Beyond Branding:

Creating a Compelling

Value Proposition

Presented to Women’s Networking Group of Fairfield CountyFebruary 1, 2017

By Anne Marie Segal, founder of Segal CoachingInformation at www.segalcoaching.com© 2017 Anne Marie Segal. All rights reserved. Images (other than of Anne Marie Segal) licensed from Adobe Images.

Key Concepts

What is Branding?

What is an Elevator Pitch?

What is a Value Proposition?

Defining Key Concepts

Branding establishing an impression in the minds of others

Elevator Pitch short, distinct and persuasive sales pitch

Value Proposition what problems you solve, value you deliver and

benefits you bring (that support the story you have to tell about it)

First: The Confidence Factor

How do you break the mental blocks and

confidence barrier?

1)  It’s service, not selling. It’s not about you; it’s about your audience.

2)  Talk yourself up the way you would if discussing your best friend (and not you).

If this is your beast, let’s tame it.

Second: Authenticity

Jim Carrey can’t be Meryl Streep,

and vice versa.

Nor would we want them to be.

Value Prop Basics

What would someone look for when hiring you? (Top characteristics.) Would it matter who was hiring and for what purpose? (Hint: employers, recruiters, clients, referral sources, investors, internal hiring managers for new roles, etc.) Let’s discuss.

Value Prop is the Foundation

“I guide attorneys, executives and entrepreneurs through career transitions and advancement, including resumes.”

Career Coach/Resume Writer to Attorneys, Executives and

Entrepreneurs Passion for writing + people

Former practicing attorney with executive presence + deep

experience with top performers

Responsiveness + pragmatism Get people moving

“Connect the dots.” “Differentiate+summarize.” “Fish where the fish are.” “Keep up the momentum.”

Example for discussion:

Bottom-Up Approach

Start with the Big Questions:

What is the greatest value that you offer your clients, employer, team, etc.?

How do you serve others?

What’s on your plate to serve?

Top-Down Approach

If you are not connecting with the bottom-up approach, you can take the top-down approach, starting with competencies that relate to your role:

•  Lawyer (Litigation/Corporate/Real Estate/Civil Rights) •  CEO (Public vs. Private Company) •  Nanny

•  Marketing or Sales Professional

•  Chef – We will go into detail about this one. I must have been hungry when I wrote this! J

Chef: Some Elevator Pitches

What Value Proposition Supports Each of These? Niched or philosophical approach, pitch to right audience I am a chef who is passionate about creating respect for world cultures by engaging children through food. As a chef and teacher, I help working parents get more value and easy, healthy dinners out of their weekly food budget. As a chef to the stars, I create innovative vegan menus (paired with wine, of course) to satisfy the most discriminating palates.

Toasted as a top chef in [New Orleans], I own three of the most successful (by revenue) seafood restaurants in [New York City]. As a chef, I have run two catering operations and front & back of the house.

Core Competencies => VP

Example: Chef Which of below? Other traits?

•  Hard Skills: •  Kitchen and/or Catering Skills •  “Knack” for Cooking •  Recipe/Menu Management •  Quality Control •  Inventory Management •  Food Safety •  Regulatory/Health Code Knowledge •  Restaurant Experience •  Supervisory Experience •  Budgeting

•  Soft Skills: •  Healthy/Health-Focused •  Uncompromising Taste •  Economical

•  Passionate •  Creative/Innovative •  Consistent •  Strategic Thinker •  Team Player-Oriented •  Decisive •  Empathic/Mentor •  Pragmatic •  Honest •  Loyal/Committed •  Good Negotiator •  Good Communicator •  Visual/Design-Oriented •  Project Manager •  Resilient •  Work Ethic •  Tough Skin •  Sense of Humor •  Marketing/Sales Ability •  Good Time Management

Hard Skill Examples: Chef

Hard Skills: Chef Some are highly transferable; others are more role-specific but show intuitive strengths or ability to master an area or body of knowledge

•  Kitchen/Catering Skills •  “Knack” for Cooking •  Recipe/Menu Management •  Quality Control •  Inventory Management •  Food Safety

•  Regulatory/Health Code Knowledge

•  Restaurant Experience •  Supervisory Experience •  Budgeting

Soft Skill Examples: Chef

Soft Skills: Chef Most are transferable skills, i.e. applicable to other fields •  Healthy/Health-Focused •  Uncompromising Taste •  Economical •  Passionate •  Creative/Innovative •  Consistent •  Strategic Thinker •  Team Player-Oriented •  Decisive •  Empathic/Mentor

•  Pragmatic •  Honest •  Loyal/Committed •  Good Negotiator •  Good Communicator •  Visual/Design-Oriented •  Project Manager •  Resilient •  Work Ethic •  Tough Skin •  Sense of Humor •  Marketing/Sales Ability •  Good Time Management

“Edge” Examples

EXAMPLES OF AN “EDGE” FOR A CHEF (and certain other roles) •  Entrepreneurial •  Trained under [Name of Famous Chef] or Ran [Famous Restaurant] •  Storyteller •  Fluency in foreign language

•  Complimentary Skills, e.g., sommelier training

•  Media, industry or other background (e.g., lawyer-turned-chef)

•  Caters to clients with allergies or other dietary needs

(Note: Skills are an edge in one role and a core competency in another.)

Put Together, Edit & Tailor

Your Value Proposition Arises from: Strengths/Core Competencies (Hard and Soft Skills) Edge (that is marketable to audience) And Your VP Should Address: Needs of Target Audience What You Offer that Audience Examples of Value Added

Connect the dots

Know yourself

Compelling Value Proposition

•  What is your core (authentic) value proposition?

•  What is your edge? (hints: What do people say about you? What can you do that few can? Is there a market for it that you want to serve? e.g., I speak Spanish but do not use it for coaching.)

•  Who is your target audience?

•  What does your audience need? How do you fill the need? Note: Above two collectively define ideal role or client and your targeted and compelling value proposition.

•  How can you communicate your VP in a compelling way? (create an elevator pitch, longer narrative and brand around it)

Critical: What is Your Edge?

•  What do you do better than anyone (or better than most)?

•  What do people you trust say about you? Are they right? Is there more?

•  What are you passionate about? How can it relate to what you are doing? Can you expand your current role to include it?

•  How does your edge relate to your target audience?

•  How can you develop or expand your edge? e.g., learning, writing, speaking and doing

Room for Growth

How has your value proposition evolved over your career? How will it continue to evolve? (And why?) Is anything missing from your value prop that needs your attention? (What does your career need next?) If you still can’t discern your value proposition, is it time for a change?

Talents, Interests & Marketplace

Not all of your talents and interests will be applicable to your business, but how many more of them can be? Can you bring more passion into your career?

Bio

Anne Marie Segal (Stamford, CT) is Founder & Principal of Segal Coaching. She has guided hundreds of professionals and entrepreneurs locally and internationally on career and business transitions, leadership development, resume/bio packages and personal branding. Anne Marie writes at www.annemariesegal.com and has posted her value proposition worksheet for executives and entrepreneurs on the site.

Anne Marie recently published a comprehensive workbook on job interviewing: Master the Interview: A Guide for Working Professionals.

Contact

Anne Marie Segal, JD, CCMC and CPRWSegal CoachingSix Landmark Square, 4th Floor Stamford, CT 06901 www.annemariesegal.com asegal@segalcoaching.com +203-274-7734