Potential customers don\u2019t immediately see your product as the best solution out there. They see it as a<\/em> solution, usually among many others.<\/p>\n In the saturated software market we\u2019re dealing with, very few products are truly unique. You\u2019re one in ten. Or a hundred. Or a thousand. Why should you be the top choice?<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be real\u2014nobody out there is dying to use your product just because it\u2019s there.<\/p>\n Sorry!<\/p>\n Fret not though\u2014there\u2019s a way to make sure you\u2019re at least one of the top choices.<\/p>\n People and businesses use SaaS products for one thing only\u2014their own benefit. Whether it saves them time or makes them money, the only thing people choosing a software care about is the value it adds to them.<\/p>\n Depending on your business, there can be many value elements:<\/p>\n This value is never obvious to anyone but yourself. This means you have to be smart with communicating it. You have to put the value your product offers front and center in every external bit of communication.<\/p>\n If you manage to prove the value well, you have to worry less about the price tag, too.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s how to clearly present the value of your product to your potential customers.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t communicate anything unless you know what it is you\u2019re trying to put out there.<\/p>\n Every product has a target group (or even a few)\u2014the people or companies the solution is made for. This target group should be the only thing you think of. Leave yourself and what you think the value is out of it.<\/p>\n To define the value of your product, you need to understand the challenges your target group(s) face. This is a very practical exercise that involves the following steps:<\/p>\n For example, at Canny, our main target group is SMB-s (small and medium-sized businesses).<\/p>\n Within these businesses, the people who would be looking for a solution like ours are:<\/p>\n \u2026based on:<\/p>\n For example, let\u2019s take \u201cproduct managers\u201d for Canny:<\/p>\n Their goal: building a product that offers value to their customers<\/p>\n Their challenges with this goal:<\/p>\n Now, write down how your solution helps your targets get rid of these challenges or get closer to their goals.<\/p>\n For example, for our Canny target group issues:<\/p>\n And there you go\u2014you have your official value points!<\/p>\n Keep in mind that this is a very generalized process to get you started. Feel free to go as in depth into this as you want.<\/p>\n The important thing is that before communicating anything to the outside, you need to make it clear to yourself what your value is. And again\u2014this value needs to be based on what your customers need, not what you think they need.<\/p>\n If your product doesn\u2019t help with these challenges your target group has\u2026 well, you need to either pick a different target market, or rethink your product\u2014sorry!<\/p>\n Now that you\u2019ve figured out your value points, you can start including them to all of your external communication.<\/p>\n This means:<\/p>\n To make it easier to put your main value front and center, figure out the short version of it.<\/p>\n This is usually one sentence or phrase, a \u201cslogan\u201d if you will, that summarizes the main benefit of your product.<\/p>\n For Canny, this is \u201cbuild better products\u201d. Here it is as the first thing you see on our website:<\/p>\n More examples, you say?<\/p>\n Here\u2019s one of our favorite companies, Ahrefs<\/a>, with \u201cgrow your search traffic\u201d:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s Bench<\/a>, another awesome company, with \u201cdon\u2019t spend your valuable time staring at spreadsheets\u201d:<\/p>\n \u2026 you get the gist. Make sure the benefit for the customer is the first thing they see when they look at your\u2026 well, anything.<\/p>\n Lead with this main thought in every conversation about value you have. Supplement it with the more detailed value points that go under it.<\/p>\n Your product has features. Well done. Every product does. However, features describe functionality<\/em>.<\/p>\n Describing functionality isn\u2019t information that is going to sell your product. Remember\u2014when people are looking for a solution, they\u2019re thinking about the challenges they have.<\/p>\n For example, \u201cCanny helps you collect feedback\u201d.<\/p>\n \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI already \u201ccollect feedback\u201d. Why do I need a tool for it?\u201d<\/p>\n Seeing a random feature doesn\u2019t translate into \u201cthis solves a problem for me\u201d for anyone.<\/p>\n This is why you also have to explain what the benefits of your features are. Try to follow up with a relatable value example for every feature you have, or plan to have.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s another Canny example:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a changelog feature where you can announce product updates.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2026 vs:<\/p>\n \u201cWe have a changelog feature, where you can announce product updates<\/a> to engage people with your newest features.\u201d<\/p>\n The first example provokes no value feelings. The second one clearly states what the benefit is for the person using the changelog. Obviously, we went with\u2026<\/p>\n Getting people to engage with new features is a benefit that our target group wants.<\/p>\n Always focus on benefits, not features. We\u2019re all selfish here. Features aren\u2019t exciting. Benefits are.<\/p>\n Always segment your audience when talking about value<\/p>\n This comes back to the target groups you defined in the first step.<\/p>\n If you only have one target group, it\u2019s a little easier for you. If you have several, you\u2019ll want to adjust your messaging depending on who you\u2019re talking to.<\/p>\n Remember\u2014you\u2019re not the only solution out there. Someone is giving you the time of day to explore your product as an option. You need to capture their attention immediately by describing the value to them.<\/p>\n Here are some ways to make sure you don\u2019t generalize your messaging:<\/p>\n For example, we have a \u201cCanny best practices\u201d series that is easy to find for people looking for a solution for their use case specifically.<\/p>\n These will come up when someone searches for a specific use case that your product offers, and spares them the time of going through functionality they don\u2019t need.<\/p>\n Learn about the company (or customer) and what they do, who the person is you\u2019re going to be talking to, and what their challenges are.<\/p>\n You can even go as far as shooting over a few questions before your chat to ask them straight out.<\/p>\n Personalization is never a bad thing when it comes to selling software. You\u2019re already doing a good job of focusing on value. Now take it a step further and segment that value for different users.<\/p>\n Case studies are a great way to have someone else toot your value horn.<\/p>\n Firstly, recommendations are always more reliable if they come from someone else rather than the company itself.<\/p>\n Secondly, case studies are a great way for potential customers to relate to others using the product and liking it.<\/p>\n When putting together case studies:<\/p>\n For example, Canny\u2019s case studies consist of three parts\u2014challenge, solution, and results.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/giphy-1.gif\")
<\/p>\n![\"Your](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-17-at-12.53.38-AM-1024x818.png\")
<\/a>Figure out what value means to your target group<\/h2>\n
1. Write down who your target group(s) are and the people they involve<\/h4>\n
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2. Figure out what the goals and challenges are for these targets<\/h4>\n
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3. Figure out how your product fits into it<\/h4>\n
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Highlight your main value first in all your materials<\/h2>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-11-at-3.11.34-PM-1024x397.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-11-at-3.14.00-PM-1024x263.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-11-at-3.15.54-PM-1024x276.png\")
<\/p>\nBenefits before features<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/giphy-2.gif\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-11-at-3.24.47-PM-1024x321.png\")
<\/p>\nWrite content that highlights specific use cases for your target groups<\/h4>\n
Build targeted landing pages for your different target groups<\/h4>\n
If you offer demos (or someone requests one), do your homework<\/h4>\n
Use case studies and examples of other customers<\/h2>\n
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![\"Product](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-11-at-3.45.03-PM-1024x597.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-11-at-3.46.41-PM-1024x756.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Product](\"https:\/\/canny.io\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-11-at-3.46.52-PM-919x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Canny](\"https:\/\/no-cache.hubspot.com\/cta\/default\/5705808\/e1d55d08-a2cf-44a3-a9a0-f3ca5ff21dfa.png\")
<\/a><\/span>