To my family, I’m the oldest child who still looks forward to my mom’s homemade spaghetti sauce when we get together for dinner. To my friends, I’m the one who loves to celebrate her birthday all through the month of May, rather than only on the 8th. (Why celebrate for only a day when there is an entire month?) To my colleagues in the world of PR and marketing, I’m the one who they can count on to share my insights and listen to theirs, knowing that sharing information is how we get the best results. So, telling your story can be different depending on to whom you are speaking. How do you tell your story in a way that your customers, members or key stakeholders can relate and connect with you? Let me share some insight with you from my client work at Remey Communications, PR and marketing.
That’s a Head Scratcher
Many of my clients initially scratch their heads over the idea of what makes them unique or differentiates them from others in the crowd. Think about these important tips as you go through creating your value proposition. What you end up with will help you better connect with your important stakeholders.
- Start with the three key things that you do. Obviously, there will be many more things that make up your scope of work, but science has shown that people can’t remember more than three, so pick out the most important ones.
- How do you do it differently? There are always others who do what you do; that’s true in every industry. But how do you do it better or differently? What is your unique approach, or what is the path that gets you to the end result? Use your differentiators to your advantage to make you stand out from the others.
- Put it in writing. Seriously…sit in front of your computer and write down your value statement. By that I mean write down what makes you or your organization valuable to your clients or stakeholders. Take a look at what you came up with in the first two points above and let that be your guide.
- Now shorten your value statement. You may be wondering why I am telling you to shorten it even though I don’t know how long it is. In my almost 30 years of PR and marketing experience, I have never met anyone who has come up with a concise description of what they do on the first try.
- Develop your 30 second “elevator speech.” Now that you’ve got your concise value statement, translate it into a short script that you can use when you meet people for the first time. Inevitably, wherever you are, you will be asked, “What do you do?” That is your chance to use the next 30 seconds to succinctly tell them what you do in a way that will help you connect.
- Start with the solution. When I talk to potential clients, I don’t start with the fact that I do media relations, or branding. I start with the fact that I can help them to meet their business goals; what every business person ultimately wants and is expected to do by their organization. Or find out the challenge they are having in doing that…then help them solve it.
Life, including business, is about relationships. Being able to tell your unique story in a concise and compelling way will help you connect with potential customers or stakeholders and create those relationships. Need help telling your story? Contact us, and put an end to the head scratching.