Latest news with #valueproposition
Forbes
27-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
The Silent Killer Of Growth: Weak Value Propositions
Henry McIntosh is founder of Twenty One Twelve Marketing - specialists in ideal client acquisition for tech, SaaS and financial firms. Most companies think their value proposition is fine. The brand feels modern, the sales deck looks good, but something's off. Growth is lumpy. Marketing is uncertain. Even your outsourced "expert" agencies are floundering. And nobody knows why. In many cases, the problem isn't the tactic but the foundation. A weak or unclear value proposition is the silent killer of growth. But it won't show up in board meetings or dashboards. It shows up in symptoms: inconsistent messaging, weak leads, high churn, ineffective campaigns and frustrated teams. If you're not confident in the difference you make to your customers, you can be sure your market isn't either. Here's how a faulty value proposition is holding your business back: 1. Your Brand Is Vague And Overly Emotive Most businesses fall into one of two traps: They either mimic corporate giants like Apple and Google, hoping that a sleek brand will build loyalty, or they bury their messaging in vague, emotional language that fails to resonate. For small to mid-sized companies, this doesn't work. You don't have the advertising budget to force-feed the market an abstract message. And, more importantly, nobody cares about your 'why' until they understand what's in it for them. Your brand must clearly convey the commercial value you deliver—not the feeling you want to evoke or the mission that excites your team but the value your customer receives from working with you. If you can't communicate this value in a few short sentences, your prospects will tune out. 2. Marketing Doesn't Know What To Say Marketing without positioning is just noise. Teams that don't have a firm grasp on the value proposition are left experimenting with campaigns that lack consistency or purpose. You see this in the form of fragmented content, inconsistent tone and scattergun messaging. These businesses often have smart, capable marketers who are doing their best, but without a clear strategic anchor, they're left guessing. This is especially true for companies led by ex-corporate leaders who are used to big-brand halo effects and enterprise-sized budgets. They assume a logo and a few taglines are enough. But in leaner teams, the message matters more. Great marketing doesn't require more content—it requires more clarity. 3. Your Digital Leads Are Weak When you don't understand why your best customers buy from you, the fallback is to chase quantity over quality. The result? Bloated customer relationship management systems (CRMs), disinterested leads and overworked sales teams. A long-time associate of Twenty One Twelve likes to use the following example: Real estate firms once used online property price calculators to generate leads. But most users just wanted to know their home value, not sell. These "leads" went nowhere. Reps burned time. Conversion plummeted. High volume, low intent. Now, imagine running digital campaigns with a precise value proposition—something tailored to your ideal client, speaking directly to their pain points, priorities and desired outcomes. Suddenly, you're not hunting for interest—you're creating it. In an age of AI and hyper-personalization, a broad value proposition isn't just lazy—it's expensive. 4. Sales Relies On Tactics, Not Value When value isn't clearly defined, sales teams default to tricks: discounts, urgency plays and gimmicky intros. It reduces a complex offering to a transactional pitch. This hurts in two ways. First, you lose margin. Second, you lose long-term trust. Arm your salespeople with a strong value proposition and everything changes. They move from dealmakers to advisors. They know their audience, what they need to highlight and when to walk away. A great value proposition creates space for better qualification, storytelling and, ultimately, conversions. It allows your sales team to stop improvising and start advising. 5. Agencies And Consultants Are Left Guessing If you're working with external partners, your value proposition is their launchpad. Without it, they're flying blind. We see this all the time: campaigns stall, messaging flops, creative feels off. The client blames the agency, the agency blames the brief, but under the surface, the real issue is a lack of clarity about what the business does best. The core narrative must be nailed down. Even the most talented agencies can't perform miracles. They need focus, direction and a defined promise to bring to life. If you're burning through agencies, the problem might not be them—but you. Build From The Core The difference between companies that grow sustainably and those that constantly restart is simple: Winners build from the core. They understand the value they bring, who benefits and how to articulate it. If you're seeing symptoms like poor leads, unclear messaging, sales under pressure or failed campaigns, don't start with tactics. Start with your proposition. Because if you don't know the value you bring, the market certainly won't figure it out for you. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
25-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How To Use ChatGPT To Get Your First 5 Clients This Week
Sending generic pitches without articulating a clear value statement is exactly why clients are not ... More saying yes getty When you decide to start your career as a freelancer, one of the toughest roadblocks you'll come up against is finding and securing your first few clients. It can often be the most stressful part of getting started, especially if you don't have thousands of followers or prior testimonials. After all, no clients means your entire pivot to being a freelancer was a waste of time. So what can you do? Most people struggle to get clients because: They're freelancing in an over-saturated marketplace They haven't learned how to differentiate themselves from the competition They don't know how to sell themselves effectively, even with little experience They don't have a solid strategy but are winging it and hoping for the best They are inconsistent and drop out when they see no results They spend hours planning, thinking, and researching, but take no action so have nothing to show for it They send generic pitches and do not have a clear value statement Their online visibility and branding is poor Thankfully, ChatGPT can solve many of these issues pretty quickly. But you'll need to be consistent and persevere past the silence. You may hear crickets initially, but if you try the approaches this week, you'll start to see the ground moving and you'll lay a strong foundation for clients to work with you over the next few weeks and months. How To Use ChatGPT To Get Five Clients This Week If I was to list all the ways you can use ChatGPT to help you land clients, this article would turn into a book, which is not what you signed up for when you clicked to read this article. So today, we'll keep it simple, short, and sweet, with some quick ChatGPT prompts and actionable tips you can take this very week, to secure your first five clients and get the ball rolling. Use critical thinking questions and ask ChatGPT to analyze your gaps. Prompts like: 'What am I missing on this landing page?' 'How can I improve my Upwork bio?' 'List the strengths and weaknesses of my LinkedIn profile's headline objectively.' 