One question I get asked all the time as a brand positioning strategist for consultants and coaches is:

“How do I find the words that bring clarity to what I do and resonate with the clients I want to attract?”

And it’s a great question.

Knowing how to articulate the value you create (often called your brand promise or value proposition) is essential to your consulting or coaching success. But here’s the truth: these words aren’t just taglines. They give you business focus and make it easy for your audience to recognize if they’re your ideal client... or know someone who is.

Why Your Value Proposition Matters More Than Ever

Whether you're just starting out or scaling your practice, your value proposition sets the stage for everything... your offers, your pricing, your messaging, your content, and your sales conversations.

So, let's break down the 3 key steps to creating your clear and compelling value proposition, so you can confidently answer the question: “What do you do?” and have the right people respond, “Where have you been? I need you!”

The 3 Elements of a Strong Consulting or Coaching Value Proposition

To create a standout value proposition, you need clarity in three areas:

1. Your Ideal Client: Who you help and what problem you solve

2. What You Uniquely Do: Your expertise, strengths, and differentiators

3. The Value You Create: The tangible and intangible transformation your work delivers

Let’s dive into each.

1. Identify Your Ideal Client and the Problem You Solve

The heart of your brand promise lies in the value you create for your ideal client. First, get clear on who you serve before worrying about how you serve them.

Decide: Do You Work With Individuals or Organizations?

This choice shapes your messaging and positioning.

• Organizations: For example, a former educational leader who now coaches principals.

• Individuals: That same leader might pivot to coaching parents instead.

What matters most is whose results you’re improving... and why.

Clarify the Context for Your Client’s Needs

Think about the situations your work is relevant for. What challenge does your ideal client face when they begin looking for someone like you?

For organizational leaders, this could be:

• Scaling for growth

• Cultural transformation

• Breaking down silos

• Reputation repair

• Navigating leadership transitions

For individuals:

• Career change

• Relationship healing

• Creative project realization

• Life transitions (new parent, empty nester, retirement, etc.)

Decision to make: What is the strategic problem you help solve, and when do your clients need you most?

2. Define What You Uniquely Do

This is the sweet spot where your expertise, natural strengths, and market differentiators intersect.

Your Expertise

Your expertise isn’t just your job title or skill set. It’s the domain you’ve mastered either formally or informally.

Examples include:

• Operational efficiency

• Leadership development

• Public speaking

• Online dating

• Podcast strategy

• Organization development

• Financial forecasting

• Parenting coaching

• Entrepreneurship

Decision to make: What is the field or topic you want to be known for and is it relevant to the clients you want to serve?

Your Strengths

Two coaches can have the same expertise, but they won’t deliver it the same way. This is where your magic lives.

Your natural strengths are what you do so well and so instinctively that you may not even recognize it as a superpower.

For example:

• Two lean consultants: Katie is an inspiring storyteller. Tom is a brilliant data strategist. Both are needed, but for different reasons.

Your Differentiators

Your differentiators speak to the unmet or under-met needs in the market.

Examples:

• Amy helps high-achieving women navigate abusive relationships, a unique niche.

• I (Betsy) offer bespoke brand strategy in a sea of group coaching models.

Ask yourself: What gap do I fill in the market that others aren’t addressing?

3. Articulate the Value You Create

This is the outcome your clients experience because of your work, not just what they pay for, but what they walk away with.

Here are some powerful examples:

• Launch a profitable business… that they actually love

• Get paid to speak… and be seen as a thought leader

• Land their dream job… and thrive once they get there

• Scale their business… faster, and without false starts

• Build a successful podcast… and make the impact they were born to make

• Lead with confidence… without burnout

Put It All Together

A great value proposition connects:

• A specific client

• With a specific challenge

• And your unique approach

• Leading to a meaningful result

Example:
I help purpose-driven consultants and coaches create high-impact, high-income businesses that they truly love.

A Word of Caution: Don’t Overthink the Words

Don’t get hung up on the perfect wording. The right words flow easily once your brand position is clear. Your job is to forge a deep connection between:

• Your ideal client

• A high-stakes problem

• And your unique ability to solve it

Focus on clarity first... then the words will write themselves.

How to Craft a Clear Consulting Value Proposition

Remember you need to:

• Start with your ideal client. Who do you help, and what problem do you solve?

• Clarify what you uniquely do. Combine your expertise, strengths, and differentiators.

• Define the value you create. Tangible and intangible, results-driven outcomes.

The most “attractive” value proposition isn’t about you. It’s about how you help clients get what they want, and what they didn’t even know was possible.

Ready to Get Clear on Your Own Brand Promise?

Start by identifying your ideal client—the person with a problem that lights your heart on fire and sparks you to action.

Need help seeing your strengths clearly?
Download my Messaging Guide or schedule a free discovery call to get personal support.

Let’s turn your brilliance into a bold brand that makes you proud, and gets your clients saying, “Where have you been?”