How Do I Find My UVP?

Last week, we walked through the five steps of a client attraction system. At every step, and especially in Captivate, you don't always have a ton of time to make an impression, so your messaging needs to be clear, concise, and compel people to take the next step. That all starts with knowing your unique value proposition.

Differentiation in the marketplace is something I’ve talked about a number of ways over the years, including your big idea, conviction-driven ideas, and the multi-layered approach to messaging. But what does it actually look like to create that differentiation, or your unique value proposition, and why is it important to growing your business?

Your unique value proposition (UVP), or unique selling point, is simply the value your business creates for its clients. It addresses the benefits of your offer, how you solve your client's most pressing problems, and what separates you from others in your industry.

Throughout this post, I'm going to use my own business as an example, so you can see what this looks like in practice.

To really stand out, your UVP should be:

Clear and Concise
A strong value proposition has to be easy to understand and should communicate the benefits of your service in a clear and concise way. Keep it short, a sentence or two at the most, and free from all the jargon and tech speak that's common in your industry. The goal is to make your UVP easily apparent to your right-fit or ideal clients, so they can easily understand that your service is for them and why they need it.

A simple way to start is to fill in the blanks, mad-libs style:

I help (who) by (doing what), so that (the result they want), without (the things they don't want).

Here's what that looks like for me:

I help accomplished women founders and leaders at high-stakes inflection points get clear on what's really going on in their business and build a plan to move forward, so they can grow with confidence and focus, without the guessing game, overwhelm, or burning it all down.

Notice the phrase "inflection points." When I started using it, something clicked. People instantly recognize themselves in it, because almost every business owner hits a moment where what got them here won't get them there. The right words do a lot of work for you.

Unique
This may seem obvious since we're talking about UNIQUE value proposition, but your business has to clearly differentiate its service from other competitors. That means having a clear understanding of what is different about your business and the way you address client problems, which requires you to have done some market research and competitive analysis to know what else is out there.

With that insight and your own understanding of your big idea, your core values, your knowledge of your clients' challenges, and a strong client experience, you can really begin to set yourself apart from others who might be offering a similar service or working with a similar target audience.

For me, it's the combination of two worlds. I spent nearly a decade at Boeing, first in decision analysis, building future scenarios to help leaders make high-stakes investment decisions, and then at the Boeing Leadership Center, where I coached more than 300 executives. Since then, I've built, and rebuilt, my own business. That means I bring the rigor of corporate strategy and the real-world experience of running a business through its own crossroads several times over. And I create a safe space for my clients to open up their business and get the answers they need as they do the same.

Customer-Focused
A strong UVP should be centered around the customer's needs and desires and explain how your service addresses them. As a service-based business, this often means focusing on the customer's pain points in an honest and authentic way (no sleazy sales tactics please), and clearly articulating how your services can make your customer's life richer, easier, better, or more efficient.

The best way to do this is to get out and talk to your ideal clients. Literally. Have real conversations and hear, in their own words, what they need, what they're struggling with, and what kinds of solutions they're looking for. This is NOT an exercise for AI. Pay attention to the exact phrases they use, because those are the words that will resonate with the next person just like them.

When I talk with women founders, I hear the same things over and over. They're tired of guessing. They feel like they should have this figured out by now. They know something isn't working, but they can't quite put their finger on what it is. They know they’re capable but are deeply frustrated that they can’t figure things out in their own business. Those conversations shape how I talk and think about my work. 

Specific
Your UVP should communicate the tangible and specific benefits that your clients are looking for. I often tell my clients, all of whom are service-based business owners, that you have to be specific and concrete about the results you provide. It's not enough to say you help people live their best life, streamline their business operations, or make more money.

Those are all nice, but they’re not specific enough. What does the client really want on a practical level? Perhaps it's to free up 10 hours a week in their business, so they can spend more time with their kids. Or maybe it's to increase their revenue by 50%, so they can increase their impact and give more to the organizations that matter most to them. This is where knowing your clients and their challenges really sets you apart.

For my clients, it's often giving voice to and finding the root cause and words to describe the one problem that's been holding their business back, and walking away with a plan that is unique to their business, not a cookie-cutter formula or standard framework.

What tangible results can you generate for and with your clients?

Compelling
It probably goes without saying, but all of this has to be compelling. Your UVP should speak to your client's emotions and inspire them to take action.

This isn't an invitation to be salesy. When you speak to the real challenge and concretely articulate what the client wants right now, they’re often compelled to act because they want the problem fixed.

For example, if you're a business owner who is really under the pile, struggling to generate consistent revenue, and you aren't sure you're going to make payroll in 2 months, and I say, "Let's figure out what's really keeping clients from coming, so you can get back to consistent revenue and stop lying awake worrying about payroll, and then build a plan you can actually execute in the next 90 days," now you're listening.

Do you see how a strong UVP is essential for attracting your right-fit clients and setting you apart from others in your industry?

There's already enough noise in the market. Focus on what you uniquely bring to the table, how you can stand out, and shout it from the mountaintops.

If you're unsure what your UVP is, here are a few questions to get you started:

• How would your current and past clients describe your business and what they loved about working with you to others?

• What benefits do your clients receive when they engage with you and your services?

• What makes your service different from others in your industry?

• What makes your approach different?

My friend, you have something unique to offer and people who need it.

If you'd like a second set of eyes on your UVP, grab a spot on my calendar and let's talk through it. Book your spot here. 

Here's to making an impact!