How do I come up with a unique value proposition (UVP) strategy, when my website has similar services as my competitors?

Hey there;

I've helped quite a few tech startups (mostly in travel & SaaS) nail down their value propositions, especially as it relates to copywriting & conversions.

Just a guess, but could it be that you're focusing too much on differentiating based on your website's "features" or what it does?

If the core of what you offer isn't all that unique, try looking at other ways to differentiate. For example:

- customer service (Zappos)

- world view or business POV (Tom's one-for-one strategy)

- personality (Mailchimp)

- product design

- the audience you serve (niche out)

- how your website is created/run

Not all of these type of differentiators will be "game-changing." But if what makes your service/website unique resonates deeply with your target audience, maybe you don't have to be a "disruptor" like Uber or airbnb.

Tough to say without knowing what industry you're actually in.

If you want to chat, feel free to contact me.

Hope this helps.

Dustin

A value proposition is the "thing" that you do, how you do it and "WHY" you do it that has value to your customer and you happen to use in your proposal.

See Simon Sinek - - The Why on YouTube. This will help a LOT !

There are some things which I would need to 'ask' if we were on a call together...

How long have you been trading?
Do you have existing clients?

If the answer is "not very long". And, "Just one or two clients", then the simple answer is just trade... trade, trade and trade some more. Win as much business as you can. Work with as many clients as you can. And have one core fundamental mission at all times:

To ascertain why those clients chose you.
To ascertain why they came back and used you again.
To break down everything you do - from your smile, to your proposals, to your deliverables... and de-construct it to the point where you can genuinely say...

"I am unique because..."

OR

"I can see how I could be unique by..."

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There is a secret to business (especially service businesses). It's all about the people and the methodology. If you are trading... and people are buying... you are doing something special. Once you understand what that is, then that is the key bit of value that the clients actually find valuable above and beyond the rest.

If you are a service business, then the meticulous replication of the service is crucial. See Mcdonalds. See Apple Stores. Impeccable.
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By trading, you get the opportunity to have deeper conversations with your clients/customers. It will be the moments of un-structured conversation where they say something like, "Oh I wish XYZ"... or "Why can't we just do it 'this' way instead". Those types of conversations are where you should have a lightbulb moment. That is the time (because you are looking for it) that you will be able to adjust, pivot, augment and morph your service into something different from your competition. It will come from your customers. Why? Because who are you to say what has value to them... They need to tell you what has value to them... and it is your job to extract it from them - - because they rarely know properly themselves.

If you are looking for it - - you will find it. Check out http://mjskok.com/ or watch the Harvard iLabs material on Value Propositions.

The best way to find our elusive difference ... is to be in the business, trading hard... and looking and honing and toning and constantly asking your customers (or anyone) how you could do it better, differently, faster etc that has value to them... and in a way that you can deliver.

Then you just need to make sure you up your skills and build your business around that value so that competitors can't easily copy it.

Good luck !

How fortuitous that I just shared this article on twitter (http://t.co/XG2cAaxAOK) about the surprising turn of today's 'big success' startups from their early days.

One thing in common - none of them were the first in their industry. More than that, their disruption did NOT focus on changing the product altogether, but on how people used a service.

I advise startups on MVP production in healthcare, robotics, food and hospitality as well as technology.

Let's talk about how the 'game changer' isn't driven by the SaaS, but by the customer. I'll help you understand your market and keep yourself flexible for changes as you progress.

Warmly,
Arjun.

Examples:
Wegmans- grocery store with stellar customer service
Everlane- Ecommerce. that provides transparency of supply chain
Zappos- Ecommerce. Customer service and return policy
Nordstrom-Clothing store. Customer service and return policy
Hired.com- Job Board. transparency of the hiring process

When someone thinks of your website 1 thing should come to mind immediately. What is that? It should be instant.

If you want to shoot me a message we can discuss further.

If you are looking at the same services that your competition is listing then you are highlighting the wrong differentiators.

You need to be focusing on the benefits you and your company bring to your customers instead of the features.

As they say no one goes to the hardware store to buy a drill they go to the hardware store to buy a drill because they want to make a hole.

Take a look at what problems you have solved for your customers. Those are what you need to use to create your UVP.

T

To come up with a UVP, think about your top 2-3 customers: why did they buy from you and why are they coming back for more? Then ask them directly, to cross-reference your assumptions. Then follow up by asking them who would find your services as useful as they do (and perhaps generate some referrals).

