It’s Not About the Proposition,
It’s About the Value!
Presented by Cathi Hight
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Cathi Hight,
The Retention Specialist
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President of Hight Performance Group
The nation’s member retention specialist
National instructor for the U.S. Chamber’s
Institute for Organization Management
Previously was the Vice President of Operations
for the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii
Served on the Boulder Chamber of Commerce
board and is the Member Council Chair,
(focused on building a sustainable membership
base)
Is President-Elect for the Boulder Area Human
Resources Association (BAHRA)
Is a member of the:
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Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE)
American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Session Objectives
• Identify the role of value propositions
• Discover the “So What?” factor and how to communicate
what really matters
• Explore how to turn features into benefits prospects want
to buy
• Turn ROI into VOI benefits to communicate the value of
Chamber membership
• Employ 3 Strategies to Move from ROI to VOI
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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The Role of Value Propositions
• What’s a “value proposition” for Chambers?
A clear and succinct statement
on the benefits of membership.
• Two types of value propositions
 General: Targeted for large audience (one size fits all)
 Unique: Targeted for specific group/person (benefits
are specific to a group/person’s interests/needs.)
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Characteristics of Strong
Value Propositions
• It must differentiate you from others
• It may match a competitor on some
benefits but not all
• You must be exceptional in at least one
benefit
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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The “So What?” Factor
• Key Takeaways
– We have fallen into the trap of
selling what we think is important
– We sell features and not benefits
that really matter
– We use our language and not our
customers’ or prospects’
– We don’t answer the “So What?”
question and people stop listening
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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What You Need to Know
About Communication
• People don’t care about
you until they know you
can benefit them
• People use selective
listening due to overstimuli, lack of perceived
relevance and distractions
• Many times, ineffective
communication starts with
the sender
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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“So What?” is All About
Benefits, Not Features
Chamber Features
So What? Benefits
 We hold a Meet the Legislators
forum each fall.
 We offer 4 different networking
events a month. Our Business After
Hours mixer alone draws over 150
people each month!
 Members receive one Ribbon
Cutting ceremony each year.
 We hold a Business Expo each
spring to promote our members.
 Chamber members have the
opportunity to involve themselves
and their employees on a wide
range of committees
©2011 Hight Performance Group
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Our Meet the Legislators forum each fall
allows you to get face-to-face with your
representative, share how issues directly
impact your business.
With 4 different networking events each
month, you have access to over 400
prospects for free or low cost to market
what you offer!
You get a Ribbon Cutting ceremony to
celebrate your business and we create
publicity, photo opportunities and traffic
to your location free of charge.
Our spring Business Expo attracts 4,000
prospects to your booth.
With over 20 different committees you
and your staff can get involved in issues
that matter to you.
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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General Value Propositions
• Are intended to
serve a broad
audience
• Are core benefits of
the Chamber
• All members would
value the benefits
©2011 Hight Performance Group
• State the General Value
1. What are the 3 key or
primary issues business
members face?
2. What are the 3 things
the Chamber does to
address these issues?
3. Communicate the issue
and value the Chamber
offers
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Partner Activity:
Create a General Value
Proposition
State the General Value
1. What are the 3 key or
primary issues business
members face?
2. What are the 3 things
the Chamber does to
address these issues?
3. Communicate the issue
and value the Chamber
offers
©2011 Hight Performance Group
Express it using this
format:
1. Do you know how
businesses . . .?
2. The Chamber . . .
Do you know how frustrating it is when
decision makers create laws that raise the
cost of doing business in Boulder?
The Chamber monitors actions presented
to city council and weighs in on issues
that impact our members to create an
environment for business growth.
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Move from ROI to VOI to
Communicate Value
ROI is about the bottom line
Value = Benefits – Cost
Make the shift to VOI (Value on I______)
where the “I” is more than just Investment
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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The Value of Chamber Membership
The Value of I_________
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Investment: Direct return for dues/non-dues
Information: Unique sources, one-stop and members only
Influence: Ability to persuade, affect outcomes
Initiative: Importance of positions, sharing perspectives
Impact: Direct result of initiative, consequences
Interaction: Accessibility and quality of conversation
Intelligence: New awareness, understanding, knowledge
Insights: Lessons learned, a-ha moments
Instruction: New skills or applications learned
Integration: Ability to implement ideas into business
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Create Unique or Targeted
Value Propositions
• Are intended to
serve a specific
audience or person
• Are specific benefits
of the Chamber
• Only certain
members would
value the benefits
©2011 Hight Performance Group
• State the Unique Value
1. What are the 3 challenges
these specific or type of
businesses face?
2. What are the 3 things the
Chamber does that would
help overcome these
challenges?
3. Communicate the challenge
and value the Chamber
offers to members
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Small Group Activity:
Create a Unique Value
Proposition
• State the Unique Value
1. What are the 3 challenges
these specific or type of
businesses face?
2. What are the 3 things the
Chamber does that would
help overcome these
challenges?
3. Communicate the challenge
and value the Chamber
offers to members
©2011 Hight Performance Group
Express it using
this format:
1. Do you know how
businesses . . .?
2. The Chamber . . .
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Examples of Unique
Value Propositions
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Do you know how costly it is for small, independent restaurants
and retailers to advertise and promote specials on a consistent
basis?
The Chamber offers low-cost advertising on our web site and in
our directory to help downtown Boulder businesses reach over
2,000 people a month and generate traffic to the downtown area.
Do you know how hard it is for small manufacturers to train their
staff and stay on top of all the new regulations?
The Chamber offers timely, low-cost training made available by our
generous sponsors so your staff can get the skills and information
they need to do their jobs and comply with new regulations.
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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3 Strategies to
Move from ROI to VOI
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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#1: Get Feedback on Your VOI
• Which sources of information do from
the Chamber do you value the most
and why?
• Name an opportunity provided by the
Chamber that allowed you to influence
a decision that affected your business.
• Describe one Chamber initiative and
how it impacted your business.
• What value do you receive from
interacting with other Chamber
members?
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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#1: Get Feedback on Your VOI
• How has the Chamber helped you to develop
new or stronger relationships with others in the
community?
• Describe something new you learned as a
result of a Chamber program and how it helped
you or your business.
• Which training or educational opportunity has
made the most difference to your business?
• What new ideas or perspectives did you learn
from other members that have been integrated
into your business?
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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# 3: Let Members Toot the
VOI Horn
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©2011 Hight Performance Group
Interview “champion” members and
showcase their businesses, too (use
Flip video cameras)
Showcase video and print
testimonials on your website,
newsletters, directory, etc. (ex.
http://www.boulderchamber.com/)
Ask VOI questions on social media
platforms and allow members to
comment
Use the exact “So What?” language
members provide and mirror it
Create a FAQ on member benefits
and feature responses from members
who use those benefits
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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Session Summary
• Value propositions sell the real benefits of
membership
• Strong propositions are unique to the Chamber
and are focused on benefits that matter most to
prospects (they answer the “So What?”)
• Communicate the Value of I__________ and
realize it’s much more than ROI where I is only an
exchange of money for money
• Current members who see the value of
membership communicate it the best!
©2011 Hight Performance Group
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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The New 2011 Member
Retention Kit is On Sale Here!
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©2011 Hight Performance Group
Stop by the ACCE Store
ACCE Convention price
is $350 ($100 savings!)
All Kit Buyers receive a
free one hour consulting
session with Cathi Hight
Check out our web site:
www.hightperformance.com
Contact us for support at
(720) 304-0747
It’s Not About the Proposition, It’s About the Value!
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