Words Matter – How to Communicate Your Value Proposition

I recently had similar conversations with an active client and a new prospect. Each wanted to transition into a new role, and each used similar language when describing how they were positioning themselves for these new roles.

The client, a data analytics director, wanted to step into a new role focused on digital advertising. She was being called onto leverage her expertise and develop new capabilities that others who preceded her (within the company as well as across the industry) had failed to deliver. She described herself as an “insurance policy.”

The prospect was an architectural engineer in the early stages of his career. In addition to his role as an engineer, he had the good fortune of working in other verticals within his firm, gaining experience in strategy, business development, and marketing. He saw himself as a “renaissance man” (in his words, a “polymath”), whose broad portfolio of skills made him more “expensive.”

I asked them what these terms meant to them.  

“Insurance policy” pertained to her belief that she would be successful despite numerous others who fell short tackling similar challenges.

“Expensive” related to increasing his earnings potential.

These perspectives made sense given their goals, but I challenged them to find another way to align their interests more strongly with what an employer would be looking for.

The pivot to make here was to adopt new language that connected more with “investment” and less with “cost.”

Think about it – you purchase an insurance policy hoping to never need it. It makes you whole in the event of a loss or adverse outcome. At the end of the day, it’s a cost. That was similar with the engineer who focused on becoming more expensive.

An employer, however, wants to make an investment that will yield a return with a high degree of certainty. With the analytics director, we found that “solution” is a more powerful term to use than “insurance policy.” It focuses on a shared favorable outcome as opposed to compensation in the event that something goes wrong or isn’t delivered.

As for the architectural engineer, it became clear he wanted to be seen as “valuable” as opposed to “expensive.” We brainstormed ways he could convey his value so that an employer would see how they would get a return on their investment in him as opposed to him “costing” more than another candidate.

Words matter, particularly when conveying your value proposition. While you may know your worth, make sure you communicate in terms that align with an employer’s perspectives and unmet needs.

You’re an investment that will deliver strong returns. It’s much more powerful and compelling when you’re seen in this way as opposed to being an expense or “costly.”