APPENDIX 2

Case studies

Together with one of our directors I attended a Value Proposition Builder™ workshop, which introduced us to the formal concept of value proposition. I think both of us walking out of that one-day workshop were actually quite excited about the prospect of what the Value Proposition Builder™ could do for the business. It is a systematic process where each step in the builder builds upon the last and this was something that we felt suited our business processes and could be replicated internally.

Challenge

We have a display system in the office that holds the main points of the value proposition statement from each specific sector. We put the system on the wall so it is visible for everyone to see. It all works very well but you need to have someone like me implementing it day-to-day and I need to have the support of the board, which I have – that is exactly what you need.

Results

Future

There are common themes emerging from our sector work that I am now analysing for our overall company value proposition statement, but I have yet to sit down and formalize that.

We are a start-up, we are not a mature company and we will continue to evolve. We are passionate educators; we want to make a difference to education. If what we are doing does not enhance student learning or help them master their subject or build confidence in what they are doing, resulting in enhanced learning and grades, then we are not going to do it. Our technology, the algorithms we have developed, can be applied to a spectrum of other areas but we have chosen education because that is what we believe in. We are targeting professors because they are the decision makers, they give us the entré to the university or college – the ultimate customer is the student.

Context

For many students that pressure for success is increased by their financial situation. Professors we work with tell us that some of their students are so poor that if they have to buy a book that costs $50 or $100 this could mean that month that they have very little money for food. That’s wrong. In this day and age that is wrong and we feel very passionately about making education affordable for students who want to learn; our mission is removing barriers to learning and this is what we are focusing on at CCN.

Action

The success that we have achieved is with the actual language in our presentations and in our discussions with potential clients. Framing the context of our product to our market is more clear and succinct. As a start-up, our market messaging is an ongoing process of improvement and enhancement.

Learning

Director Barry Smith told us:

The Value Proposition Builder™ process forced us to make a deep-dive analysis and helped us to formulate and then articulate the Abcon value in a way that could be communicated to and from all levels within the company. The value proposition approach was the basis of our strategic growth plan and our growth targets are being achieved year on year since its implementation.

Instead of spending time trying to compose a sales message that fit the company as a whole, we realized that actually we have different customer segments, and the sales proposition is different for each of those, so I think that was definitely learning for us.

Results

CASE STUDY Geoscience Ireland

Context

Challenge

We are not a legal entity because we are a government-supported programme so our role is to assist members to collaborate, identify and submit proposals for geoscience project and contracts. As part of our service to them we examine a number of tendering portals every week to identify and circulate opportunities. We try to matchmake members, encouraging them to pursue appropriate tender opportunities.

Not being a private company we don’t have sales and cost-reduction targets or anything like that; our metrics are around how the companies are doing, how many members we have, how many net new jobs they create. What we are interested in is job creation and economic growth. Our members are interested in developing themselves as companies and winning more contracts – that is the value-add we are looking to provide. We get great feedback from them – so that is a metric in itself.

Learning

CASE STUDY Biocel

Context

Challenge

We want to get to a situation where we can design and deliver product. We are good at the service aspect of it but that’s very difficult to export. In our industry, here in Ireland, you do have to send a person out, as that personal level of service is expected by customers and then you gain their trust and can partner with them: to generate trust and generate business – it is very hands-on.

We were on a client site the other day where we did some very quick calculations and made some very simple adjustments that could save them a six-figure sum per year. So it is that kind of stuff; we said, ‘If you do this, this and this, you will save so much.’ Having that knowledge is absolutely what we are about and it plays directly into improving performance. It’s great that we have identified the core of what our value is. I always tell people that my job description is turning ideas into invoices!

Learnings