It is hard not to be a fan of Kyle Lacy when he continues to provide such on-point insights. In today’s blog he declared that “All that matters is your story. You are going to be creating a story based on a marketing process but we might come to the point where it doesn’t matter what you want your story to be… your customers are going to create a story anyway. Experience is the key to the future of marketing and customer communication. They (your customer) are going to be talking NOT about your sales or PR release but how they personally experienced your product or service.” Great point.
In a previous video blog, I talked about the truly unique value proposition. In it I discussed the four dimensions of the unique value proposition. The four dimensions are: What you are Selling; What they are Buying; What are the Benefits; What is the Impact (The “Wow”). Too many businesses today are feverishly pitching their products and the related benefits without really understanding or positioning the impact or the “wow” factor. To capture the “wow” requires an understanding of the product offering from the customer’s perspective and experience. It is NOT what we think the benefits of our product or service are, it is the “story” that our customers tell based on their experience that truly defines our unique value proposition. Capturing that story helps us better position ourselves as a valued resource in the market. Failure to capture that information keeps us pitching stuff that no one has time or interest in. You are free to choose your path and sales strategy–the same old song or a great new story. As for me, I plan on going for the great “story.”