That said, you may just not have a differentiated offering (yes, that happens too!) OR what you think is differentiated doesn't matter to your customers. My company offers a superior product and service to our clients, but at the end of the day some will care about the bottom line and not much else.

In that case, either change your offering to become differentiated for them (try to zero in on their true pain point, which depends on their level within an organization) OR craft a powerful, compelling story around it, something that resonates with customers on a personal level and creates a deeper connection.

Sales is about connection and trust building to a large extent. If you can find a UVP, great. If you can't, craft a story. Ideally, you'll have both!

If you can't tell people what's special about you then you need to get some new services or products. Being in Me-Only territory makes sales and lead generation easy. We do this by studying those competitors, identifying their gaps and intentionally inventing into that sweet spot. This gives you the core of what to talk about and market about your business. An alternative method to hiring a consultant to help you through this is for you to talk to you customers. Why did they choose you? What do they think makes you special? Build on that.

These are my tips for getting clear on your value proposition:

Firstly, each product or service you launch should have its own value proposition.

Depending on the market you are serving, you alter your value proposition accordingly. You don't just have to serve one market.

E.g. you may have a service that can cater to various markets but you niche at marketing level & create a separate value proposition for each market.

So, If I'm a fitness trainer who helps people loose 10kgs in 30 days & I know many types of audiences could benefit from my service. All I have to do is create a separate value proposition for each market I want to target.

So If I want to market to busy professional mums, my value proposition should specifically speak to their desired end result.

If I then want to market the same service to post natal mums, I can do that by crafting a separate value proposition to target them.

The key is this: You need to articulate your offer/value proposition in a way that speaks to your audience's (have a very specific person in mind) desired end result.

So to come up with a value proposition that speaks to your market's desired end result, I recommend doing this exercise which I call "End in mind".

All you have to do is picture your ideal customer's (clearly define who he/she is) CURRENT scenario/condition/problems, how do they feel in the present time with the problems they are facing etc

Then you define from their current state, where would they LIKE TO BE. What would make them happy? What can take away their worries and make them problem free? How would they feel if they were to have this solution? Would their average day be any different from their current state?

Then you also define, what is stopping them from achieving their reality? From solving their problem? From getting to where they'd like to go? Is it something they'd like to avoid? Something they'd rather not do on this journey of going from the NOW state to the AFTER state? List it all down.

Using the data collected/brainstormed above, come up with phrases that differentiates you from your competitors.

E.g. A landscaping service provider's value proposition could be, " We give you your Saturdays back."

But if you are not the first to the market with that proposition & too many competitors are already using it then you have to elaborate on that proposition to make it yours.

E.g.: A chiropractor I once worked with to help come up with his value proposition went something like this: "We work with adventurous, risk-taking enthusiasts to help them achieve a pain-free reality in 60 days or less WITHOUT giving up your favourite activities, resorting to unnecessary pill popping or walking around like a zombie, using our proprietary Rapid Whiplash Relief Method."

The above value proposition clearly defines the audience, their desired end result, even duration, taking care of their limiting beliefs and finally differentiating by defining a method associated with them only.

You see, the job of any business is to move their customer from their CURRENT/NOW state to an AFTER state. That is all. No matter what your business is about.

So what you need to do is answer this question for yourself that how does your product/service moves someone from their 'current' state to the 'after' state?

Once you can clearly articulate that shift, your value proposition will become much clearer to you.

If you'd like to bounce around some ideas, and further dial this in, please feel free to set up a call with me.

Talk to you soon,
Amber.

A value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered. In fact, if I could give you only one piece of conversion optimization advice, “test your value proposition” would be it. The less known your company is, the better your value proposition needs to be. Such meaningless “jargon propositions” are abundant. Use the right language for your value proposition. Your value proposition needs to be in the language of the customer. It should join the conversation that is already going on in the customer's mind. You must interview your customers to find it out or use a messaging research tool like Wynter. A positioning statement is a subset of a value proposition, but it is not the same thing. The value proposition is usually a block of text with a visual. You will find 247 ecommerce guidelines in this research-based report. A key role for the value proposition is to set you apart from the competition. Often, it is hard to spot anything unique about your offering. Of course, the unique part needs to be something customers care about. There is no point being unique for the sake of being unique. Even if what you sell is not unique, you can still come up with a great value proposition. The closing of a sale takes place in a customer's mind, not out in the marketplace among the competition.
Besides if you do have any questions give me a call: https://clarity.fm/joy-brotonath