TABLE OF CONTENTS

Example

Offer

1) Package into a Program

2) Scarcity and Urgency

3) Guarantee

4) Prioritize

Example: Bringing it all together

Next: Test for Customer Commitment

Messaging and Positioning Template: Overcoming Objections

Overcome objections in your messaging and positioning with our template

Strategic Vision

Dan Wu, JD/PhD

Jan 6, 2025

Guidance on the confusing contract to cash tool landscape

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Overcome objections using our messaging and positioning template for social impact leaders.

This is part 6 in a series below.

This is a series about building and testing your messaging, positioning, and value proposition

#1 - Messaging & Positioning Template for Social Impact Leaders
#2 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Core Unmet Needs
#3 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Ideal Client Profile
#4 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Differentiated Solution
#5 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Marketplace Category
#6 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Overcoming Objections
#7 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Testing
#8 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Learning from Data

Overcoming Objections

Once you've identified how to help bridge the gap between their desired outcome and current situation, you encounter a new challenge: convincing your audience they can achieve their goal with your guidance.

To overcome this, you can use three powerful tools to enhance understanding and prompt action.

• Social proof: showcase real success stories from satisfied clients
• Use case: illustrate how your solution works in practice
• Offer: make it easy for prospects to succeed

By skillfully applying these tools, you create a compelling positioning and messaging statement that resonates with your audience and encourages them to take the next step in their journey.

At Joyful Ventures, our innovation advisors specialize in helping social impact leaders like you create people-first innovation processes that maximize your and your organization’s impact.

Social Proof

If you’re offering something compelling, people may naturally be skeptical and think you’re selling snake oil.

However, because you’ve proven your impact, you can build trust by sharing evidence of your work.

Brainstorm and Rate

Similar to the approach we discussed earlier, I would brainstorm a wide range of proof points and score them based on their relevance and uniqueness.

By demonstrating that others have successfully used your offer, you increase the perceived likelihood of success and foster trust. Social proof is even more powerful when it comes from respected individuals in the field.

Options

Testimonials, case studies, and statistics act as external validation and enhance confidence that your offer is a sound choice.

Examples include
• case studies that highlight real results
• statistics proving outcome achievement
• content of customers using your product
• quotes and testimonials
• showcasing any relevant accreditations and awards

Design

It’s also important to consider how you communicate these proofs.

For instance, instead of including an entire customer case study in your initial initial message, you might link to it in a phrase like the below:

Social Proof

See how Kaiser Permanente reduced donor churn by 123% in one quarter [Link to case study]

Use Case Statement

Claims like "we help you increase revenue" or "get more customers" often fail to resonate because they’re too generic, even if those are goals customers ultimately want. These broad descriptions leave audiences unsure about specific offerings and methods you offer.

Although identifying core unmet needs and differentiating solutions helps address this issue, there's another effective approach to consider.

This method involves clearly explaining how your unique offering meets the core unmet need in practical terms. It requires providing specific details about the supported workflow, including who would use the tool and how they would apply it.

By adopting this approach, you not only clarify your value proposition but also bolster your credibility. It allows you to showcase your central differentiation more effectively by demonstrating its real-world application and tangible benefits to your target audience.

Here’s the formula:

Use Case: [Workflow actions and goal]. But [limitation of current approach] causes [negative impact]. Now you can [new capability] with [feature or solution] so that you can [benefit].

Here’s a breakdown of what each of these components mean

Component	Definition
Name of Use Case and specific actor	This identifies the specific scenario or application for which the solution is being utilized. It sets the context for the workflow goal.
Workflow actions and goal key to Dream Outcome	This describes the primary objective that users aim to achieve using current methods. It outlines what users are trying to accomplish before implementing the new solution.
Limitation of current approach & negative impact	This highlights the shortcomings or challenges associated with existing methods and their negative consequences.
New capability and name of Feature or solution	This introduces the specific feature or functionality that the solution provides, which enhances the user's ability to accomplish their goals effectively.
Benefit / concrete impact	This outlines the positive outcomes resulting from using the new capability and feature, emphasizing how it improves user experience or efficiency.

Example

Here’s the use case statement formula

Use Case: [Workflow actions and goal]. But [limitation of current approach] causes [negative impact]. Now you can [new capability] with [feature or solution] so that you can [benefit].

Below is an application of each component using our running example.

