How do you create a value proposition culture?

Powerful value proposition is the one that addresses the relevant needs or challenges of the target audience. Powerful value proposition speaks about solution and it’s value generating benefits - what’s in it for the customer. Powerful value proposition wins the customer over if you are able to articulate it evoking an emotion. Emotion drives motion ;)

Being close to the customer to understand their perspective is important in delivering value proposition. Greater understanding the depth and breadth of the market and challenging ourselves and our team to deliver the best product is a key factor to grow in the market.

Adding emotional intelligence to your value proposition can be a game-changer. It's not just about listing features; it's about understanding how your product or service makes your customers feel.

As more and more entities focus on digital strategies, it's not just about cost savings, or ROI, but rather engagement levels as well. As a player in healthcare digital, our platforms have industry leading engagement levels where in one client saw >80% engagement from their provider community within the first 90 days of deployment of our platform. Self-service features, call center calls reduced, a digital first strategy and the savings will savings/ROI/value will pay for itself multiples.

Think of your value proposition as the magic ingredient that turns a movie into a cinematic sensation. Your team is the ensemble cast, and clients, are the critics seeking that Oscar-worthy performance. Aim to craft it to be a blockbuster that leaves them awestruck and coming back for sequels!'

Storytelling is a potent tool to communicate your value proposition. Craft narratives that illustrate how your product or service positively impacts people's lives.

Communicating a value proposition does not have to be complicated. A simple and straightforward message directly addressing your customer's biggest pain points may be more successful than a message that requires customers to "think".

"Unlocking Value: Our Secret Sauce for Success!" Internally, we empower our teams by showing them how their work fits into the bigger picture, fostering a sense of purpose. Externally, we promise, "Your Success is Our Success," demonstrating how our unique value proposition meets your needs, reduces pain points, and maximizes gains. It's not just a pitch; it's our way of life. Imagine a puzzle – each piece, whether an employee or a client, finds its perfect place, creating a masterpiece of mutual success. We're not just talking the talk; we're building bridges between dreams and reality, one value-filled step at a time!

All channels and mediums of communication is required for different people. People response differently to different ways of communicating. Being real, authentic and sincere in one’s communication is key. Accepting that it may take multiple interactions to share the value proposition requires patience and persistence.

Your value proposition message should be consistent across all channels but communicated differently to each audience. For example, short entertaining video are more suitable for social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Tiktok. Educational contents are suitable for LinkedIn, blogs etc…

To ensure your value proposition is deeply ingrained throughout your organization, promote cross-functional collaboration. Break down silos and encourage teams from various departments to collaborate on refining and delivering your value proposition.

To align value proposition in the most effective way, each element of the value proposition canvas (Products, Gain Creators and Pain Relievers) must be directly aligned to the customer profile (Prospected Customer Jobs, Current Pains and Projected Gains). When this (one to one) alignment is tied to the company's culture either through policy deployment or strategic initiatives, it would help all levels and individual departments to understand how each of them contribute to the value of a product/service and continuous focus on this helps create a value management system and in turn is a precursor for a value proposition culture.

A product’s core value may be just a set of benefits, but in order to be a unique benefit it has to be a rare event. Finding the source of a rare core value event is hard. Snapchat’s core product value comes to mind. Its removal of messages and mental friction is both a unique and rare event. There’s a big caveat to be made that strategy is what underpins a unique value proposition. In other words, you need to carefully choose the vectors you want to compete on in order to find a unique core value event. Unfortunately, core value props are designed in a vacuum in most companies. It doesn’t happen in a marketing island, rather it’s a whole company thing. It’s an outcome of your company strategy. It’s how you play to win.

There are internal and external alignments to consider. Which is why starting with the end in mind is crucial. We go back to value proposition being about why we do what we do. If the first step is misaligned, the rest will be too. That's why we sometimes get "re-alignment" meetings zzz. Then, there are also tangible and intangible alignments. Not everything is about commercial gain or propositions. Sometimes the purpose wheel is more important than the commercial gain, and this goes back to understanding your customer. Check to make sure your proposition is balanced between these four quadrants.

From my vantage point, truly aligning a value proposition goes beyond mere strategic alignment; it's a heart and soul endeavor. I've seen companies where the value proposition feels like a living entity, harmoniously woven into every fiber, from products to personnel. Such alignment is a reflection of genuine core values, creating an emotional resonance. When the essence of what a brand stands for is palpably felt in every interaction and product, it fosters an organic connection with consumers, turning them into ardent brand advocates and making the business relationship deeply personal.

What gets measured get managed. The more data one could get access to the more analysis one can offer to the customer to aid with trends and decision making. Providing good analysis and insights from the value proposition is value in itself

Once you have built an organization deeply ingrained with customer focus and solving industries pressing challenges, you would inadvertently see the benefits you enjoy from increased market share and profit. Capture it and benchmark it to expand to other whitespace opportunities or enter into new segment.

