The One-Page Business Case Framework
Have you ever found yourself tongue-tied when someone asks you, “So, what do you do?” or struggled to explain your business idea to a potential investor? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Crafting an effective elevator pitch can be challenging, but it’s a crucial skill for anyone looking to make a lasting impression and land new opportunities.
But what if you are engaging with a total stranger digitally, and it is someone who is deemed to be a champion in their enterprise? How would you translate your elevator pitch digitally?
Writing is the process of clarifying your thinking.
This is where The One-Page Business Case Framework comes in. It’s a container to help you organize and develop your point of view. It’s something in the middle of a:
- Blank Page. Forces you to be specific for every buyer, but takes too much effort.
- Template. It’s fast and easy, but it sacrifices relevance and effectiveness.
Here are the building blocks behind this framework:
1/ Headline: write a sharp lead by weaving in a “trigger phrase” that’s familiar to the executives sponsoring the deal.
2/ Byline: don’t list your name as the author. (Help your champion craft their narrative as this is how they convince their other stakeholders)
3/ Opening: start with a two-sentence summary. Summarize your big idea to keep your reader’s attention. This also frames up the rest of your content.
4/ Problem Statement: read the last lesson if you skipped it.
5/ Medium: keep it collaborative. Write with your buyers. Involve them, don’t write alone.
6/ Formatting: I will share more in the next section
Communication happens in your reader’s mind. Not yours as the writer.
If your buyers need to translate your jargon into something that’s more familiar to them, you’ll lose their attention.
This means the failsafe approach to creating good content are your buyer’s words:
- Record and transcribe your conversations
- Grab excerpts of their words from key moments.
- Any specific words they use to describe their problem, use it.
- Insert that language into your framework (like the one above).
“Coordinating language” is a fancy term for talking like the group you’re part of.
It builds trust and connection. When you use the same words and sentence structures as others, it’s a powerful shortcut that signals, “I understand. You’re safe here.”
Which can turn writing into an exercise that’s more like “assembling.”
You’re adding your buyer’s own words from conversations into a framework.
Formatting & Branding Tips
By the way, don’t stress about branding your sales materials.
Instead, focus on co-creating the content your buyers will be proud to champion.
In fact, too much branding is counterproductive.
The best color scheme is “camouflage.” Using your buyers’ branding, not yours, to create materials that look like they were built inside the buying committee.
The other point to consider in your formatting: nobody reads materials from the first to last word in order. Instead, they work their way down the page several times, looking at:
- Headlines
- Bold and highlights
- Bullets and breakouts
- Full sentences in interesting sections
- The rest of the content for extra context
So use headers, highlights, bold, and bullets thoughtfully.
Spend as much time on this piece as you do editing your content.
Disclaimer note:
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ThinkLogic Media Group or any company and their associates.
You can follow me on my socials:
Facebook (A spark of B2B) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089042254709
Twitter (aSparkofB2B) https://twitter.com/aSparkofB2B
LinkedIn (a-spark-of-b2b) https://www.linkedin.com/company/a-spark-of-b2b
#B2BSales
#B2BLeadGeneration
#B2BContentMarketing
