Creating Value Propositions for Clients

Here's how to simplify your pitch and 10x your sales: 1. Talk less, sell more. Short sentences = more sales. Hemingway once bet he could write a story in 6 words that'd make you feel something: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn." Your pitch should pack the same punch. 2. Complexity is for people who want to feel smart, not be effective. The worst salespeople make simple things sound complicated. The best make the complex simple. 3. Complexity says, "I want to feel needed." Simplicity limits to only what is needed. 4. Read your pitch out loud. I remember when I'd asked my COO to read the manuscript of my book. He chose to do it aloud. All 258 pages. Ears catch what eyes miss. The final version reads like butter. 5. "Be good, be seen, be gone." This was the best sales advice I ever got. - Good: Deliver value - Seen: Make an impression - Gone: Don't overstay your welcome People buy from those they remember, not those who linger. 7. Speak like your customer, not a textbook. We like to sound sophisticated. "We create impactful bottom-line solutions." But we like to listen to simple. "We help small businesses explode their sales." Which one would you buy? 8. Every word earns its place. Your pitch should be lean and mean. - Be specific - Avoid cliches - Check for redundancy - If it doesn't add value, cut it out 9. Abstract concepts bore. Concrete examples excite. ❌ "We'll increase your efficiency." ✅ "We'll save you 10 hours a week." Paint a picture. 10. People buy on emotion & justify with logic So tap into their feelings: - Fear of missing out - Desire for success - Need for security Then back it up with facts. 11. The "Grandma Test" never fails. If your grandma wouldn't get your pitch, simplify it. No jargon. No buzzwords. Just plain English. 12. Benefits > features. Dreams > benefits. ❌ "Our group hosts 10+ events per year." ✅ "Our program helps you close deals." 🚀 "Let's take back Main Street through ownership." 13. Use power words: - You - Free - Because - Instantly - New These words grab attention and drive action. Two final things to keep in mind... Simplicity isn't just for sales. Apply these principles to: - your business operations - your thinking processes - your next investment - your relationships - your to do list Sales isn't just for car dealerships. You pitch when you: - Negotiate a raise - Interview for a job - Post on social media - Hire someone for a job - Talk to an owner about buying their biz If you found this useful, feel free to share for others ♻️

Anyone who communicates ideas for a living should read Made to Stick at least once a year. I distilled the book from 304 pages to 7 principles that changed how I write, think, and sell new ideas: 1. Fight "The Curse of Knowledge" Once you know something, you can't imagine not knowing it. You subconsciously tune your frequency to "Expert," using jargon and skipping foundational steps. To win, write like you are explaining things to your smart but impatient grandmother. 2. Simple: Find the Core Proverbs survive for centuries because they pack maximum wisdom into minimum words. "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" beats a 500-word essay on risk management. Southwest Airlines didn't have a 10-point strategic plan; they had one proverb: "THE low-cost airline." If a decision didn't help them be the low-cost airline (like serving chicken salad), they didn't do it. If you can't explain your value prop in one sentence after three beers, it is too complex. 3. Unexpected: Break the "Guessing Machine" Violate expectations. Instead of "excellent customer service," say "We don't answer emails on weekends because we want our staff to love their lives." Instead of a statistic about safety, show a safety video that gets interrupted. 4. Concrete: Use "Velcro" Never say "we offer high-performance solutions." Say "our battery saves you 47 minutes of charging time per day." The Heaths use the example of the "kidney heist" urban legend. We remember it because it has a bathtub, ice, and a note. It is visceral. Stop selling "solutions" and sell "bathtubs and ice." 5. Credible: The "Sinatra Test" You don't need a PhD to be credible; you just need to pass the "Sinatra Test": If I can make it there, I can make it anywhere. If you catered a dinner for the White House, you don't need to tell me your food is safe and delicious. The credential speaks for itself. Don't drown people in statistics. Give them one immense, verifiable proof point. "We power the security for the Pentagon" beats a 20-page whitepaper on encryption standards every time. 6. Emotional: The "Mother Teresa" Principle "If I look at the mass, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will." Stop trying to get people to care about "the industry" or "the metrics." Make them care about one person. Don't say "We help companies reduce turnover." Say "We help the VP of HR stop dreading exit interviews." Lead with the feeling, then justify with the logic. 7. Stories: The Flight Simulator A great story is a flight simulator for the brain. When you tell a story about how a problem was solved, the listener mentally rehearses that success. So walk the prospect through the simulation: "Imagine it's Monday morning. You open your laptop. Instead of 50 unread tickets, you see zero. You pour your coffee..." You are letting them "practice" the solution before they’ve even bought it. TAKEAWAY Test your current messaging against these 7 rules. If it fails half of them, rewrite it.

