Weed & Insect 2005: What’s Your Company’s MVP?

Have you ever purchased a product or service because the company that sold it was able to offer you something none of their competitors could? If so, then you’ve come face-to-face with that company’s MVP. No, we don’t mean the salesperson who highlighted his employer’s great features and then handed you a contract to sign. According to Keith Rosen, president of business coaching firm Profit Builders, an MVP isn’t a “Most Valuable Player” – it’s a “Most Valuable Proposition.”

“Your MVP is a unique or distinguishing feature that clearly distinguishes you from your competition,” Rosen told attendees to Lawn & Landscape’s 2005 Weed & Insect Management Seminars held in Cleveland, Ohio and New Orleans, La., earlier this month. “Think about it this way: 99 percent of every person’s DNA is exactly the same; it’s the last 1 percent that makes us different and unique. Many of the business owners and salespeople I’ve met are all trying to sound like everyone else before I start working with them. They sound exactly the same as their competition instead of trying to stand out. That’s why it’s essential to develop your own MVP.”

A value proposition doesn’t have to be limited to one of a company’s products or services, Rosen says. It could be a credential that the company has earned, a unique commitment to customer service, or a standard to which a company holds its staff members. “Think of Domino’s Pizza,” Rosen told seminar attendees. “Domino’s Pizza is known for delivering pizza in 30 minutes or less or they’re free. Certainly, people were delivering pizza in less than 30 minutes before Domino’s came along, but they took something they knew they could deliver and wrapped a guarantee around it – they exploited the obvious.”

Rosen says lawn and landscape contractors can do the same thing by highlighting something their company already does well – such as offer a certain type of warranty or exhibit exceptional customer service. By “wrapping a guarantee around it,” companies have the ability to diffuse price objections to their services, thereby earning more sales and providing an opportunity to sell their services at higher prices.

Indeed, Rosen gave an example from his own consumer experiences to highlight his point about MVPs. After finding termites in their homes, Rosen and his neighbor agreed to hire a pest control service of Rosen’s choosing to eliminate the problem. After interviewing a number of pest control operators, Rosen said he saw similar price points across the board, except for one company who’s prices was significantly higher. “I came out and asked the salesperson directly, ‘Why is your price so much higher than your competitors?’” Rosen says. “The salesperson said, ‘Oh, didn’t I tell you about our guarantee?’”

Rosen says that by using a certain type of termiticide delivery system, the pest control company guaranteed that the termites would be eliminated faster than their competitors could promise and that if the pests ever returned, the company would pay to repair any damage caused. “This company’s termite damage guarantee was so compelling that it was worth spending hundreds of dollars more for the peace of mind the guarantee brought,” Rosen says. “That was their Most Valuable Proposition.”

In addition, Rosen gave two other MVP examples by referring to Oracle Corp., a developer of information management software, and Traco, a replacement window manufacturer. “I saw an ad at the airport that said, ‘17 of the 20 largest banks in the world run Oracle applications,’” Rosen says. “That’s their MVP. No one else can claim that, and that shows that an MVP doesn’t have to be your service that differentiates you. Similarly, Traco Windows puts the Statue of Liberty in some of their ad materials. Why? Because they replaced all the windows in Liberty’s crown. No one else can claim that.”

For Weed & Insect Management Seminar attendees, Rosen provided a worksheet to help those companies get started on developing their own MVPs – something any company can do and start seeing the difference without delay, he says. For individuals who were not able to attend the Weed & Insect event, here are some tips on getting started on their own MVPs:

1. On separate pieces of paper, write the names of distinct components of your business. These could be Services, Products, Company, Staff, Guarantees/Warrantees, Customer Service, among others.
2. For each category, write down what your competition is saying about themselves in relation to that item, as well as what your company is saying about itself. Rosen says you’ll see many similarities between your company and your competition in this step.
3. From there, change your thinking to focus on something within your company that other companies cannot say about themselves or something that’s rare within the industry. Here are some examples:

• What awards has your company won for landscape design or maintenance?
• What awards or certifications have you and/or employees earned in their careers?
• What level of education do you require of your managers or other staff members?
• Does your company belong to any industry associations? The Chamber of Commerce? The Better Business Bureau?

As you go through this exercise, make sure to follow all the steps and don’t simply skip to your company’s outstanding assets. Understanding where you most compare to your competition can tell you the most about where you can start contrasting your company, positively, against them.