Personal Value Prop: 8 essential questions to sharpen your personal value proposition in the age of AI

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I chose writing as my profession because I came of age in the late ‘90s. The news was filled with stories of factory workers in the United States who were laid off and became obsolete because of offshoring or automation. There whole careers gone – poof – in the blink of an eye.

I thought, ‘I need to pick a career wisely. I don’t want the same thing to happen to me.’ And so I became a writer.

I’m sure you know the rest of the story. In the 2000s, writing and other knowledge work started to get offshored thanks to sites like Elance and oDesk along with global companies that shifted more marketing tasks overseas. And today, automation has come for the writers and other knowledge workers in the form of artificial intelligence.

So what do we do?

Here’s where marketers have a leg up over other knowledge workers in my opinion, but sometimes we overlook our skills in this area. We need to see ourselves as the product we’re marketing.

This can be hard for many reasons. Not the least of which is that we don’t have the outside perspective that we do for a company (AI can help with this).

And no, I’m not just talking about personal branding. It does have its role in theory, but I worry in practice it just becomes bragging a lot on social media.

I think a better approach is taking the same value proposition framework we use for a business and applying it to ourselves. Before I ask you to start answering questions, let me answer one for you.

What is a personal value proposition?

A personal value proposition is a clear, concise statement that explains the unique benefits you bring to the table. It answers the key question: "If I'm the ideal candidate or partner, why should they choose me?" Your value prop combines your skills, experiences, and intrinsic qualities to set you apart from others.

In this article, we’ll go step-by-step through the same Meclabs value proposition methodology used on businesses large and small and see how you can apply that methodology to yourself. I also brought in some perspectives from outside sources.

THE VALUE PROPOSITION QUESTION

Before you get the right answer, you need to nail down the right question.

Ultimately, you will probably want more than one, because you will have many conversion goals or people to reach out to. So start with the one that is most valuable to you right now, and create more in the future.

Here is the framework for your personal value proposition question, based on Meclabs methodology: ‘If I am [your ideal customer,] why should I [action you want them to take] with you instead of [your competitors]?’

Question #1: Who is your ideal ‘customer’?

“Separate the means from the end. Focus on the customer’s experience of the value,” Flint McGlaughlin, CEO, MeclabsAI, teaches in Value Proposition Power: 3 ways to intensify the force of your value proposition (MeclabsAI is the parent company of MarketingSherpa).

The value proposition methodology works by helping companies engage in customer-first marketing. And you need to do the same thing with your personal value prop. As marketers we think we’re empathetic. But sometimes we really need to force the issue.

A powerful value proposition is focused on the ‘other’; not on ourself. So think – who are you trying to help? Who is your ‘customer?’

It could be your potential employer. Or you could get even more specific, maybe it’s ‘a recruiter for Teva Pharmaceuticals.’

Question #2: What action do you want them to take?

As we know from marketing, if we want to get results, we need to be clear on the conversion objective.

So with this personal value prop, what do you want? What do you need

I see plenty of posts on LinkedIn with the generic, ‘Hi everyone. I am seeking a new opportunity and would appreciate your support.’

My heart goes out to these people. But…what exactly am I supposed to do? I want to help, but…oh wait, I’m getting a Slack message about an urgent task. And my Outlook just popped up with a meeting I have to be in. And…where was I?

Don’t make them think. They’re too busy. Tell them exactly what you need.

So how’s about… ‘Hi SaaS friends, I'm now seeking a new opportunity as a Marketing Manager in a fast-paced environment, where I can leverage my skills in SEO, data analytics, and digital campaign management. If you no of such an opportunity in your network, could you give your contact a link to my LinkedIn bio.’

By nailing your personal value prop first, your LinkedIn messages (and all your other communication) will be more effective.

When coming up with your conversion ask, consider the cost as well. The lower the cost, the more likely they are to convert. It’s easy to overlook for a personal value proposition.

While you likely won’t be asking for material cost (like money), you will be asking for mental cost.