Component	Definition
Name of Use Case and Target	Donor Tracking Workflow of a Fundraising associate at a public health nonprofit
Workflow actions and goal key to Dream Outcome	Today you track current and prospective donors who attend your events and their interests so you can engage them thoughtfully.
Limitation of current approach & negative impact	But it’s hard to jot this info down during bustling events or you scramble afterwards when your memory is foggy and you’re exhausted, adding to an already-overwhelming to-do list.
New capability with name of feature or solution	Now you can streamline this process with DonorHealth’s AI voice assistant. Capture hands-free critical donor data, like their interests, and auto-generate action items and follow up messages directly into your CRM by talking to your phone.
Benefit / concrete impact	Reclaim hours a week on admin tasks and follow up with donors immediately, engaging your donors — and their time, talent, and treasure — twice as fast as before.

This is often useful to put after your value proposition (unmet need, differentiation, and social proof). I’ll bring everything together at the end.

Offer

The final part of the messaging pyramid is the specific offer. This piece compels your prospects to act by addressing key obstacles — or hidden costs — they’re likely to face when adopting your specific solution.

Often, innovators may simply ignore or not even dig deeper to identify what those obstacles are, which will increase the time and effort and reduce the likelihood of achieving the value you claim.

I’ll share three key strategies and follow up with an example targeting community health nonprofits

1) Package into a Program

Combine bonuses or features into a value-driven program that tackles the main obstacles to success.

By bundling a few valuable solutions together that address the top pain points or obstacles to your main value proposition, the perception of value and the likelihood of achieving it increases.

Identify the top challenges or blockers to using your solution. Then convert it into a deliverable that solves that challenge and add it to your offer.

Take this simple example: a common barrier to cooking healthy meals is that it takes too much time.

Reframe this challenge as a solution: "How busy parents cook healthy meals in under 5 minutes” and into a deliverable "Ready in 5 min Busy Parent Cooking Guide”

A very common challenge is figuring out how to succeed. Consider adding bonuses to your package that do things “for them”, shifting the burden of success from them to you.

These solutions can include
• services (such as white-glove onboarding or “done for you” consulting services)
• tools (like roadmaps or courses); and/or
• access to special expertise

It’s very common practice to write how much these bonuses are worth (e.g., $500 value!). I sometimes dislike these because the values often seem arbitrary.

To address this issue, you can share meaningful reference points (e.g., data consulting is typically $250/hour and you get 2 hours).

(But I wouldn’t spend too much time on this at this stage unless you feel this resonates with the purchasing behavior of your target segment. This could be an optimization you test after you’ve validated your core message.)

Exercise

Try this exercise: identify the top obstacles your bright spots faced in order to succeed with your solution. Then think of simple yet effective ways to solve them, adding them into a program or offer.

A common way to identify them is to analyze the losses in your target segment and/or the biggest obstacles your wins faced during and after their customer onboarding process. As always, try to anchor your ideas in real data from your ideal client profile.

2) Scarcity and Urgency

Use strategic scarcity and urgency to prompt action.

These leverage the fear of missing out and the desire for instant gratification, motivating your prospects to buy now rather than later. The possibility that they won’t be able to access your solution anymore can motivate them to act more quickly.

For instance, you can limit your bonuses to the first few sign-ups or create a cohort- or seasonal deadline (e.g., "If you sign up today, I can get you in with our next group that kicks off on Monday, otherwise you’ll have to wait until our next kickoff date").

This can also be highly strategic from an operational perspective.

A common mistake I see innovators make is to take on too much too early when they haven’t validated enough (i.e., they’re throwing spaghetti at the wall and offering their customers everything) or they haven’t streamlined or operationalized their value delivery model.

This causes them to miss customer expectations, underdeliver, and quickly develop a negative reputation in their tight-knit target ideal client segment.

Start with a few key customers in your target segment. This allows you to focus on quality, exceed expectations, and create strong references, helping you build a solid reputation in the industry.

Exercise

Brainstorm a few natural ways to apply scarcity and urgency to your offering, considering, for instance limiting to the first few sign-ups or a cohort- or seasonal-based promotion.

3) Guarantee

Address their doubts about achieving benefits by offering guarantees.

This crucial step eliminates the primary reason people hesitate to buy and increases your offer's appeal. By providing a clear and bold guarantee, you build trust and persuade potential clients that they have nothing to lose.

