When someone asks “what do you do?”, they’re (mostly) not simply asking for a job description. We want to know if your ‘what’ has a direct relevance to me when expressed as a why – and whether it is pertinent to myself or others I might know. It may not be that you want their … Continue reading Your story is your sell and your sell is your story
Category Archives: value proposition
Advertising is often the art, or deception, of putting a gloss on what we do. That is, trying to make a product or service bigger, or better sounding, than it really is. There’s an inherent danger in this approach. In the same way that if you tell a lie, you then have to remember what … Continue reading Tell an authentic story, not an imaginary one
We’re all complex. And our individual businesses usually do many things. Try telling that to a stranger though, and watch their eyes glaze over. That’s because we all crave understanding, immediately. Sure, later on you might expand the small list of problems you solve. But initially, at a cocktail party or as the first thing … Continue reading No really, what’s your business’s one thing
Is ‘everyone’ your target market? Extremely unlikely is the answer – unless you’ve found a way to sell happiness! Even then there’s likely to be people who are content to be grumpy. So, given that everyone is not your customers, having a clear idea of who they are makes your messaging much more definable. Whether … Continue reading Why you’re a mug to try to appeal to everyone
It can be a tricky beast to uncover your why. And while ‘to make a living’ may be part-truthful, it doesn’t differentiate you from 95% of other businesses out there. If you’re struggling to provide a reason why someone might be interested in your product or service, try using ‘because’ after your ‘what’. You might … Continue reading Use ‘because’ to help you find your why
The story a business tells about itself heavily weights our opinion of it. Indeed, purely based on its story we may or may not purchase its products or service. We quickly read beyond its what…what it sells. This is the ‘head’ bit we readily take onboard. We really want to know who the business is. … Continue reading Your first story should reveal your purpose
Your first story after the business name, a value proposition, has to do a lot of heavy lifting. And there may be a temptation, driven out of desperation, to merely state what you do. But a business (or an individual for that matter) should always try to move beyond such a ‘what’ statement. Potential customers … Continue reading How to perfect a heart and soul and value proposition statement
It’s all too easy to complicate the plan(s) we have for our business. ‘Strategy’ can often devolve to a knotty mishmash of ‘goin to’. For many people though, a clear statement, in your first story, of who you are, what you do and why you do it – is also a very succinct business master … Continue reading Your story is your strategy, your strategy is your story
A business is, inevitably, many stories. But we can tell only one story…at least initially. Your first most important message therefore has to shoulder an awfully large amount of heavy lifting. Because, this first story is essentially the promise we make to our customers. It is a headline that invites a website visitor to explore, … Continue reading It’s unearthing your one story, of many, that’s important
The carpenter’s dictum of “measure twice, cut once” is both a time and resource saver. It’s very difficult to add to a length of cut-too-short timber. The same ‘consideration’ aspect applies to nailing your first most important story. It’s all too easy to rush, and accept the first (what initially may seem like good) words … Continue reading Measure twice, cut once