Taking It To The Top

By Dave Kahle

“Why should someone spend time with you?” that was the question i asked the six salespeople who were partici- pating in an intense weeklong training session. the reac- tion? Mostly blank stares, some uncomfortable fidgeting, and nothing close to a coherent, persuasive response.

That experience made me realize the need for what i call a “value-added proposition.” Many people refer to this as an “elevator speech.” in essence, it is a well-thought-out, meticulously prepared and memorized set of ideas that, ultimately, answer the question above. (See sidebar, Your Three-Step Guide to Elevator Pitch Nirvana)

Why this is important

“Five minutes or it’s free.” that was what the banner read that hung over the fast food restaurant near my house. I noticed it as I drove passed one day. Interesting. in a mini-environment of intense competition among the dozen or so fast-food options within a mile on this road, this particular restaurant chose to focus on one aspect of their offering: speed. and they decided to turn it into a “value-added proposition.”
In a world of options for today’s consumer, this restaurant chose to take its strength, market it as a benefit and say: “buy it from us. We’ll guarantee quick service.”

It worked. I decided to pop in for breakfast. the waitress took my order, noted the time on her pad, and handed me a stopwatch. i accepted the challenge. set- ting the stopwatch into motion, i waited to see how things might play out. sure enough, the order arrived within five minutes, at which time the waitress looked at her watch and noted the delivery time on her order pad.

Let’s consider what we can learn from this experience. First, the value-added proposition consolidates some of the restaurant’s strengths and transforms them into benefits for the customer base. second, it translates those benefits into a “proposition”– one that challenges the customer to get involved. it tells the world: “Consider me, and here’s why.” in turn, it serves as a proactive way to interest and attract potential customers.

Equally as important, it helps refine what you are as an organization. Translation: You will become who and what you tell people you are.

For example, I suspect the restaurant did not have a quantity of stopwatches in its inventory prior to en- acting the “Five minutes or it’s free” proposition. I suspect that the order forms were modified to accommodate the claim, the wait staff had to be trained on how to implement the process, and that some items were added and subtracted from the menu to fit into the equation.

I also would bet that some
of the cooks had to leave,
 because they couldn’t ad-
here to the new guidelines the restaurant was trying to establish.

Remember: if you’re going to say you provide “outstanding customer service” or that you offer “the highest quality products,” you must back it up. You must become who you say you are and do what you claim.

The value-added proposition brings with it tremendous power to focus your image to your customer base and, at the same time, organize your internal operations to deliver what you say you will.

From the point of view of your sales force, the value-added proposition provides a focal point – a place to hang your claim of uniqueness. It also gives your sales team a wedge into the door of their prospects and an appropriate conversation point with every contact.

That’s why your 30-word version should be memorized and practiced until you can deliver it accurately, fluently and persuasively.

How to do it
At first glance, the creation of a value-added proposition can be more significant than it looks. Once you understand the power of those words, and how they attract customers, equip sales people and shape operations, you’ll realize they are a “bet-the-business-on-this” strategic initiative.

Get it wrong, and your organization’s survival may be in jeopardy. Get it right, and it can fuel your growth for the foreseeable future.

That’s why these words must be treated as your company’s major strategic initiative and given the resources needed to accompany such efforts.

Enlist your best people for a brainstorming session. Capture the output. Organize a more analytical group and refine the process. Place it in the hands of your best communicators, and ask them to create the three versions we mentioned previously.

• Test it before you commit to it. Give it to your sales team and get their feedback. Float it by some of your best customers and see what they say.
• Run it through the search engine optimization folks.
• Refine it until you’re ready to live with it.
• Publish the short version in every conceivable place 
– business cards, letterhead, voice mail messages, websites, email signatures, etc. 
About the Author
• Have your salespeople memorize the 30-word version and train them how to persuasively present it. There is a lot of role-playing and practice in these steps. try it out on your regular customers.
• Publish the one-page version. Create a hard copy that can
serve as a leave-behind version for your sales force. Publish it on your website. Hand it out to every vendor. Distribute it to everyone who is interested.
• Finally, watch as it begins to flow into every aspect of your business, stimulating and shaping the growth you desire.

About the Author

Dave Kahle has trained tens of thousands of distributor and B2B sales people and sales managers to be more effective in the 21st Century economy. He has authored nine books, and presented in 47 states and seven countries. Sign up for his weekly Ezine. For a limited time, you can purchase his latest book, “How to Sell Anything to Anyone Anytime,” and receive $534 in FREE bonuses.