How can you reduce mental cost? For example, if you’re asking for a letter of recommendation, you could include a reminder of several key projects you worked on together that were successful.

Question #3: What are the alternatives?

Another word we might use is – competitors.

Traditionally this would have been your human competition, like ‘any other candidate’ or ‘any other consultant.’

But frankly these days AI is one. Because right now artificial intelligence is both your friend (more on that in a bit) and your foe.

“For those worried about AI displacement, I suggest doing a ‘capability audit’ – chart your skills on a scale from ‘easily automated’ to ‘distinctly human,’” said Sheraz Ali, founder, HARO Links Builder.

THE VALUE PROPOSITION ANSWER

If you’re familiar with Meclabs, you know that we have a series of patented heuristics (thought tools) to help you with your marketing. Here’s a quick look at our key value proposition heuristic.

Creative Sample #1: The Meclabs Net Value Force heuristic

We already addressed the cost force (Cf) when considering the material (Mt) and mental (Mn) costs of your conversion ask. No, here are some questions to help you dive into your past and craft your personal value proposition, addressing each element of the heuristic.

Question #4: What problems have I solved for others in the past, and how did it help them? (Appeal)

Appeal (Ap) is a key element in the value force (Vf) of your personal value proposition. Appeal is connecting your value to others, getting them to say ‘yes, I want this now,’ according to Meclabs’ 8 Micro-Yes Architecture.

“One of my clients initially struggled to thrive in traditional corporate settings where their [neuro]divergent thinking was misunderstood. By clarifying their personal value around ‘adaptive innovation’ (the ability to spot gaps, pivot strategies quickly, and create intuitive solutions), they repositioned themselves from a 'nontraditional candidate' to a strategic innovation consultant,” said Blondy F. Moore, Life & Success Coach, Moore Success Group.

Amplify appeal by highlighting benefits and outcomes, not just features. Focus on the transformative impact you deliver.

In many fields, artificial intelligence (your ability to tame and master it) may be a key element of appeal today that didn’t matter at all that last time you were looking for a job five years ago.

In addition to Question #4, here are other questions that may help:

• Is there something that I naturally love to do and that I excel at in a way that would enable me to cultivate unique value?
• Which elements of my story inspire or motivate others during challenging times?
• What aspects of my work excite and then inspire others?
• How does my work address common challenges or desires?

Question #5: How can I combine my hobbies, volunteer work, or personal projects with professional demands? (Exclusivity)

Exclusivity (Ex) is your combination of experiences and intrinsic qualities that sets you apart, getting people to say ‘yes, I want this from you’ as opposed to just wanting what you offer in general (but being able to get it from many other places).

When you’re measuring exclusivity, you’re looking at how distinct and unique your offer is when compared to alternatives (which you identified in Question #3 above).          

Highlight your unique mix of skills. Emphasize what makes you different – specific skills, experience, or a unique perspective that is hard to find elsewhere.

“The bigger game is branding yourself as a category of one. If your LinkedIn headline could belong to anyone else, you're not going to make it,” advised Lars Nyman, founder, Nyman Media.

In addition to Question #5, here are other questions that may help:

• Do I possess two contrasting skills that when combined enable me to deliver unique value?
• What is one standout skill I can cultivate further to become irreplaceable in my next role?
• How does my background, even if unconventional, offer a fresh perspective to potential employers?
• What can I do that competitors find hard to replicate?

Question #6: What concrete achievements, whether in professional, school, volunteer roles, or personal projects, demonstrate my ability? (Credibility)

For your value to have force, and for the cost to have (reduced) force, your ideal customer needs to accept (Ac) what you’re communicating. A key element of acceptance is Credibility (Cr) – how much trust and confidence you inspire in your target audience. Getting your target audience to think ‘Yes, I believe.’

I’ve done more than a hundred job interviews in my career, and I find credibility often lacking. Everyone makes claims in these job interviews (‘tis the very rare candidate who would claim to not be detail-oriented or reliable or able to hit deadlines), but when questioned deeper on a claim many had nothing to add.

