Are you Buying Lottery Tickets to Get a Great Value Proposition?

“What’s the least painful approach to getting a great message for our salespeople?”

Make sure you read that quote again before moving on.

That’s what a senior marketing person at a major, multi-billion dollar company asked me yesterday. What I wanted to say was, “I want the same thing when it comes to getting in shape and losing weight.”

But seriously, ask yourself:

Do you believe that your value proposition is one of your most strategic assets?
When nearly everything about your products, services and programs is the same as your competitors, how important is the story you tell?
Does differentiation often come down to your message and how you deliver it?

My guess is that most of you said “yes” to all of those questions. If that’s true, why is everyone looking for shortcuts to a blockbuster, market-moving story? She went on to say… “We can’t spend two days in a room to work on that.”  “We can’t expect to bring in people from the field to help shape our message.”  “Our company can’t sustain that much heavy lifting just to get a pitch!”

How Much is Riding on that Message?

Well, how much did you invest in developing your products and services? What level of resources are you putting into your channel and go-to-market strategy? What revenue expectations do you have for this particular solution or initiative?

So, if the message is as critical as you say… and, your company is betting big dollars on the success of this launch… how much time and effort should you put into getting to your distinct point of view? One hour? A day? A couple days?

Do you need to break a sweat getting this thing right, and making sure it’s something that will be adopted and used in the field?

The Power of Compounding Interest

I received some great advice when I was starting my first job, and I think it applies in this situation.  The CFO, who doubled as the head of HR, explained  the value of maximizing my 401(k) contribution despite the fact that I was only making $15,000 a year in salary.  He blustered on about how hard work, smart saving and the power of compounding interest would be the path to getting rich someday. I asked, “Are you sure, because I could really use that money to get air conditioning in my apartment.” He replied, “Son, lottery tickets are for losers.”

It took me a couple days to realize what he meant. But, that story came back to me today as I reflected on my conversation with that marketing executive. There are no get-rich quick schemes; they ultimately lead to failure and disappointment.  The same can be said of your approach to creating value propositions that actually make a difference.

- Tim Riesterer

Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer

Corporate Visions

Filed under: Business-to-Business, Develop Messages that Matter, Distinct Point of View, Marketing, Message Creation Tagged: lottery, value proposition