The Secret of Luxury Hospitality Positioning 1/ Most hospitality brands think they're selling rooms. Hermès thinks they're selling dreams. Aman thinks they're selling transformation. The Ritz thinks they're selling legacy. Here's why 99% of hospitality brands will never understand true luxury positioning: 2/ The $600B hospitality industry has it backwards. They obsess over thread counts and marble bathrooms. But when a billionaire pays $2,000/night at Aman Tokyo, they're not buying a bed. They're buying 3 hours where the world can't find them. They're purchasing RELIEF. 3/ Hermès mastered this 187 years ago: Birkin bag cost breakdown: • Leather: $200 • Labor: $800 • The rest: POSITIONING You're not buying a bag. You're buying entry into a club your great-grandmother respected. Generational wealth buys IDENTITY, not amenities. 4/ The brands that "get it" understand 3 pillars: SCARCITY: Aman has 34 properties. They could have 340. They choose not to. LEGACY: Le Bristol Paris sells Hemingway's view, not just suites. IMMUNITY: While others chase trends, Aman perfects timeless sanctuary. 5/ What 90% of hospitality brands do wrong: ❌ Compete on features ❌ Chase Instagram moments ❌ Discount for occupancy ❌ Target "luxury travelers" What top-tier brands do: ✅ Create their own category ✅ Build generational rituals ✅ Never compromise positioning ✅ Target legacy builders 6/ Case study in positioning power: Four Seasons: "Exceptional service" St. Regis: "Bespoke luxury" Aman: "Sanctuary" One commands 3x the rate. Strategy isn't about better amenities. Strategy is about DIFFERENT MEANING. 7/ The psychology is profound: When stress costs $1M deals → peace becomes priceless When reputation spans generations → discretion becomes invaluable When time is finite → transformation becomes essential You're not selling hospitality. You're selling a story they'll tell their grandchildren. 8/ Luxury isn't a price point. Luxury is a CULTURE. The culture of anticipated needs, generational consistency, and effortless perfection. Culture can't be copied. Only cultivated. Ready to transform your hospitality brand from commodity to legacy? I help hotel brands discover their unique positioning and build generational meaning that commands premium rates. DM "POSITIONING" to explore how we can elevate your brand's story. RT if this changed how you think about hospitality positioning.

Don't try to sound smart. Try to be useful. 3 years ago, I deleted my most "impressive" newsletter. 2,000 words. Multiple frameworks. Industry jargon everywhere. 14 drafts. It felt "professional." It felt "high-level." It felt wrong. That week, a CEO guest spoke to me before our podcast: "You know why I listen to your show? Because you make things simple." Then she paused. "But your newsletter... sometimes I need a dictionary." That changed everything. I opened my analytics that night. The pattern was clear: My "smartest" content performed worst. My simplest advice spread fastest. I had been: • Writing to impress peers • Stacking jargon on jargon • Trying to sound "intellectual" • Hiding behind complexity So I started over. New rules: 1. Write like I talk 2. No words I wouldn't use at dinner 3. Every piece needs a clear "do this" Example: Before: "Contemporary market dynamics necessitate strategic pivots in content optimization." After: "Test what works. Double down on what people love." That decision? It built my entire business: • The podcast grew exponentially • The newsletter became my main lead generator • Sponsorship deals rolled in • Speaking opportunities opened up Best feedback I get: "Used your advice. Landed the client." "Finally, someone who makes this simple." "Implemented this today. It worked." The truth about expertise: • Rookies hide behind jargon • Veterans embrace simplicity • Masters focus on impact This philosophy drives everything: • How I write • How I speak • How I teach • How I coach Because here's what I learned: Value beats vocabulary. Always. 3 questions before publishing: 1. Would my mom get this? 2. Can someone use this today? 3. Did I remove all the fluff? Remember: Your audience's success is your scorecard. Not your vocabulary. Today? That decision to choose simplicity over sophistication was worth millions. But more importantly: It actually helped people. // Agree? Simple or complex content - which actually helps you more? Share below. #ContentCreation #Podcasting #Writing #ValueFirst