Another challenge I’ve seen is claims of skills on a resume that are not backed up by fact. Here’s a real interaction I’ve had in an interview:

• Me: “I see on your resume that SPSS is one of your core skills. Can you tell me a specific example of how you used SPSS to better understand customer wants in a project?”
• Candidate: “Which one is SPSS again? Is that the statistics one?”

A more credible way to communicate technical skills on a resume would be showing a scale of 1 to 5 – differentiating tools you are merely familiar with from tech you are truly proficient in.

Use credentials, accomplishments, and real-world examples to back up your claims. This will be especially important if you’re making any claims about your AI abilities. Anytime a new revolution occurs, the hype always precedes the reality. Your ideal customer will surely be judging the veracity of any claims you make regarding artificial intelligence.

In addition to Question #6, here are other questions that may help:

• What skills have I acquired that are transferable even to new fields?
• How can I present past experiences as evidence of reliability and success?
• Which past successes can I showcase to support my claims?
• When I consider my talents, is there one particular ability that if concentrated on would enable me to create unique value?

Question #7: Is my message easily digestible? (Clarity)

All is for naught if your ideal customers does not understand what you’re saying. That is why Clarity (Cl) – how clearly you communicate your expertise and skills – is also key to acceptance.

“You must weaponize specificity, meaning ‘I'm a marketing strategist’ is dead on arrival. ‘I help SaaS companies under $5M ARR triple inbound revenue using AI-enhanced funnel design’ – now we're talking,” Nyman said.

Ensure your statement is simple, direct, and free from buzzwords. Use industry terms only to help clarify, do not overuse them to simply appear smart.

In addition to Question #7, here are other questions that may help:

• How do I define my unique contributions in simple, clear terms?
• Can I articulate a clear message that explains what I do and why it matters?
• Am I focusing on the right language?

OPTIMIZING YOUR PERSONAL VALUE PROPOSITION

Up until this point, we talked about artificial intelligence as your competition. We also discussed that your personal value proposition may need to address what benefits you can bring to your ideal customer with AI (appeal and credibility), a factor that likely wasn’t an issue the last time you were in the job market.

But AI isn’t just your competitor, AI isn’t just your proof point, it can also be your helper. It’s almost a homeopathic approach – the cause can also be the cure.

Question #8: What does an AI agent trained in Meclabs’ methodology think is my personal value proposition?

Flint McGlaughlin, who holds the patent for Meclabs methodology, built a Personal Value Prop Analyzer app in MeclabsAI. You simply paste in the content from your LinkedIn profile.

You can try it yourself in the live, interactive training MEC050: Let AI Agents Market For You on Tuesday, May 13^th at 2pm EDT. There is no cost to attend.

The app can help you understand how well you are communicating a personal value prop on your LinkedIn profile, and can give you:

• Your personal value proposition formulation, ranking each element
• Full value proposition heuristic analysis of your personal value prop’s force
• A simulated 500+ word interview with you
• The presentation outline for a TED Talk you can give
• Tips for enhancing the force of your value proposition

To show you a specific example, I pasted my own LinkedIn profile into the Personal Value Prop Analyzer in MeclabsAI. You can click here to see the analysis it gave me.

LOOK BACK TO SPEED FORWARD

Ultimately, this process should be fun and empowering. It’s your change to look back through your career (and life), and use the skills and wisdom  you have accumulated to power your next move.

If you’re having a hard time reflecting on your career, listen to an episode or two of How I Made It In Marketing. Hearing your peers reflect on their journey might spark memories about your own experiences.

This article was originally distributed through the MarketingSherpa email newsletter.

Related resources

An Effective Value Proposition: What it is, why it is so important to business and marketing success, and how to use it

How to use a value proposition beyond the main business value prop (3 examples)

Exploring Value Proposition and AI Technology: How to create unique ideas that you can execute with artificial intelligence