘there’s a better way to grow’, is an example of a great value proposition as it speaks directly to the pain point of a business owner who may be casually searching for products to grow their company.

The slogan articulates HubSpot’s competitive edge without making bold proclamations. They offer a host of services that many of their competitors don’t, and it articulates that value subtly and enticingly.

Apple

Apple is well known for its marketing triumph and ability to articulate value to its customers with famous slogans such as ‘think differently’ and ‘the experience is the product’. Apple is as much a lifestyle brand as it is a technology company. Its ability to bring those two worlds together is what brought it such incredible success. 

Its value proposition is that its products open the user up to a brand new world, allowing them to be a part of a new and exciting culture. It’s an innovative way to imagine a computer company and it’s why Apple has enjoyed so much success.