If you are a lawyer, whether in a law firm or an in-house legal department, here are the questions you should be asking about legal tech and innovation: 1) Do you start with the client or business? • For firms: does your tech roadmap improve client experience and value? • For in-house: does it make your business stakeholders’ lives easier, faster, safer? • Can you clearly link each initiative to better service, speed, or risk management? 2) Are people and process ahead of the tech? • Have you fixed the workflow before adding a tool? • Are lawyers and staff trained, incentivized, and supported to change how they work? • Or are solutions gathering dust because the process gap was never addressed? 3) How strong is your adoption muscle? • Who actually uses the tools in daily work? • Do you have structured change management or only isolated pilots? • Have you learned from failed implementations and applied those lessons? 4) Do your leaders role model innovation? • Do they use and talk about technology in delivery or decision-making? • Are they preparing for second order effects like: - Training juniors differently as traditional tasks get automated - Rethinking time based billing or productivity measures - Developing new service lines or risk frameworks - Setting standards for ethical and responsible AI 5) Who are your internal champions? • Which lawyers or professionals are experimenting and sharing wins? • Do you showcase their success to inspire others? • Are you building a pipeline of digitally fluent next generation talent? 6) Can you demonstrate ROI and impact? • For firms: can you show hours saved, revenue protected, client satisfaction gained? • For in-house: can you show faster contract cycles, reduced risk, or business enablement? • Do your stakeholders, internal or external, feel the difference innovation makes? If you cannot answer these questions with confidence, your legal tech strategy may not be working for you. Picture Courtesy - The amazing Leila El Gharbi

Stop guessing your growth path. Map it instead with the Lean Canvas model. Last year a client was losing cash after a bad investment. Their Board wanted a clear plan, but management's ideas were scattered. Pressure rose as their cash runway shrank. I used a blank Lean Canvas and met with management. Box by box, we turned fuzzy thoughts into clear statements. In a few hours, the team could see the whole business on one page. A week later, decisions sped up, waste was cut, and revenue began increasing. The Board praised the new focus because just one sheet had replaced weeks of endless slides. 1. Start with the Problem box because pain fuels purchase: ⇀ List the top three headaches your market hates. ⇀ Ask customers for blunt complaints. ⇀ Rank pains by urgency and frequency.  ⇀ If the pain is weak, the plan is weak. 2. Name the Customer Segments who wake up with that pain: ⇀ Avoid lumping everyone together - be precise. ⇀ Describe one real person, not a demographic blur. ⇀ Note where they already search for help. ⇀ Specific faces drive focused solutions. 3. Your Unique Value Proposition attracts attention: ⇀ Write it like a headline your customer would repeat. ⇀ Highlight the biggest outcome, not features. ⇀ Short, clear value wins the click. ⇀ Keep it under ten words. 4. Now sketch your Solution: ⇀ Draft three bare-bones features solving each top pain. ⇀ Mockup screens or sketches quickly. ⇀ Show them to five prospects tomorrow. ⇀ Speed beats perfection in early design. 5. Channels tell you how messages travel to wallets: ⇀ Pick the two cheapest tests before buying ads. ⇀ Leverage existing communities and email lists. ⇀ Measure response time and cost per lead. ⇀ Cheap learning outruns expensive guessing. 6. Revenue Streams prove the idea can feed itself: ⇀ State exactly who pays, how much, and how often. ⇀ Compare price to the pain’s current cost. ⇀ Pilot a single pricing tier first. ⇀ Real cash beats hypothetical guesses. 7. Analyse Cost Structure for sustainability: ⇀ List the three largest costs and make them variable. ⇀ Negotiate monthly, not annual, contracts. ⇀ Lean costs preserve runway for learning. ⇀ Automate before hiring. 8. Key Metrics keep founders honest on progress: ⇀ Choose one north-star metric and two support numbers. ⇀ Link each metric to habit or revenue. ⇀ Track weekly in one simple dashboard. ⇀ What gets graphed gets fixed faster. 9. Finally, name your Unfair Advantage: ⇀ This is the asset rivals can’t match. ⇀ Lean on unique data, patents, or proven community. ⇀ Document founder expertise that speed cannot buy. ⇀ Without moats, margins leak. 10. Don't forget to summarise your high-level concept and identify early adopters too. Review our lean canvas model weekly to stay on track with your strategy. What's your favourite strategic model? ------- ♻️ Repost to help others in your network. Follow Jonathan Maharaj FCPA for more insights on accounting, finance and leadership.

