Chapter 20
Be Clear on Your Own Value Proposition
A successful random encounter will benefit both parties. In fact, the more you demonstrate what (and sometimes who) you have to offer, the more likely the other party will want to associate with you. You will often be the one who reaps the most from the connection you make, at least at first. You may come away from the conversation with a name, an insight, a key piece of information, a chance to make a proposal, or even a sale itself. And although it’s impossible to predict what you will get from a random conversation, successful random connectors know they have to bring value to the conversation if they are going to create credibility. They also know what that value is (see Table 20.1). They are confident and self-assured about what they know and have to offer. This is why it’s essential to be clear in your own mind about your value proposition; it will help build your credibility in the eyes of your burgeoning connection.
Table 20.1 Ways to Describe What You Do That Build Credibility, Engage, Compel, and Get the Other Person to Want to Do Business With You
| Descriptions That Don’t Create Perceived Value | Descriptions That Create High Levels of Perceived Value |
| I’m a mechanical engineer. | I build systems that result in greater efficiency for manufacturing plants. |
| I’m a Realtor. | I help people sell their houses quickly, at the highest possible market rate. |
| I’m an organizational development consultant. | I show companies how to align their people with their processes to create highly productive corporate cultures. |
| I sell cars. | I help people drive the automobile of their dreams, for less money than they ever thought possible. |
| I’m an artist. | I bring beauty into people’s lives. |
| I do personal coaching. | I enable people to find more satisfaction and gratification in their personal and professional lives. |
| I’m a recruiter. | I help companies find and hire the best talent in the market. |
| I do multilevel marketing. | I help people realize their dreams of managing their own destiny. |
| I’m a financial planner. | I show people how to create financial security and achieve their goals of financial independence. |
CASE STUDY: A random encounter and a confession to a complete stranger while on vacation in Aruba leads to a lucrative opportunity for David A.’s firm.
David runs a successful executive recruiting practice; however, he knows that what he really does is help companies grow by attracting the best talent. He struck up a conversation with a complete stranger while on vacation in Aruba—and landed a huge client for his firm. As Dave explains it:
I was in Aruba with my wife, and we passed many daytime hours shopping at the resort stores. One particular store had a seating area set aside for husbands and boyfriends to wait while their female companions browsed the merchandise.
I took a seat and began chatting with the man next to me. We developed an instant rapport when I said shopping for clothes with my wife was not my favorite activity. After a few more exchanges about the obligations we husbands carry, I asked where he was from.
My ears perked up when he mentioned Silicon Valley, as that is where many of my best clients are. After comparing notes on our hometowns, the transition to asking what he did for a living came naturally. Turns out he was the CEO of a midsize software company.
As I asked about his company’s services and specialties, my new friend grew increasingly excited as he spoke about some of the innovative products his company was working on. I saw this as a cue to position myself as someone who could add value to his company, so I asked, “Do you intend to continue growing the size of your company?”
He replied with an emphatic, “Yes.”
That’s when I had my golden opportunity: “I can help you do that,” I responded with a big smile. A quick overview of my firm’s services followed, along with an exchange of contact information.
I called my new acquaintance when I got back to Philadelphia. He remembered our conversation clearly and put me in touch with his vice president of sales. It was easy for me to win the VP’s confidence, since I had been referred by his CEO!
That company became one of my five biggest clients. And it all started because I confessed to the person next to me that I don’t really like to shop for women’s clothes.
You bring value, either through what you know, what you sell, what you do, or who you know. And understanding the value you offer is essential in creating credibility for yourself and direction for the conversation. As discussed previously, you want to focus on the other person and how that person can be of value to you. However, keep in mind that Favor Avenue is not always a one-way street. At the end of the day, your ability to help the other person is what makes the connection work. Besides, it is your offering that will monetize the relationship—and no one will spend money on your product, hire you, invest in your company, or otherwise commit their precious resources to you if they don’t perceive that they will get something in return.
My title is sales readiness and messaging consultant. However, that’s just a description of what I do. It doesn’t really reflect the value I bring to companies and individuals. So when I am asked about my profession, I say, “I turn reputations into revenue.” This speaks to the outcome I create, and it’s the outcome people want. From that point, I can explain how I do this and what that process involves. And when I explain my job this way, people light up. Even if they don’t know exactly what it entails, they appreciate that it’s clever and results-oriented.
Your value comes in many ways. What you know—your subject matter expertise—can be incredibly useful to others. What you provide through your service can have great value to others. The way you deliver your product or service can represent a profitable return for the other person. Knowing what you know—and knowing how your knowledge, products, and services translate into something of value to others—is the key to effective sales and thus effective random connecting. Getting the other party to place the confidence in you to turn what began as a chance meeting into a business relationship is the golden nugget of turning random encounters into profitable business relationships.
In fact, the higher up the influence ladder you go, the more important your knowledge and expertise will be in establishing your credibility and value to the other person. And while you surely don’t want to be a show-off, you do want to make it clear to the CEO you just met that you know your stuff. Or make it clear to the director of human resources at a target potential employer that you’re at the top of your game. In either case, you want to express the fact that you’re the best the marketplace has to offer.
If you are a marketing consultant, you will make a far greater impact by saying you “help companies expand their customer base by identifying and capturing high-profit segments of their market” than by merely saying that you are “a marketing consultant.” If you are a supply chain manager, you will garner far more attention from the chief financial officer (CFO) you just met by saying you “enable companies to reduce their costs and maximize profit and quality by creating greater efficiency in their supply chain.” And if you’re a housepainter, you will be much better off telling others you “improve the visual appeal, maintenance, and market value of people’s homes” rather than simply by stating that you “paint houses.”
How you describe your value proposition makes all the difference in how others perceive you. Your job title doesn’t necessarily adequately describe how you represent value to the other party. Your value proposition comes through when you can explain exactly how what you do makes a difference for the other person or their company. Describing your value proposition in these terms not only will allow you to fully capture others’ attention and establish your own credibility faster but will also pique others’ interest in what you can do for them—and make them more likely to want to stay in touch.