How to Define Value in Your Industry

We all know the importance of understanding our customers. As staffing professionals, it’s essential to know their needs, pain points, and desires in order to craft tailored solutions that will truly resonate. But there’s another piece to the puzzle that’s often overlooked: understanding ourselves, and more specifically, understanding our Unique Value Proposition (UVP). In my years of experience, I’ve seen too many staffing agencies lose their way because they couldn’t clearly define their UVP. They focus so much on what their customers want that they forget to evaluate what their own agency brings to the table. And when your UVP isn’t aligned with the needs of your Ideal Client Profile (ICP), you're missing out on tremendous growth potential. When we talk about UVP in staffing, we’re talking about what sets your agency apart. It's essentially what you do, and more specifically how you do it, to deliver your service to the client. What makes you different from your competition? Is it your superior candidate network? Your multi-channel recruitment model? Your exceptional customer service? Your streamlined processes? Your technology? Whatever it is, your UVP should be the backbone of your sales and marketing efforts, and it must clearly speak to the problems your ICP faces. Here’s the kicker: It’s not just about defining your UVP—it’s about making sure it aligns with the challenges of your ICP. If your ICP’s main challenge is quick staffing solutions and your UVP is built around in-depth, hands-on service, there’s a mismatch. They won’t see the value in your approach because it doesn’t solve their primary problem, they way they want it solved. That’s where many agencies fall short. They don’t spend enough time evaluating whether their UVP truly addresses the key pain points of their ICP. Understanding your customer is important, yes, but understanding yourself and your UVP is equally crucial. Here’s how I approach it: Define Your UVP Clearly: This is where you get crystal clear on what you bring to the table. Don’t make assumptions—validate it by looking at client feedback and past successes. (If you want a template worksheet to guide you in this, just DM me) Align with ICP Challenges: Understand your ICP’s pain points and make sure your UVP addresses them. It’s not just about selling a service, it’s about solving a problem. Test and Refine: UVPs aren’t set in stone. Regularly check in with your ICP to ensure your offering still resonates. If not, adjust your UVP to stay relevant. Remember, understanding your customer is vital, but understanding yourself and what you uniquely offer them? That’s what will make all the difference.

💬 “What’s your value proposition?” A question that hit me harder than expected—and I run IronLady Energy Advisors. When a fellow entrepreneur challenged me to define it, not just do it, I realized how easy it is to focus on deliverables, not the “why” behind them. So I dug in. Here’s what helped: 🧭 1. Audit your impact. List every project or client win—not just what you did, but how it changed their trajectory. This is your proof of value. 💡 2. Define your unique edge. What do you do differently than peers? For IronLady, it’s blending subsurface science, AI fluency, and brand storytelling to deliver clarity with velocity. 📣 3. Translate expertise into outcomes. Skip the jargon. Focus on what your expertise empowers others to do better, faster, or smarter. 🎯 4. Make it a promise. A value proposition isn’t just positioning—it’s a commitment. Mine: Helping operators scale production performance with data-driven clarity and strategic punch. If you’re building your brand or venture, your value isn’t what you say you do—it’s the change you create when you show up. Now I’m curious: How do you define yours? #Entrepreneurship #ValueProposition #EnergyAdvisors #IronLadyEnergy #PersonalBranding #GrowthWithPurpose #WomenInEnergy

Here's a different way to think about pitching your product, especially if you sell something considered a "nice to have". Many sellers believe it's easier to sell a "NEED to have" product than a "NICE to have" product. The problem with this thinking is believing ANY product is a "need to have". Products are not need to haves. Products are just mechanisms to solve problems & secure outcomes. Outcomes are need to haves. If your product can help your prospect achieve a critical outcome, then they'll start to view it as a "need to have". Prospects do not buy products for the sake of buying products. They buy products to get a job done, to solve a problem, or to achieve an outcome. A tired (but true) example of this is "Sell the hole, not the drill". In this case, the hole is the "need to have" and the drill is just the tool they use to accomplish that need. It's on YOU to figure out what the "hole" is for whatever you sell (unless you're selling drills). ___ The lesson here is that your product's value is nonexistent unless there's a problem you solve directly correlated with that value. Unlike drills & holes, which have a very obvious connection, outbound prospects will need to be reminded of their problems before they'll see the value of your product. Instead of pitching your product (a value proposition), I recommend pitching the problem you solve instead (a problem proposition). This makes the "hole" far more obvious to your prospect. Here are some examples to help you get started with your own: 1. "AI-powered billing software to streamline client billing" becomes: "Most CFOs of insurance defense law firms think it’s ridiculous that they have to deal with so many deductions, rejections, and appeals they get from insurance carriers after winning a big case. 2. "A single source of truth to optimize employee compensation" becomes: "During Q1 merit season, most People leaders freak out when they see their team buried under a mountain of spreadsheets because it becomes really hard to ensure managers are making equitable compensation decisions" ___ If you'd like some help building a "problem proposition" for whatever you sell, I'm going to be running a (free) live workshop with Armand Farrokh and Jason Bay next Thursday the 9th. Comment "problem" and I'll share the details with you.

5 step process for crafting a compelling Unique Value Proposition: Identify Why Now: Focusing on what's changed (inflection) and what's at stake (impact) is vital for timing. Identify Who’s It For: Focusing on early adopters is crucial, as targeting everyone dilutes your message. Identify Existing Alternatives: It is key to understand what customers currently use to solve their problems. This perspective aids in positioning your product as a different alternative. Highlight What’s Broken with Status Quo: Pinpointing the flaws in existing solutions helps craft a UVP that is specific, familiar, and compelling (insight). Then, Articulate Why Your Product is Better: A compelling UVP should indicate how your product delivers a significantly different and better outcome or solves a big enough problem.

How I Develop Unique Value Propositions that Drive Success for My Clients (This approach changed my ad strategy) When I first started creating ads, I didn’t fully understand the importance of a brand’s Unique Value Proposition (UVP). I thought good visuals and catchy copy were enough. But the truth was, our ads were blending in with the competition. I realized that without a strong UVP, we were just part of the noise. So, I got intentional about my process: Deeply Understand the Customer’s Pain Points I began with one goal: understand the problems my client’s audience was facing. I wanted to know their challenges and their unmet needs. This became my compass. Clearly Define the Solution I honed in on how my client’s product solves these problems. I focused on tangible benefits that resonate. No vague promises—just clear, impactful results. Identify the Brand’s Unique Edge To stand out, I looked at what makes my client different. What’s their competitive edge? What can they offer that others can’t? This became the foundation of our UVP. I stripped down our messaging to its core: something specific, relevant, and free of jargon. A UVP isn’t about sounding fancy; it’s about making people say, “That’s exactly what I need.” The last piece was testing. I took different versions of our UVP and put them to the test in our ads. The result? Ads that finally connected—ads that didn’t just talk at people but resonated with them. Liked this? Join my LinkedIn journey. I write fluff-free, value-packed posts to help you scale your ads and stand out.