An executive buyer at a $5B company is never going to read your deck. Here's how top enterprise sellers create an executive-level POV that builds credibility and closes deals: The problem? Most sales decks are detailed, product-focused, and never make it to executives. You need a way to simplify your value. The below framework works because it maps to their highest priorities, teaches them something new, and addresses problems they didn't know were impacting their business. Here's how it works: Part 1: You're trying to achieve X Insert their highest-level goals (launch an AI initiative, improve margins, grow revenue, mitigate risk). Think CEO-level initiatives, not tactics like "improve productivity." Part 2: But what's getting in the way is Y Educate them on what's happening at ground level. Executives are often removed from the manual work and pain their teams face. Teaching them something new about their business that they don't already know? That's how you establish instant credibility. Part 3: We can solve for Y by doing this Explain how your solution addresses the problem you just educated them on. Part 4: By solving this, you can accelerate achieving your goal Connect it back to their vision and highest priorities. ——— Real-life example using TitanX (a client who helps improve outbound connection rates): "You're trying to grow revenue 20% this year. A major strategy is building pipeline, so you doubled your BDR team from 50 to 100—spending an extra $5M. But what's getting in the way? Only 1 in 10 prospects pick up the phone. So even with 100 BDRs, each rep needs 100 dials to book just 1 meeting. You're not getting 2x the pipeline because the connect rate is killing you. We can solve this by increasing your connect rate from 10% to 25% using call intent data. We analyze your database and surface the prospects most likely to pick up, instead of blindly calling every lead. By doing that, those same 100 dials become 25 pickups instead of 10. If your reps keep their same meeting conversion rate, that's 2.5 meetings per 100 dials instead of 1. That's 2.5x more appointments from the $5M you invested, which builds the pipeline you need to hit your 20% growth goal." You can take this to a CRO, CFO, or head of sales. It's compelling because it uses their numbers and maps directly to their goals. Your assignment: Watch the full training below, then plug your solution into this framework. Use your customer's actual numbers. The specificity is what makes this work. Try it out and let me know how it goes.

Jumping straight into solutions without truly understanding our customer's pain points? Reminded me of my early days when I'd create designs that looked great but didn't resonate with the audience. The missing piece? A Value Proposition Canvas. Here's what I learned: Start with customer jobs, pains, and gains BEFORE thinking about your product features Map your solutions directly to specific customer problems (I was shocked to find only 40% of our features actually solved core pain points) Test and validate assumptions regularly. What worked 6 months ago might not work today The marketing landscape is shifting towards hyper-personalization, and generic value propositions just don't cut it anymore. What's your process for understanding your customer's true needs? PS: Building a small community of marketers and AI enthusiasts to discuss these insights regularly. DM if you'd like to join our conversations! #MarketingStrategy #CustomerInsights #ValueProposition

