If you were to ask me today for marketing advice or tips, I can guarantee you that one of the first things that I would ask you would be (and I quote) “What is your Value Proposition?” To non-marketers out there this may seem like an overly complex question that will be steeped with rich jargon. On the contrary, the Value Proposition is often times the simplest form of an overall business plan and should be easily understood by everyone from eight graders to the head of your legal department. The Value Proposition is never to be forgotten nor neglected as this one statement will act as the lifeblood for a company and as marketers it is our job to facilitate it and to build and cultivate a relationship around it.
Formulating a Value Proposition is not nearly as difficult as it sounds. Typically the Value Proposition exists from the inception of a new business idea. This is the case because “necessity is the mother of invention” and businesses and products aren’t created because someone just wanted to invent it. On the contrary, businesses are created because there was a void that needed to be filled. As this is such the case the sustainability of the product or business hinges on the value that is created at the customer level.
Let’s just say you’ve created a business and you have not yet determined what your value proposition is, here are a few things that I would want to know in order to write a value proposition. (Disclaimer: There is no one right way to write a value proposition. So get creative and drive value!)
What is at your core?
What is it that you do better than anyone else? Do you provide an outstanding customer experience, have the fastest turnaround, most creative or more user-friendly than the rest? Whatever it is , decide on it and stick with it. The last thing the world needs is someone who thinks that they are good at everything. To quote a very smart man “You cannot be ALL things to ALL people.”
How do you do it better?
Is the value of what you do in the eyes of the beholder? To a certain extent it might be, however true value will transcend customers and non-customers alike. The way value is communicated is what creates the drive in people to interact with your company or to purchase.
Connecting your value
Value is not a singular instance or event. Your company or product can make synergies across multiple channels. For example, Apple can communicate value of trendiness. That is why you see celebrities using MacBooks (and why I use one too 
) but, trendiness is not necessarily at the core of what Apple is after. They are after simplicity is use and design.
Ok… I think I get it, how about an example?
Company: BMW
Type: German Performance Vehicles
Value Proposition: “Pure German Engineering to deliver passengers to their destinations in complete luxury safely by providing technological advances that suited for the high-speed track or riding around town. BMW is the Ultimate Driving Machine.”
Which Means: Value is derived from the performance and styling of the vehicle. Note that price nor ease of use are mentioned particularly in my version of their value proposition.
Remember that value just doesn’t exist, it must be created so think outside of the box and be big.
