Archived Articles Value Propositions: Getting Management Buy-In | Value Propositions: Getting Management Buy-In |
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Securing management buy-in for your product's value proposition is critical. Otherwise, the market ends up getting different messages from different parts of your organization. If that happens, even a meaningful and distinctive proposition will fail to deliver your promise. Here are some ideas from our members for gaining management support for your value proposition:
• Do your homework . Before unveiling your value proposition statement to your company's executive management team, make sure you're completely clear about the following: the specific customer problem or opportunity your product is meeting; exactly how your product solves the customer's problem; and where your competitors are positioning themselves in relation to the same problem or opportunity. • Know your internal audience. Gaining top management buy-in for a value proposition begins by understanding the individual career histories of those specific executives, because that's what defines their view of the world. If you place your value proposition in a framework that is familiar and comfortable for a particular manager, it will make buying into it easier for him. • Be methodical. In formulating your statement, use a process that allows you to include input and support from members of the executive team as well as from other areas of your organization. At the end of that process, your personal conviction in presenting it to the management team should help secure their buy-in. • Consistency matters. Before seeking management buy-in to your value proposition, be sure to tell them why it's important they do so. Make clear to everyone who speaks publicly about your company and its products that a consistent message is critical to an effective product marketing strategy. Without message clarity from the top down, even outstanding products can be lost in the marketplace. • Educate management . Prepare to present your value proposition to management with the same care you would use for the product release itself. Walk management through the creative process used to craft your value proposition and encourage them to ask questions. Show them your marketing materials and demonstrate the most effective ways of using them. By the end of the session, everyone in the room should be on the same page, delivering the same message. Their consistency will reinforce your product's positioning in the marketplace. Value Proposition series This Quick Tip is one of a series on offering tips on how to improve your value propositions.
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