Your value proposition
A value proposition explains what a writer contributes to an employer or client. It connects the problems the writer can solve with evidence of past results, giving them a concise way to describe their value in applications, interviews and professional conversations.
The contribution an employer or client buys
A unique value proposition should represent a professional's passions and skills and answer the question that matters to its audience. The questions differ by audience:
- Current employer: why is the organisation paying the writer's salary?
- Potential employer: why should the organisation pay the writer's salary?
- Potential client: why should the client buy the writer's services?
Developing the proposition involves considering these things in order:
- Passions.
- Skills already held and those that can be acquired.
- Life goals.
Starting with the desired lifestyle and then seeking a job that funds it using existing skills reverses this order.
A headline that invites conversation
A marketing headline should make another person want to know more by showing what the writer can do for them. Titles and duties should be left out of a marketing headline because introducing a job title attaches the listener's stereotypes about the occupation to the speaker.
Two approaches combine the target audience with either results or problems:
| Approach | Headline content | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Results or solutions | People helped, followed by the results or solutions offered | Helping business owners save money on taxes |
| Challenge or problem | People helped, followed by a challenge or frustration the professional can resolve | Helping business owners frustrated that they pay too much in taxes |
A headline framed around a challenge is recommended over one framed around results because it better engages clients and employers in conversation. Its rationale treats sales as driven by emotion and justified by logic: qualifications alone are usually insufficient without engaging the other party by offering a solution to their challenge.
Results and stories behind the headline
A value proposition needs a clear account of the problems a professional has solved and the results they have created. Compelling accomplishments can include a problem solved, an opportunity created or a result the company or client would not have achieved without that person's contribution. Employers and clients value professionals who connect their work to company results.
Problems can disappear through skill, hard work, specialised knowledge or luck; marketing that ability requires describing the problems and making them visible to others. A problem that feels easy to solve may be easy only for that person, and former employers or clients may recognise their distinctive value more clearly than they do themselves. Their feedback can help identify that value.
Short descriptions of problems solved should tell interesting stories, highlight the strongest results and show solutions to difficult challenges. Above all, the stories should concern work the professional wants to continue doing. Arranging them in a grid can show a range of skills, such as leadership, negotiation, editing, writing and project management. Developing and internalising these stories can help a professional explain their value more naturally in conversation.
The headline and short stories are useful in everyday conversations with colleagues and conference contacts, and particularly in job interviews or meetings with prospective clients. The aim in these influential conversations should be to help the other person succeed through a solution that best meets their needs.