8 𝗣𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗲 𝗕2𝗕 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 (𝗦𝗼 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗼𝗅) 🙈
Years ago, when I started in B2B marketing, I thought I knew it all. Spoiler alert: I didn't.
Here are the hard-learned lessons that transformed my approach to crafting effective value propositions:
1️⃣ I Assumed I Knew My Customers
Rookie me: "I can guess what they want!"
Seasoned me: Deep customer research is non-negotiable. Understanding their world, language, and pain points is the foundation of everything.
2️⃣ I Focused on Products, Not Jobs
Rookie me: Listed features like they were going out of style.
Seasoned me: Realized customers 'hire' products to do specific jobs. Identifying these jobs-to-be-done revolutionized my value propositions.
3️⃣ I Marketed to a Single Decision Maker
Rookie me: Aimed all messaging at the economic buyer.
Seasoned me: Learned that B2B decisions involve entire committees. Now I craft messages that resonate with users, admins, managers, and even procurement teams.
4️⃣ I Rushed Into Content Creation
Rookie me: "More content = better marketing!"
Seasoned me: Discovered that without a solid value proposition, content is just noise. Now I invest time in strategy before touching a blog post.
5️⃣ I Ignored Competitors
Rookie me: Thought our product spoke for itself.
Seasoned me: Realized that understanding the competitive landscape is crucial for true differentiation.
6️⃣ I Treated All Messages Equally
Rookie me: Threw everything at the wall to see what stuck.
Seasoned me: Established clear messaging hierarchies: core value proposition, key benefits, then supporting features.
7️⃣ I Created New Content for Everything
Rookie me: Constantly churned out new content, heading straight for burnout.
Seasoned me: Learned the art of reducing, reusing, and repurposing content. Now I work smarter, not harder, and my content strategy is sustainable.
8️⃣ I Thought 'Set It and Forget It' Worked
Rookie me: Once the value prop was written, my job was done!
Seasoned me: Embraced continuous testing and iteration. Markets change, products evolve so should your messaging.
🛠️ Pro Tip: These lessons taught me that a well-researched, carefully crafted foundation pays dividends across all marketing efforts. It's not just about working harder, but smarter.
🚀 Are you making any of these rookie mistakes? Don't worry, we've all been there. Whether you need a focused Value Proposition Workshop or a comprehensive Foundation Builder program, I'm here to help you skip the painful learning curve. DM me or book a consultation from the featured section in my profile.