I often use the logic framework to some degree within all my work. Whether it be in strategy, design, events, activities, partnerships, etc. This is because it helps me to map my resources to the activities and the outcomes. And very often, you will find yourself looking at your outcomes through the lenses of an activity. Which is then a red flag to help you re-evaluate what the proposition really is about. A good way to do so is to put a value or number to the outcome. There are ways to measure everything, the only question is - does it make sense? 🤯

Drawing from my own journey, I once collaborated with a brand that epitomized this approach. Their focus wasn't merely on the surge in quarterly sales, but on the stories behind each transaction. I vividly remember a campaign where customer testimonials weren't just about product satisfaction, but about life-changing moments tied to the product – like the joyous unboxing of a gift during a tough time or the shared excitement of a family trying out a product together. Such instances emphasized that the real impact of a value proposition is often intangible, felt in the silent, emotion-laden moments that traditional metrics might overlook.

The "Value Stream Map" emerges as a pivotal instrument in assessing the value proposition. By skillfully crafting this map and identifying non-value-added activities, you unlock a powerful avenue for enhancing process cycle efficiency. This, in turn, leads to a substantial augmentation of the overall value proposition.

Innovation is an art. One which requires you to sometimes tear up whatever you have or take a step in an ambiguous direction. Innovation also complicates things. So you do need to know where the boundary is when it over complicates matters to the point that execution is affected. First, you want to innovate on your value proposition, focus on action. Without action, innovation is just a daydream. Second, don't reinvent the wheel. Bring in partnerships and add value to others through others. This way more people win and a community is fostered. Third, keep your head down and get results.

A value proposition transcends mere words; it should be ingrained as a mindset, guiding us to empathize with our users daily and discover fresh needs and insights. When adopted as a fundamental approach, it fuels innovation throughout every stage of product development, ultimately ensuring that our offerings remain genuinely valuable and useful.

Strategy = intelligent response to changed circumstances. Whenever you go to market, change ICP or simply your environment or strategy changes, the value proposition is one of the first elements to review - is it still relevant? If you can measure it, you can manage it.

I have often seen organizations wait for their value proposition to mature before they start thinking OR sometimes not relooking at it till the time it is too late Eg. "The Kodak Effect" .... We should constantly keep relooking at our value proposition by keeping an eye on the changes in the customer's life, experiment with our value proposition and come out with new ones that can not only surprise the customers but also make them fall in love with our brand. It is a easier said than done !! Especially with large organization ... I have often been asked ... When do we know that we are successful? The answer is 'NEVER' .... you will need to continuously pivot and iterate and that's what success is ...

innovating a value proposition is a heartfelt adventure into understanding your audience. I recall a small bakery that, noticing a surge in veganism, daringly pivoted, inventing a line of delectable vegan treats. Not merely adapting to a trend, they poured love into crafting products that respected changing consumer values. Their dedication went beyond mere adaptation; it was a warm embrace of evolving consumer stories and needs. This example reflects how continuous innovation isn't just strategic; it's an empathetic, ongoing dialogue with consumers, forever striving to enfold their evolving narratives into your offerings.

In my experience it’s celebrating small milestones and quick wins that keeps momentum going with teams and customers even when progress is slower than anticipated. A sensitive one is celebrating mistakes. It’s sometimes more about the effort and team perseverance even when things go wrong. It allows people to think differently, take risks and come forward when it did not work out.

In today's world, we often witness the trend of cultivating a culture around practically anything. This initially began with commendable efforts to enhance corporate culture, promote ethics, and embrace diversity and creativity. However, celebrating a "value proposition" seems somewhat detached from the essence of genuine celebration. It's a term primarily rooted in marketing and sales. What could be next—celebrating a "positioning culture" or a "unique selling proposition (USP) culture"? Personally, I appreciate celebrations that center around more everyday aspects, such as recognizing employees' accomplishments, birthdays, and finding joy in the everyday work culture.

In my view, in order to create a Value Proposition Culture in an organisation, it is also important to conduct employee training sessions, so as to educate them on this matter, because it is highly probable, especially in non-commercial departments, that people may not be familiarised with what a Value Proposition is. Using examples and case studies can be a way to educate employees on how to articulate the unique Value that their company offers and how it differentiates from the competition.

Here are a few key points to create a value proposition culture - * Define and communicate the organization's value proposition. * Encourage a customer-centric approach by involving employees in understanding customer needs. * Provide training, tools, and support to empower teams to align their work with the value proposition. * Recognize and reward efforts that contribute to delivering exceptional value to customers and stakeholders. * Foster a culture of continuous improvement and adaptation to ensure the value proposition remains relevant and impactful.

I think this notion of creating a value proposition culture is to understand how to infuse it into every part of the organisation. This is done by always taking your value proposition into consideration in whatever you do. Every meeting, team or event should always check "is this an expression of our value proposition" before doing anything.