“What makes you different?” It’s a question I ask every client, and the answers are usually predictable. “We provide great customer service.” “Our quality is superior.” “We really care about our customers.” These are more than value propositions; they’re table stakes.
I’ve spent almost forty years helping businesses figure out what makes them special. Turns out, most entrepreneurs get features, benefits, and true differentiation all mixed up. The outcome? Marketing messages that sound exactly like everyone else’s.
Discovering Your Real Differentiation
True differentiation comes from understanding three critical elements: your unique strengths, your ideal customer’s specific problem, and the intersection where only you can deliver the solution they need.
Look beyond your services to your methodology. I don’t solve problems like everyone else; I have my own methods. What specific achievements are possible with us that are simply unavailable through other avenues?
The Outcome-Based Value Proposition
The most powerful value propositions focus on specific, measurable outcomes rather than generic benefits. Instead of “we help businesses grow,” try “we help service-based businesses double revenue within 18 months through proven systems and accountability frameworks.”
Being specific is what matters. Vague promises like “better results” mean nothing. Specific outcomes like “reduce employee turnover by 50%” or “increase profit margins by 15%” give prospects something concrete to evaluate.
Beyond Features and Benefits
Most businesses stop at benefits when they should push through to transformation. Features are what you do. Benefits are what customers get. Transformation is who they become or what their situation looks like after working with you.
For example, I don’t just provide business coaching (a feature). I don’t just help improve performance (a benefit). I help business owners get their time and peace of mind back while building companies that don’t need them to run. This is transformation.
Testing Your Value Proposition
Your value proposition isn’t what you think makes you special; it’s what your best customers consistently tell others about you. Customer testimonials are pure gold. Listen to the language they use when referring you to others.
Making It Memorable and Meaningful
Your unique value proposition should pass two tests: the cocktail party test and the competitive test. Can someone remember and repeat it after hearing it once? How different is this from what others are doing? Is it noticeably better?
If you sound like everyone else in your industry, you’ll compete on price. When you articulate genuine differentiation, you compete on value. It’s a big difference: hustling for every sale versus having buyers find you.
Communicating Your Difference
Once you’ve identified your unique value proposition, it should permeate everything: your website, sales conversations, networking introductions, and marketing materials.
For business owners in Phoenix, AZ, and beyond, the challenge isn’t having something unique to offer—it’s discovering what your uniqueness actually is and communicating it clearly. Most businesses have genuine differentiators buried beneath generic marketing speak.
Your value proposition is your competitive moat. When you can clearly articulate the unique outcome you deliver, price becomes less relevant, and sales become easier.
