The eighth and final eBook in the Foundations category. It turns the positioning statement into a working value proposition - the short block of words that runs across the homepage, the about page, the offer page, the proposal template, the social profiles, the ads and the elevator answer to "what do you do?".
Members ebook·5 chapters· 15 minute read
Chapter 1
The Value Proposition Formula
The plain-language formula that turns the positioning statement into working copy.
A value proposition is just a short block of copy that says, in the customer's language, who you help, what you help them do and what's different about how you do it. Done well, it does the work of three pages of marketing in two sentences. Done badly, it forces every visitor to do the translation themselves, and most visitors won't.
The formula in this chapter is deliberately simple. It maps to the positioning statement from the previous eBook but speaks in the customer's voice rather than the strategist's voice. Once you have the formula, the rest of the eBook is about adapting it for different lengths and different surfaces.
By the end of this chapter you'll have a draft block of copy that sounds like a person, not a brochure.
The full chapter has the formula, the way to translate the positioning statement into customer voice and the three rules that keep the copy plain.
The formula
The value proposition formula
We help [customer] [do the thing they actually want to do]
without [the friction they currently hit]
by [the specific way you do it].
Translating positioning into customer voice
The positioning statement is structured for clarity inside the business. The value proposition is structured for clarity in the customer's head. The translation is mostly about replacing internal words with customer words. "We provide tiered annual maintenance contracts" becomes "We help landlords stop getting weekend emergency calls". Same offer, customer voice.
The simplest translation method: take the positioning statement, then ask "what would the customer say about this in their own words?". Often the customer's own phrases, captured during the customer profile work in the previous eBook, can be lifted almost verbatim.
Worked translations
Plumber. Positioning: "For landlords with five to twenty local properties tired of weekend emergencies, we're the maintenance contract that prevents the call rather than answers it." Value proposition: "We help local landlords stop getting weekend emergency calls without having to chase tradespeople, by visiting every property twice a year and fixing what would have failed before it does."
Therapist. Positioning: "For working professionals whose stress is starting to affect work, we're the practice that fits around your diary and gives you tools you can use this week." Value proposition: "We help working professionals get on top of stress without taking time off or signing up to open-ended therapy, by running a six-session programme that fits around evenings and gives you something to use after each session."
Copywriter. Positioning: "For B2B software companies whose homepage isn't converting, we're the copywriter who rewrites the page in a week with conversion data afterwards." Value proposition: "We help B2B software companies get more demo bookings from their homepage without commissioning a full rebrand, by rewriting the page in a week and tracking what changes."
Three rules to keep the copy plain
Plain-copy rules
Use the words customers actually say out loud
Cut every adjective the sentence still works without
Read it aloud and rewrite anything that snags
Common drafting mistakes
Starting with what you do ("We are a tiered maintenance service") rather than what the customer wants. Burying the customer halfway through. Padding the differentiator with adjectives ("a truly bespoke and uniquely tailored experience"). All three are normal in the first draft. None of them survive reading the sentence out loud to a real customer.
What to do this week
Draft one version of the value proposition using the formula. Read it aloud. Rewrite the parts that snag. Show it to one customer if you can and watch their face for the second they recognise themselves.
The recurring principle this chapter sits on is make the offer clear. The value proposition is the offer in customer voice. The next chapter, Problem, Promise and Proof, breaks the formula into its three working pieces.
The rest of this chapter walks through the practical steps, the templates and the checklists you need to put it into action. It includes worked examples, copy frameworks and the small decisions that make the difference between a plan that sits in a drive and one that gets used.
Inside you'll find a step-by-step playbook, a downloadable template, a checklist you can run this week and a short list of common mistakes to avoid before you start.
The full action plan, broken into weekly steps.
Ready-to-use scripts, templates and checklists.
Worked examples for different sized businesses.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them.
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