Everyone thinks they have a great sense of humor, right?
But not everyone is funny.
Such is the distinction between inside reality and outside reality.
We often believe we provide quality deliverables on time and with a smile. But, customers may see us differently. Not that it’s all bad–unless you really do deliver crappy product late and are grumpy while you do it…that’s no good…
Creating a true personal value proposition is a matter of figuring out what you do really well and capitalizing on it.
Here’s how to do it in three easy steps:
Step 1: Interview three people in your company. If it’s just you, then ask yourself the following questions. Either way, take notes for future reference.
- What services do you offer?
- Are you services cost competitive?
- What kind of support do you offer?
- In your opinion, what is your value?
- What evidence do you have to prove your value?
- What the most common piece of positive feedback you receive?
- What are three adjectives that describe your offering?
- What makes you (or your product or company) different than the competition?
- If I’m your ideal customer, why should I buy from you over anyone else?
- What do you do that your competitors do not?
- What problem do you solve?
- What pain do you relieve?
Step 2: Interview three customers. If you don’t have actual customers, then ask three influential people in your life the following questions. Again–be sure to take notes.
- Why did you choose to purchase with/hire/partner with/accept [your name here] over anyone else?
- What was the selection process?
- What alternatives did you consider?
- What impact has [your name, product or company] had on your company?
- What impact has [your name, product or company] had on you personally?
- What is the most important feature of [your name, product or company]’s solutions?
- How do you gauge success when it comes to [what your customer purchased]?
- Have you worked with competitors to [you name, product or company] before? How do they measure up?
- In what area does [your name, product or company] excel?
- In what areas could [your name, product or company] improve?
- Would you recommend [your name, product or company] to your friends and peers?
Step 3: Look at your “inside reality” answers and your “outside reality” answers–do they match up?
Only now can you create a true personal value proposition–the bottom-line reason anyone should hire, partner with, accept or pay you over anyone else. Once you have this, you are golden. You can use this as part of your elevator pitch, as a sales tool and of course, as a solid personal branding tool.
