This lecture focuses on the process of creating a crisp and concise value proposition for your start-up. Learn how to answer the essential question, “What is the value you bring to your customers?” without describing the details of your technology.
Formulating a good value proposition is an essential step for any start-up and lies at the core of many of the other tools entrepreneurs need to develop, including market analysis, business modeling, finding funding and delivering an investor or customer pitch.
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3. Agenda
What is a value proposition?
Examples
Dimensions of value
Your target customer
Personalizing your value proposition
The strategy canvas
The buyer utility grid
4. MaRS Advisors
EIRs (Entrepreneurs in Residence)
Venture Capitalists
Investor relations professionals (Equicom)
PROBLEM #1:
Defining a value proposition
6. What do you do?
Who cares?
“Explain the value of your company, not the
technology behind it.”
“Your grandmother should understand your
business.”
“Will I want to tell people at the next cocktail party
I’m at?”
7. A value proposition is a
statement of the unique benefits
delivered by your offering to the
target customer
8. The value proposition statement may
consist of several components:
1. What your product is
2. The target customer
3. The value you provide
4. Why your product is unique
9. Good: “Winners is Bad: “Winners is an
the only off-price
department store department store
that offers fashion owned by TJX that
conscious employs
consumers the international
latest brand sourcing and
names for up to buying power.”
60 per cent off.”
10. unique
what
“Winners is the only department
customer
store that offers fashion conscious
consumers the latest brand
value
names for up to 60 per cent off.”
11. Good: “Google is Bad: “Google uses a
the world’s largest patented page-
search engine that ranking algorithm
allows internet to make money
users to find through ad
relevant placement.”
information
quickly and easily.”
12. unique
“Google is the world’s largest
what
search engine that allows
customer
internet users to find relevant
value
information quickly and easily.”
13. Good: “A1 Industries Bad: “A1 Industries
has developed a has discovered a
cheap and easily chemical isomer
applied additive that that bonds with
allows paint carbon to allow an
manufacturing overall reduction in
companies to reduce VOC emissions.”
the environmental
impact of their
products”
14. unique
“A1 Industries has developed a
cheap and easily applied
what
additive that allows paint
customer
manufacturing companies to
value
reduce the environmental impact
of their products”
17. Selling to Selling to
Customer
Business
Usability
Health
Lower risk
Aesthetics
Saving time
Status
Saving/making money
Newness
Enabling function
Self-Actualization
Convenience
Environmental
Quality
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
Customizable
18. Selling to Selling to
Customer
Business
Usability
Health
Lower risk
Aesthetics
Saving time
Status
Saving/making money
Newness
Enabling function
Self-Actualization
Convenience
Environmental
Quality
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
Customizable
19. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
Saving time
Saving/making money
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
20. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
Saving time
Saving/making money
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
21. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
Saving time
Saving/making money
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
22. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
Saving time
Saving/making money
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
23. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
Saving time
Saving/making money
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
24. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
Saving time
Saving/making money
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
25. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
Saving time
Saving/making money
Enabling function
Convenience
Quality
Customizable
26. Selling to
Business
Lower risk
B2B Sales:
Saving time
Saving/making money
- Rational
Enabling function
decision making
Convenience
Quality
- Overt values
Customizable
27. Selling to Selling to
Customer
Business
Usability
Health
Lower risk
Aesthetics
Saving time
Status
Saving/making money
Newness
Enabling function
Self-Actualization
Convenience
Environmental
Quality
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
Customizable
28. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
29. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
30. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
31. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
32. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
33. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
34. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
35. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
36. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
37. Selling to
Customer
Usability
Health
B2C Sales:
Aesthetics
Status
Newness
- Emotional
decision making
Self-Actualization
Environmental
Ethical
- Latent values
Social
Inclusion
38. Selling to Selling to
Customer
Business
Usability
Health
Lower risk
Aesthetics
Saving time
Status
Saving/making money
Newness
Enabling function
Self-Actualization
Convenience
Environmental
Quality
Ethical
Social
Inclusion
Customizable
40. Day in the Life Scenario
Before
Current Problem
situation
encountered &
& desired economic
outcome
consequences
After
Ernie:
Enabling New
fixes factors of outcomes and
airplanes
your economic
product
rewards
42. MaRS Market Intelligence Databases
1. Access to reports from
20 databases
2. Access to industry
analysts through inquiry
time
Industry specific
vendors Multiple Industry
coverage vendors
IDC
Forrester Frost & Sullivan
Gartner BCC Research
Lux Research Total Patents
Cleantech Group Datamonitor
Aggregator of
Thomson Pharma Venture Source
other vendor
MedTrack Innography
resources
Business Insights
Recap Dialog Pro
Market Research
Factiva
Key:
Red – ICT
Green – Cleantech &
Nanotech
Blue – Life Sciences
43. Prioritize your market segments
Who has the most compelling problem?
