Beyond Branding: Creating a Compelling Value Proposition. Presentation to Women's Networking Group of Fairfield County on February 1, 2017.

1. Beyond Branding:
Creating a Compelling
Value Proposition
Presented to Women’s Networking Group of Fairfield County
February 1, 2017
By Anne Marie Segal, founder of Segal Coaching
Information at www.segalcoaching.com
© 2017 Anne Marie Segal. All rights reserved.
Images (other than of Anne Marie Segal) licensed from Adobe Images.

2. Key Concepts
What is Branding?
What is an Elevator Pitch?
What is a Value Proposition?

3. 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)

4. 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.

5. Second: Authenticity
Jim Carrey can’t be
Meryl Streep,
and vice versa.
Nor would we want them to be.

6. 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.

7. Value Prop is the Foundation

8. “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:

9. 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?

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. “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.)

16. 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

17. 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)

18. 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

19. 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?

20. 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?

21. 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.

22. Contact
Anne Marie Segal, JD, CCMC and CPRW
Segal Coaching
Six Landmark Square, 4th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
www.annemariesegal.com
asegal@segalcoaching.com
+203-274-7734