While a common guarantee is an unconditional one (“If you're not satisfied, get your money back”), I don’t recommend these because they often lack credibility and can cause unnecessary customer churn.

Instead, I suggest guarantees that link their success to yours, aligning incentives.

There are two types:
• Conditional: offer the guarantee only if specific onboarding steps are completed. This addresses the common issue of slow onboarding, which can lead to organizations not seeing value and canceling their subscription.
• Implicit: get paid only if they achieve their goals or use your product. This is similar to how plaintiff attorneys get paid only if they win a case.

In the "Shark Tank" episode featuring Notehall, an education tech platform for students, the founders utilized a unique guarantee to entice the sharks during their pitch.

They promised to forfeit their equity in the company if they did not meet specific revenue targets, offering to give up their shares if Notehall failed to generate $1 million in income within 24 months.

This bold decision greatly lowered the perceived risk for investors, leading to an intense bidding war among the sharks for a relatively untested idea — a rare event on the show.

4) Prioritize

As mentioned earlier, if you see many potential offerings, evaluate and prioritize them using the same criteria from previous sections, such as how critical the problem you’re solving or complexity. For instance, avoid offering bonuses that are too costly to deliver.

Much like I shared above, if you’re finding that there are lots of things you think you can offer, score and prioritize by considering the same criteria as mentioned in previous sections.

Example: Bringing it all together

Value Proposition

Core Unmet Need

DonorFamily is a donor engagement platform helping fundraising teams at community health nonprofits reduce donor churn by building healthy, engaged donor communities without manual data tracking and segmentation.

Unique differentiator

We use AI to tailor donor campaigns and data collection and reports, boosting donor time, treasure, and talent. By focusing more on what your top donors love, you’ll halve churn within two quarters.

Social Proof

See how Kaiser Permanente reduced donor churn by 123% in one quarter [Link to case study]

Use Case

Today you track and reach out to donors manually who attend your community health events so you can engage them thoughtfully. But it’s hard to note their interests and concerns during hustle and bustle or you add tasks to an overwhelming to-do list, taking weeks to close the loop.

Streamline this with DonorFamily’s AI-powered campaign and feedback collection tool. Talk to your phone to capture essential data or send follow-up surveys. The collected data, including insights on what has and hasn’t worked to increase engagement, creates action items and campaign messages directly in your CRM.

Save hours a week on manual tasks and halve donor churn within two quarters.

Offer

You’ve been selected as a top community health leader for our Big Day of Giving Cohort, designed to halve donor engagement within one quarter. There are 7 spots left.

White-Glove Onboarding: Let our AI assistant and in-house data experts ensure you capture data effortlessly and auto-generate three initial donor event reports and campaigns

AI Training Course: Equip even your nontechnical staff with a hands-on course to use AI and AI assistants safely and effectively in 3 hours

Future of Community Health Forum: Learn what works – and doesn’t – with other industry leaders in a safe community

Guarantee: if you complete our onboarding within 30 days and don’t halve donor churn within your first two quarters, we’ll provide a refund or complimentary ongoing support.

Next: Test for Customer Commitment

While crafting a clear message is essential, the real magic happens when it truly connects with your target audience.

Our next section will equip you with powerful methods to put your messaging and positioning to the test, generating important learnings for improvement

See the next article in the series below

This is a series about building and testing your messaging, positioning, and value proposition

#1 - Messaging & Positioning Template for Social Impact Leaders
#2 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Core Unmet Needs
#3 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Ideal Client Profile
#4 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Differentiated Solution
#5 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Marketplace Category
#6 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Overcoming Objections
#7 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Testing
#8 - Messaging & Positioning Template: Learning from Data

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Messaging and Positioning Template: Testing Messaging and Positioning Template: Core Unmet Needs

Dan Wu, JD/PhD

Messaging and Positioning Template: Overcoming Objections

Overcoming Objections

Social Proof

Use Case Statement

Example

Offer

1) Package into a Program

2) Scarcity and Urgency

3) Guarantee

4) Prioritize

Example: Bringing it all together

Next: Test for Customer Commitment

Related Posts

Messaging and Positioning Template for Social Impact Leaders

Messaging and Positioning Template: Learning From Data

Messaging and Positioning Template: Ideal Client Profile