Who has the biggest financial problem?
Which market is easiest to access?
What
values do you bring your target
customer?
44. “A1 Industries has developed a
cheap and easily applied
additive that allows paint
manufacturing companies to
reduce the environmental impact
of their products”
45. “A1 Industries has developed a
cheap and easily applied
additive that allows _________
_________________________ to
reduce the environmental impact
of their products”
46. “A1 Industries has developed a
cheap and easily applied
additive that allows plastic chair
manufacturers to
reduce the environmental impact
of their products”
47. “A1 Industries has developed a
cheap and easily applied
additive that allows ____________
______________ to
reduce the environmental impact
of their products”
48. “A1 Industries has developed a
cheap and easily applied
additive that allows solar panel
manufacturers to
reduce the environmental impact
of their products”
49. Different stakeholders have "
different values
Stakeholder Values
Teacher - Saving time, curriculum-aligned, engaging
students, simple to set up and deliver,
Student - Fun, building self-confidence and social inclusion
Parent - Helping their child socially, academically,
Principal - Raising standardized scores, addressing priorities
of the board (bullying, lowering suspension rates)
Superintendent - Addressing priorities of board, increasing
communication between “family” of schools
Trustee - Get re-elected, broader community engagement;
Ministry - Broad policy: raising achievement, reducing
achievement gaps, increase public confidence
Procurement - Buy software and textbooks that are proven
officer effective, that teachers will use.
50. customer
“Google is the world’s largest search
engine that allows internet users to find
relevant information quickly and
easily.”
51. end user
“Google is the world’s largest search
engine that allows internet users to find
relevant information quickly and
easily.”
customer
“Google is the world’s largest search
engine that gives advertisers access to
millions of potential customers by
personalizing ads based on searched
content.”
53. Double-sided business models
“The PeePoo Bag is a cheap, disposable outlet
for human waste, providing a hygienic option
for refugees in camps across East Africa.”
“The PeePoo Bag is a cheap, disposable outlet
for human waste that turns into high quality
fertilizer, perfect for low income East-African
farmers to increase yield and avoid using
expensive fossil fuel-based fertilizers.”
54. Product differentiation
High
How does your
business rate on that
criteria?
Medium
What is the criteria
people use when
Low
solving their
problem?
Blue Ocean Strategy, Kim & Mauborgne, Harvard 2005
55. Product differentiation
The goal is not to be the
highest in each category,
but to have a unique profile
that highlights where your
value lies.
Blue Ocean Strategy, Kim & Mauborgne, Harvard 2005
56. How do customers How do customers
perform research on the Added do your
How Value
maintain the
product they want to consumers use product over
buy?
your product?
time?
How do you How do you How do your
deliver the support the use of customers dispose
product to your the product?
of your product?
customers?
Blue Ocean Strategy, Kim & Mauborgne, Harvard 2005
58. Summary
The value proposition statement may
consist of several components:
1. What your product is
2. The target customer
3. The value you provide
4. Why your product is unique
Go home and write one!