A Compelling, Propelling Value Proposition

A few minutes ago I was sitting on my deck on a beautiful Saturday afternoon perusing my latest issue of the Utne Reader. I was reading an article about a new type of propeller for the shipping industry called the "impeller." It's an example of biomimicry because it was modeled after spirals in nature.

I know. It sounds pretty boring, but bear with me. I promise it gets better.

Early testing has shown that this design can improve a ship engine's efficiency by up to 10%. I'm sure you're as impressed as I was by this statistic. Actually, it meant nothing to me.

Just as I was about to move on, a few more facts jumped off the page:
• A freighter uses up to 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel/day.
• The shipping industry spends $43 billion/year on fuel.
• This new impeller could save shipping firms up to $4 billion in fuel costs each year.

That's amazing! Plus it's much better for the environment.

What's the message here for you? Think about the statistics you use to describe your offering. Perhaps you increase productivity 17%. Maybe you shrink waste by 7%.

If you're not taking these percentages to the next level where you actually show the financial impact on the buyer, you're missing the boat! 

Today's decision makers are too busy to do it themselves. Do the math for them. Help them realize the value you truly provide.

Now ... I'm going back outside where I belong.

Comments

[Auteur Wang]

I like reading what you put here, which is really enjoyable! I will often come here and recommend good articles to my friend to share!
Glad to know you!

By the way, I am running a translation company in china. I would like to get some ideas on how to sell to big companies!

Thank you Very Much.

[Jacques de Villiers]

Hi,

Checked out your website. Some great stuff there. I also find your blog most inspiring. Would it be possible for me to put your articles on my website (with full credit, weblinks etc to you of course) I'm a South African company in a similar field to yours. I doubt that the companies from your neck of the woods would use me, so there shouldn't be a conflict of interest.

Regards

Jacques de Villiers
South Africa

[Ford Kanzler]

Hi Jill,
Read your Winning Value Proposition one-pager with interest and can't disagree with any of it. What's missing in the formula is any mention of Differentiation. Drivers, Movement and Metrics are all good things on which to base a Value Prop but the competition can do the same things. The samples shown are well written but don't set the organization (brand) apart from others. Suggest adding a dose of Harry Beckwith (Selling the Invisibe)and Jack Trout (Ddifferentiate or Die) to the formula.