Based on overwhelming interest in our previous post: The Power of Proof: Client Value Stories, we were compelled to provide some guidelines on how to draft an impactful and memorable client value story.
Let’s start with the basics. We define a client value story as: the most effective mechanism for demonstrating the value prospects can uniquely gain from your solution.
What is this “mechanism”? Our team has found the optimal way to organize and present a client value story that makes the most sense and provides the most insight into the highlighted solution. The format flows from left to right showing a contrasted view of the pains the client was experiencing before your solution, and the gains the client is capturing with your solution. The “bridge” from the pains to gains is your solution, and specifically the differentiators that only you can deliver. See an example below of one of our own value studies:
Let’s dig further into each of the essential pieces of the story:
- Your client’s PAINS are laid-out on the left side and are crafted in a manner to re-engage the emotional fraught your buyer felt when they came to understand their pains.
- Your SOLUTION is the bridge in the middle that your client is using to alleviate their pains and emphasizes your differentiators.
- Your client’s GAINS are laid-out on the right side and convey the outcomes and results being achieved with your solution.
- Your client’s quote at the bottom articulates the PROOF.
Investing in the creation of these stories will produce a great return. Clients are hungry for more than your opinion — they need proof your solution has worked with credible clients.
I challenge you to craft one of these stories with your team in the next week. Need help? Shoot us an email: info@mereo.co