Your definition of a value proposition is defined as your stated promise of value which summarizes how the benefit of the company’s product or service will be acquired, delivered, and experienced. Essentially, your value proposition specifies what makes your company’s product or service attractive, why your ideal customer should purchase it, and how the value of the product or service is differentiated from similar offerings. Your value proposition should be addressed to your ideal or target customers or market segments and should clearly communicate how you solve their problem or fill a need in a way that is unique to your company. Is your Value Proposition differentiation clearly stated and understood by your customers or target market? Or do you find yourself negotiating pricing? Is it a true extension of your Brand Promise as a company? Does your entire organization both understand and deliver on that promise?

A3 combines strategy with a management operating system or MOS because one cannot succeed without the other. Too often, a well-crafted revenue strategy does not drive the behavior of an organization, which is often because there is no “language” of execution that ensures timely, effective course correction.

a. Revenue Strategy – Included in your revenue strategy should be answers to questions that include but are not limited to; Who is our ideal customer? What problem do we solve, or need do we fill in a way that provides superior value compared to our competition? Are there additional offerings that we can deliver? Who are the personas we are selling to? What is our current sales cycle, and do we have KPIs that will drive the compression of that cycle?

b. Management Operating System- Your MOS is your "how we execute both within the business development department and collectively in a collaborative manner to ensure we are achieving the goals of our strategy” This is not just a sales process that ensures we build differentiation from the first contact with a prospective customer, but an internal language of how leaders and their team(s) connect to review progress on their vital few, and collaborate and support one another to course correct. As a leader, do you should know the exact status of your revenue strategy in clearly stated numbers? Is the business development team and all others within the company aligned to the achievement of the growth strategy?

Is your organization a “Why” company, or a “How and/or What” company? A3 believes that every organization has the ability to be a Why company, and that company Brand Promise or “Why” can be the fuel that supports and energizes the achievement of your growth goals and long term, meaningful partnerships with your customers. Highly successful Revenue Cultures have little to no silos in terms of collaboration and delivery to your customers and chosen market of your brand promise. Is your Brand Promise or “Story” the center or rallying point of your organization, and is everyone in your organization charged with d creating differentiated value for your customers?

Your people, and their ability to not only execute a strategy, but to live the brand promise of your organization are critical to sustainable growth. This Pillar should be obvious, Do you have a clear understanding of not only the appropriate organizational structure required to deliver on your growth goals, but the values, talent and characteristics that your business development and entire leadership and management team should exhibit? Do you measure how well they align to your values? Do you utilize a behavioral profiling tool in a manner that not only creates self-awareness, but facilitates collaboration? Are you investing in their growth? A favorite quote of ours is “what if we train our best people and they leave?” The response is “what if we don’t and they stay?” Passionate, capable people who believe and live your brand promise can overcome the most average strategies.

To prevent stalling of your revenue growth, it is vital to both commit to and live a resourcing strategy to support that growth. Growth often will stretch existing resources, whether those are your best people, your processes, your physical assets, technology, marketing, and or all of the above. Whether your accelerated growth is going to be supported by profits, your banking relationships, asset lending, private equity, venture capital, or any other source, your long- and short-term resourcing plan readiness is critical. Do you have a resourcing strategy that enables you to make quick and effective resourcing decisions quickly based on your monthly KPIs? Or, do you find yourself worrying about every penny and hoping that you will somehow be able to survive the stretch?

Within the entire “symphony” of your organization, an evidenced growth in the commitment to a high collaborative quotient is a critical Pillar if sustainable growth if your goal. Your CQ should be visible in terms of the behavior of highest level of leadership in that they are open to ideas and solutions from any/all appropriate sources that support accelerated and effective decision making or course correction. An example of where a high CQ is evident is during the course correction phase within your MOS. During performance and/or goal and project reviews, when a colleague has hit a “wall” in terms of accomplishing a critical milestone or KPI, the team present in the touch base meeting participates in providing thoughts and suggestions that expand the responsible party’s mindset, commits to course correction, and follows through. A high CQ is evident in companies whose leadership exhibits what is called “confident humility”. Does your organization have a high CQ, or do team members wait for leadership to make all the decisions?