June 14th, 2006 by 
Brandon Hopkins Develop the Benefit
You’ve cleared the first hurdle. You have defined your business goal and made preliminary plans for reaching that goal. The race, however, has just begun. Now you must carve out a niche for your endeavor. In order to get to the next heat you must figure out what makes your business more desirable than another business which will offer services or products very similar to yours. Why is your customer going to come to you in the first place and then continue to bring business your way? You must develop the benefit of selecting your company over other companies and then you must communicate that benefit to potential clients.
Brainstorm.
Back to that pencil and paper. For the next ten minutes write down whatever comes to mind about your venture; no complete sentences required. What excites you about your dream? You probably know others who already offer the service or product you plan to offer; why is your way better? Use passionate, active words to describe your business.
Find a theme.
Organize your list. Look for an underlying pattern. Is it an improvement to an existing service or product? Is it the way you are going to offer that product? Is your delivery time going to be faster or is your customer service going to be more personalized? Is the product or service directed toward a very specific group of customers?
Encapsulate your message.
By now you should have a handle on the selling point or points for your business. State the advantages of your way of doing business in one or two sentences. Use strong, positive language. Try to narrow down the range of benefits to one or two components. Go back and make the statement into one sentence. Edit that sentence again to make it as brief as possible, almost a slogan.
Envision your customer.
Based on your benefit statement, who is your customer? Is it the person you thought it would be? Is the benefit still in line with your original idea? Has your thinking led you full circle to the place you want to be? Are you happy with the benefit you are offering and the client you will be engaging? If so, redirect your thinking to your customer’s point of view.
Is your benefit statement enticing enough to lure you to your business? Would you be your own customer?
Put the idea in play.
Bounce your idea off of a few trusted friends. Consider their input and refine your benefit statement if necessary. However, be careful not to stray too far from your original idea without going through the entire process a second time. Don’t allow your statement to become lengthy or cluttered. It is very important to maintain a clear focus of your goal. Always make sure that your benefit and your targeted customer are in harmony.
Now the next hurdle is in sight, you must find out if there is sufficient need for your particular service or product.