In 2004, with the help of the AIPMM, I launched “The Value Proposition Toolkit: Finding the Elusive Killer Value Proposition.” It offered a roadmap to identifying the unique value your product offers the market, how to measure that against what customers value, and what to do if there is a mismatch. Over the last 15 years, my colleagues and I have been fortunate to interview and work with over 1,000 B2B buyers’ to understand what THEY valued most, why they bought slow or fast, and what didn’t matter at all. While the fundamentals of crafting and communicating an effective value proposition may be similar, some important things have changed. Come join us as we cover: 1. The surprising truths around what buyers value today 2. Where the best value propositions come from 3. The difference between positioning and a value proposition 4. The #1 mistake marketers make when creating their value proposition 5. How to validate what customers and buyers value in your market 6. The ring of enlightenment- the key stages in a buyer’s journey to purchase, and how a mismatched value proposition and marketing slow or outright stop a sale 7. How to use these insights to create content and messaging that matters …and more.

1. AIPMM Webinar Series
After 15 Years and 1000+ B2B Buyers: What
Matters Anymore in Value Propositions,
Content, & Product Marketing

2. Steve Rankel & Jeff Ernst
Our Speakers

3. Agenda
• The Most Important Point
• 1,000 Buyer Interviews
• What We Found
• What Still Matters (and doesn’t)
• Recommendations: Things You Should Do Immediately
• Q&A

4. Today, we will share
AND

5. “Anything that doesn’t
come from a
customer’s mouth is
nothing but an
educated guess…”

6. 1,128
5,076,000
30,620

7. What matters now

8. Product Marketing Should Market the PRODUCT
OUCH!
I’m in pain!
Who
will I
choose?
How do I solve
this?
At the top, it’s not about value

9. Buyers Trust Peers. Period.
We ask for pricing &
proposals
Team recommends &
CXO approves
We call vendor references to
learn what went well & not
We do a trial of the software
I look for stories from other customers about what they’ve done
We ask colleagues in similar roles how they’ve solved the problem
We create a scorecard to measure how
the vendors stack up
We ask the top 2-3 vendors to
come in and give us their pitchWe ask others in our industry association what they use
We go online to read peer reviews
I use Google and browse industry
articles and product pages
We ask our employees about their experience
We ask our consultants and
analysts for recommendations
Ouch! I’m in Pain How Do I Solve It? Who Will I Choose? Let’s Do It!
We follow guidance of our CSM
We seek best practices
We benchmark ourselves with
other customers
= Peers & Colleagues
= Sellers
= Internal staff
BUY

10. Ouch! I’m in Pain How Do I Solve It? Who Will I Choose? Let’s Do It!
2 3 41
• Why should we change
the status quo?
• What should our goals be?
• What are our business &
technical needs?
• How would we measure
success of this initiative?
• How would we get buy-in?
• Is our organization ready?
• What are all the things we
need to consider?
• Who’s had a similar
problem or goal?
• What have companies like
ours done about it?
• What was their outcome?
• What solutions should we
consider?
• What criteria should we
use to compare & select?
• How will this impact the
way we do business?
• Which vendors have a
viable solution for us?
• How well does each
vendor meet our criteria?
• What are the differences
between vendors?
• What have the
experiences of their
customers been like?
• Your solution is: too slow,
too expensive, too rigid…
• What obstacles will we
encounter?
• How do we get people to
use it?
• What secrets to success
have others discovered?
• How do we get the most
out of the solution?
• Should we use that new
product or feature?
Customers have questions, fears and doubtsWhat Buyers Want to Know…

11. Ouch! I’m in Pain How Do I Solve It? Who Will I Choose? Let’s Do It!
2 3 41
• Why should we change
the status quo?
• What should our goals be?
• What are our business &
technical needs?
• How would we measure
success of this initiative?
• How would we get buy-in?
• Is our organization ready?
• What are all the things we
need to consider?
• Who’s had a similar
problem or goal?
• What have companies like
ours done about it?
• What was their outcome?
• What solutions should we
consider?
• What criteria should we
use to compare & select?
• How will this impact the
way we do business?
• Which vendors have a
viable solution for us?
• How well does each
vendor meet our criteria?
• What are the differences
between vendors?
• What have the
experiences of their
customers been like?
• Your solution is: too slow,
too expensive, too rigid…
• What obstacles will we
encounter?
• How do we get people to
use it?
• What secrets to success
have others discovered?
• How do we get the most
out of the solution?
• Should we use that new
product or feature?
These questions, fears and doubts are best resolved by your
customers, telling their stories, in their own voices.
Customers have questions, fears and doubtsCustomer Voice is the Only Credible Voice

12. Product Details Really Matter Here
Ouch! I’m in Pain How Do I Solve It? Who Will I Choose? Let’s Do It!
2 3 41

13. It’s Not All About Price Here
Ouch! I’m in Pain How Do I Solve It? Who Will I Choose? Let’s Do It!
2 3 41
BUY

14. What DOESN’T matter
(as much)

15. Social Media

16. Marketing Automation / Lead Nurturing

18. Recommendations

19. 1. Stop Value Hallucination

20. 2. Shift to Customer Voice
What Buyers Want What Marketers Create
Company Voice
Company
Voice
Customer Voice
Customer
Voice

21. 3. Stop Overemphasizing ROI

22. 4. Provide “Binge-worthy” Product Details for
Late-Stage Buyers

23. Steve Rankel
781-760-2070
steverankel@gmail.com
Jeff Ernst
978-460-1344
jeff@slapfive.com
Email us for the tools mentioned…

24. Upcoming Webcast
March 9, 2018
Product Innovation: Common Pitfalls of B2B Organizations
WWW.AIPMM.COM/AIPMM_WEBINARS
AIPMM Webinar Series:
http://aipmm.com/aipmm_webinars
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