💧 Do guests expect hotels to manage water sustainably? 🗝️ One of the most recognized ecolabels in the hospitality sector is Green Key, which positions itself as a leading standard of excellence in environmental responsibility and sustainable operations within the tourism industry. Many hotels display ecolabels like Green Key to signify their sustainable practices & commitment - but how deeply are they engaging with the water stewardship principles behind them? I think Green Key isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about embedding responsible water management into daily operations, long-term planning, and ongoing stakeholder engagement. Yet, I wonder: 🔷 Are hotels fully leveraging water efficiency to reduce utility costs and operational risks? 🔷 Do they recognize how responsible water use supports broader ESG goals how their environmental stewardship efforts can go far beyond compliance? 💡 So, what does Green Key actually require when it comes to W A T E R? ✅ Efficient Fixtures Install low-flow taps, dual-flush toilets, and water-saving showerheads to minimize use(without compromising guest comfort). ✅ Leak Detection & Maintenance Implement regular inspection and fast repair protocols. A small leak, left unchecked, is a missed opportunity for savings. ✅ Staff Training & Guest Engagement Promote a water-wise culture. Educate staff and use signage/programs (e.g., towel reuse, linen frequency) to engage guests. ✅ Smart Landscaping Use native or drought-resistant plants, and irrigate landscaped areas wisely - preferably with treated greywater or water during off peak times. ✅ Water Monitoring Track and analyze consumption data. Identify patterns, highlight inefficiencies, and inform improvements. Many Green Key certified hotels have access to Green Key Water Calculation Tools, helping them measure use, identify inefficiencies, and benchmark progress toward to result in sustainable water management. The question isn’t just: “Are you Green Key certified?” The real question is: “Are you making the most of it?” 🌍 Green Key gives hotels the framework and credibility but the true value comes when hotels use it to drive measurable water performance, operational efficiency, and genuine environmental leadership. I’d love to hear from others in hospitality and sustainability: ➡️ Are Green Key water initiatives still “check-the-box,” or are they evolving into real stewardship strategies? #waterstewardship #waterassurance #watermanagement #environmentalmanagement #sustainability #hotelsandenvironment #toursim #sustainabletourism #sustainabletourism #sustainablemanagement #resources

I warmed up a prospect for 3 months on LinkedIn before our first call. They signed a £75K deal in 3 days. Modern selling demands a new approach: cold outreach fails, warm relationships win. Think about it... That prospect had consumed 47 of my posts. Watched my videos. Read my articles. Engaged with my content. By the time we jumped on that first call? They already trusted me. They already knew my approach. They already understood the value. I didn't have to sell them. They'd already sold themselves. Here's my framework for turning content into closed deals: 👇 1. Build trust at scale BEFORE the pitch Stop spraying and praying with cold messages. Start building relationships through value. Each post builds trust. Your insights mark credibility. Stories create connection. Your content is doing the heavy lifting while you sleep. 2. Let buyers self-educate on THEIR timeline Modern buyers don't want to be sold to. They want to discover solutions themselves. ↳ 70% of the buying journey happens before they talk to sales ↳ They're researching you before you even know they exist ↳ Your content is either attracting or repelling them Give them what they need to make informed decisions. 3. Recognize the REAL buying signals Forget MQLs and SQLs. Think about PQLs (product qualified leads) Here's what actually matters: - Multiple engagements across different posts - Bringing colleagues into the conversation - Asking specific, detailed questions - Moving from public comments to private messages These aren't leads. These are pre-qualified buyers. 4. Keep momentum BETWEEN meetings Here's where most deals die: The 167 hours between your calls. While you're chasing other prospects, your buyer is: ↳ Getting cold feet ↳ Talking to competitors ↳ Forgetting why they were excited Smart sellers stay present even when they're not there. This is where tools like Consensus come in. They let buyers explore demos on their own time. Answer their questions at 10 PM. Share materials with their team. Stay engaged between touchpoints. It's how you keep social selling momentum right through the demo stage. https://lnkd.in/ePVWw-Bi 5. Close with confidence, not pressure When trust is already built? When value is already proven? When buyers are already educated? Closing feels natural, not like a battle. The best deals I've ever closed felt inevitable. Because the relationship started months before the opportunity. Here's what this approach delivers (in my experience): ✓ Significantly faster sales cycles ✓ Much higher close rates ✓ Bigger deal sizes (pre-sold = less negotiation) ✓ Happier customers (they chose you, not the other way around) Stop thinking of social selling as "nice to have." Start treating it as your primary sales strategy. Your next big deal isn't in your CRM. They're scrolling LinkedIn right now. What content are you creating to catch them? #ConsensusPartner