value proposition - entrepreneurship 101 (2012/2013)
DESCRIPTION
Focus is on the process of creating a crisp and concise value proposition for your start-up. Learn how to answer the essential question, “what is the value you bring to your customers?” without getting into the details of your technology. Formulating a good value proposition is an essential step for any start-up and lies at the core of many of the other tools entrepreneurs need to develop, such as market analysis, business modeling, finding funding and delivering an investor or customer pitch. The resources below offer a foundation upon which you can build your knowledge and skills in these areas.TRANSCRIPT
Joseph Wilson [email protected] ��
Agenda
What is a value proposition?
Examples Dimensions of value Customer interviews The value proposition generator
marsdd.com/toolkit
How to (not) articulate value:
A value proposition is a statement of the unique benefits delivered by your offering to the target customer
A value proposition is a hypothesis that your offering will bring certain values to a target customer. * * Like any hypothesis, it needs to be rigorously tested in the lab (read: marketplace) before money is put into scaling.
Value Proposition is Not:
An elevator pitch: a 30 second conversation starter
“I buy dead magazines…”
“We un-think marketing…”
Value Proposition is Not:
A tag-line: an ad compliment “We know money”
“What Happens Here, Stays Here”
“The City That Never Sleeps”
“Built for the road ahead”
Value Proposition is Not:
A mission statement: a statement of the purpose of your business. “The University of Toronto is committed to being an
internationally significant research university, with undergraduate, graduate and professional programs of excellent quality.”
“Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful”
The value proposition statement should consist of these components: 1. What your product/service is
2. The target customer
3. The value you provide them
Emergent property: why your product is unique
Examples:
Good: “Winners is a department store that offers fashion conscious consumers the latest brand names for up to 60 per cent off.” (Winners)
Bad: “Winners is an off-price department store owned by TJX that employs international sourcing and buying power.”
What is it?
For whom?
Values?
Examples:
Good: “Winners is a department store that offers fashion conscious consumers the latest brand names for up to 60 per cent off.” (Winners)
Bad: “Winners is an off-price department store owned by TJX that employs international sourcing and buying power.”
What is it?
For whom?
Values?
Examples:
Good: “A1 Industries has developed an economical and easy-to-use chemical additive that allows paint manufacturing companies to reduce the environmental impact of their products
Bad: “A1 Industries has discovered a chemical isomer additive that allows for a reduction of VOC emissions.”
What is it?
For whom?
Values?
Examples:
Good: “A1 Industries has developed an economical and easy-to-use chemical additive that allows paint manufacturing companies to reduce the environmental impact of their products
Bad: “A1 Industries has discovered a chemical isomer additive that allows for a reduction of VOC emissions.”
What is it?
For whom?
Values?
Examples:
Good: “Google is the world’s largest search engine that allows internet users to find relevant information quickly and easily.”
Bad: “Google uses a patented page-ranking algorithm to make money through ad placement.”
What is it?
For whom?
Values?
Examples:
Good: “Google is the world’s largest search engine that allows internet users to find relevant information quickly and easily.”
Bad: “Google uses a patented page-ranking algorithm to make money through ad placement.”
What is it?
For whom?
Values?
Are Internet Users really Google’s customers?
Examples:
Good: “Google is the world’s largest search engine that automatically provides advertisers with potential customers tailored to the ad content, increasing click-through rates and conversion rates.”
Bad: “Google uses a patented page-ranking algorithm to make money through ad placement.”
What is it?
For whom?
Values?
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Usability
Social Inclusion
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Self-Actualization
Ethical
Selling to Business
Selling to Customer
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
- Overt values
- Rational decision making
B2B Sales:
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Selling to Business
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
Usability
Social Inclusion
Self-Actualization
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Ethical
Selling to Customer
- Latent values
- Emotional decision making
B2C Sales:
Saving/making money
Saving time
Lower risk
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
Usability
Social Inclusion
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Environmental
Self-Actualization
Ethical
Selling to Business
Selling to Customer
Process: Draft a value proposition
Version 1.0: I think A1 Industries’ product/service will…
Process: Test your value proposition
Blank, Steve Four Steps to Epiphany
State your hypothesis
Test problem
hypothesis
Test product concept
Verify
Understanding customer problems:
¢ Market research methods for entrepreneurs
Pretend to be the customer
Customer Interview Program
Lead user
QFD - Quality Function Deployment
Customer archetype
¢ Methods that require professionals
Concept testing
Cojoint analysis
Empathic deisgn
Prototype/Beta testing
Primary Market Research
Get out of your office!
Interviews Focus group Surveys Participant observation Observation
1. The Problem interview
Purpose: To determine that the problem you are solving is a large pain point for the target customer
2. The Solution interview
Purpose: To determine that the solution you have proposed is of value to the target customer and they are willing to pay to solve the problem sin that way.
30-60 interviews are considered statistically significant.
Consider infographics:
0 5
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Sharing takes time
External demand
No free time
Identifying customer problems n = 59
Quantitative Analysis
Quantitative Analysis
Qualitative Analysis
High-value testimonials:
“There is nothing more important to me than sharing memories with my family.”
“I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to post photos and videos to, like, three different platforms every week cause my uncle doesn’t understand how to use Dropbox.”
Qualitative:"
Body language, intonation:"
Day in the Life Scenario
Ernie: fixes airplanes
Current situation & desired outcome
Problem encountered & economic consequences
Enabling factors of your product
New outcomes and economic rewards
Before
After
Industry specific
vendors
IDC Forrester Gartner
Lux Research Cleantech Group LLC
Thomson Pharma MedTrack
Business Insights IMS
Multiple Industry coverage vendors
Frost & Sullivan BCC Research Total Patents
Delphion/Thomson Innovation
Datamonitor Venture Source
Chemical Abstracts
Aggregator of other vendor
resources
Dialog Pro Market Research
Factiva Meltwater News
1. Access to reports/data from 20 databases
2. Access to industry analysts through inquiry
time
Key: Red – ICT Green – Cleantech & Nanotech Blue – Life Sciences
U of T- $ 50 M collection
Secondary Market Research
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
Value Proposition Designer
http://www.businessmodelgeneration.com/downloads/value_proposition_designer_draft.pdf
Process: Test Your MVP
State your hypothesis
Test problem
hypothesis
Test product concept
Verify
Blank, Steve Four Steps to Epiphany"
Verify
Validate: Confirmed
value of MVP
Iterate: change your
product features
Exit: Don’t spend any
more money!
Minimum Viable Product
A minimum viable product is a product launched to early adopters that has only the minimum set of features required to get feedback from potential customers.
Whole Product
A whole product is the combination of all the things that give your customers a compelling reason to buy. This includes not only your core product, but also any services and ancillary products that augment it.
Iterations in the Market
TIME"
VALUE"
Minimum Viable Product"
Whole Product"
Progress is iterative"
Iterations in the Market State your hypothesis
Test problem
hypothesis
Test product concept
Verify
The value proposition statement should consist of these components: 1. What your product/service is
2. The target customer
3. The value you provide them
Write – Test – Iterate Prototype – Test - Iterate
Joseph Wilson [email protected] ��