by Tony Vidler       

Creating a compelling Value Proposition is difficult, but if it is achieved it becomes central to a professional’s marketing.

The Value Proposition is in effect your promise to your target market: “This is what I will do for you” is what it says in simple terms.

The problem that many professionals have of course is figuring out how to begin the process of articulating and then crafting their value proposition. The beginning of the process is fundamentally about doing a stocktake: understand what things you do, or have, or know that can create value for clients.

Convenience provided, or how particular services are delivered to clients are easy places to begin.  Ongoing service can be valued in terms of client benefits fairly easily.  The knowledge base of the professional has value, as does the way that knowledge base is shared in the form of content or information to clients.  Client experiences (or feelings) from successful planning results, problems averted, or the simplification of otherwise complex issues are also areas that should be considered as part of a professional’s potential value proposition.

This is a way of figuring out possibilities…the possible areas of value that you create for clients.  Then you have to think about expressing what these things mean in the way of great client outcomes….”I achieve this desirable result for you” is what the value proposition really says ultimately.

Creating a value proposition begins with mapping the possibilities before trying to figure out a tagline or magic set of words.  Once you have done that and then linked the fabulous things you do and have that result in a desirable outcome for your target market, you have a value proposition that will work because it speaks directly to your target market about something they value, and which you are confident you can deliver.

You can then build all of your marketing thereafter around that value proposition.