'What do people in [name your target client] need right now as a quick solution? [turn on the deep research function for best results]' 2. Use ChatGPT To Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile To effectively grow your career and reach as a freelancer you'll need to connect with the right people. Influential people and decision-makers are most likely going to be hanging around LinkedIn or will look you up on LinkedIn to get to know more about your offer, so it's important to use ChatGPT to assist you in optimizing your profile so you are not only visible, but your profile looks credible. Give it prompts like: "This is a screenshot of my LinkedIn profile. What are my gaps and how can I improve this so it reaches my target clients and arrests their attention? Analyze everything and give me your feedback." 3. Use ChatGPT For Pitching Go to the places where potential clients are already looking, i.e. freelance marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork, etc., and use ChatGPT to help you at every stage of the set-up, from writing your bio, to your services description, to organizing your packages, to proposals for clients. You can also use it to formulate pitch templates to tap into your local network of warm leads (ex-colleagues, people you've worked with/partnered with recently or a few years ago and have had a positive working relationship with, acquaintances and friends in business, alumni, local networking groups, etc.) Finally, tell ChatGPT the types of contacts you've made and ask it to explore any gaps in your strategy so you can consider who else you could make contact with, to either convert them into clients, or gain word-of-mouth referrals. Using a combination of all these approaches makes it way easier to secure your first five clients this week. What To Stop Doing Right Now Cold-pitching on LinkedIn DMs, it makes you sound desperate Putting your green open-to-work banner on LinkedIn, it positions you as a job-seeker, not an entrepreneur, service provider, or expert Waiting for clients to come to your website or LinkedIn and magically find you Overcomplicating your offer--when there's no clarity you confuse everybody As a freelancer, leverage ChatGPT to ask deep questions and look beyond the surface; ask for the ... More hidden factor getty FAQs How can I land clients fast? At the beginning, focus on where they're already looking for help, like freelance marketplaces. Make your offer simple and easy to understand, at the same time ensuring it solves a direct need and there are hardly any hoops to jump through. Leverage ChatGPT to help you at every stage, from researching to pitching and proposals. What if I don't have any testimonials or reviews yet? That's OK, you can start with previous projects you've worked on (even pro bono counts), or small wins at work which are related to your freelance service offer. You can also reduce the price so you can use your first five clients as 'projects' to secure testimonials, and then you can gain more clients after.
Zawya
21-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Building a winning brand: How small businesses can stand out in a crowded market?
In a country like South Africa, where approximately 2.6 million small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) are competing for the attention of the same pool of cash-strapped customers, building a memorable brand is critical for success. Without it, you risk blending into the noise and being chosen based on price alone – a race to the bottom that no business can afford. The good news is that building a winning brand isn't necessarily about big budgets or expensive ad campaigns. It's about clarity, consistency and connection. Here's how small businesses can create a standout brand in a crowded and competitive market: 1. Start with what makes you different Every successful brand is built on a clear value proposition – a compelling answer to the question: Why should a customer choose you over someone else? Maybe you offer faster turnaround times, personalised service, or a unique product range. Perhaps you have a deep understanding of your local community, or a founder story that resonates with your audience. Whatever your differentiator is, you need to clearly define it and build your brand around it. Don't try to be everything to everyone. The most powerful brands are focused, specific, and unapologetically clear about who they serve and what they stand for. 2. Be consistent across all touchpoints Your brand isn't just a pretty logo or a catchy slogan, it's the sum of every interaction a customer has with your business. That includes your website, packaging, invoices, signage, social media presence and even how your staff answer the phone. Inconsistent branding sends mixed messages. If your Instagram is slick and polished, but your shopfront is dated and cluttered, customers will question your professionalism. If your messaging changes depending on who you're speaking to, you'll come across as unfocused or unsure of yourself. Create simple brand guidelines covering your tone of voice, colour palette, fonts and messaging. Then stick to them in everything you do. 3. Tell a story that people can connect with People remember stories, not product specs. One of the biggest advantages small businesses have over large corporates is the ability to connect on a personal level, so use that to your benefit. Talk about why you started your business, the challenges you've overcome, and the values that guide your decisions. Show real people behind the brand – whether it's you, your team, or your customers. Authentic storytelling builds emotional connection, and emotional connection builds loyalty. Social media platforms are ideal for this, but so are in-person conversations, newsletters, blogs and community events. The more relatable your brand feels, the more likely customers are to get onboard. 4. Build trust through consistency and credibility Trust is the foundation of any successful brand. If customers can't rely on you to deliver what you promise, your brand won't last. This means doing the basics right: honouring deadlines, communicating clearly, and being transparent about pricing. But it also means collecting and showcasing testimonials, asking for feedback, and addressing criticism professionally. If you're just starting out and don't have a long track record, you can still build credibility by offering guarantees, being visible in your community, or aligning with reputable partners or platforms. Trust takes time to earn, but it's one of the most valuable intangible assets your business can have. 5. Be visible where your customers are You don't need to be on every platform or channel, but you do need to be present where your customers are actually spending their time. For a local services business, that might mean a Google Business profile, local radio ads or community activity sponsorships. For a retail or e-commerce brand, it might mean Instagram, TikTok, or WhatsApp. For a B2B company, it could be LinkedIn and networking events. Pick two or three relevant platforms and show up consistently. Share content that educates, entertains or solves problems. Don't forget to engage with comments and reply to messages – visibility drives familiarity, and familiarity drives preference. In a crowded marketplace, your brand is what sets you apart. And in a tough economy, it's what helps customers remember you, choose you, and recommend you. So don't just focus on selling your products or services – focus on building a brand that people want to buy from.
