Have you ever spent time trying to come up with a Value Proposition or Unique Selling Proposition?

It's hard work, but important.

You have to be able to succinctly state what value clients get from working with you and why they should choose you rather than anyone else.

That can be a tough mental challenge and it deservedly gets a lot of attention.

But there's one equally important area that I find gets massively overlooked: proof.

You see, no matter how beautifully constructed your Value Proposition or USP is, no matter how cleverly it tells people how great you are and how much better than your competitors; these days most clients just won't believe it.

Maybe not outright disbelief, but they'll certainly be skeptical.

It's too easy in the world of professional services to make all sorts of bold claims. But what most firms rarely do is back them up with proof.

Proof could come in the form of a guarantee that you'll get results. Or your track record, qualifications, awards or previous experience.

It could come in the form of testimonials or reviews.

Or best of all, you can demonstrate your capabilities by giving Value in Advance. Give your potential clients something free they can use which gives them real results and a sense of what they'd get by working with you.

That's real proof. 

So next time you spend a bunch of time and energy creating or revising your USP or similar statement; make sure you spend as much time thinking about how you can prove it too.