The short answer
How do you check whether your value explanation worked?
Check four things: you used the buyer’s words, you picked one capability, every claim was proportionate and the buyer responded. Rewrite the explanation starting from their words and try it again.
Foreword
Why it matters
An explanation feels relevant to the person giving it. The buyer’s reaction is the better test. Reviewing against a few concrete checks makes the next explanation more specific1, and saying the improved version aloud makes it available when you need it2.
Retrieval
61%
of a passage recalled a week later after three practice tests, against 40% after four readings2
What we’ll cover in this guide
- Part 01: Four checks
- Part 02: Rewrite and retry
- Your practice task: a short exercise to try with Selly
- Conclusion and what to practise next
Part 01: Four checks
Replay the moment you explained what you offer, and ask four questions.
The checklist
Did you use their words?
An explanation grounded in the buyer’s needs repeats something they said.
Did you pick one capability?
Or did you list everything?
Was every claim proportionate?
No invented numbers and no promised outcomes that depend on their situation.
Did the buyer respond?
A question or a comment means it landed. Silence or “OK” usually means it did not.
Reflection questions and how to get started
- How many checks did you pass? Fix the first one you missed.
- What did the buyer say straight after? That tells you whether it landed.
Part 02: Rewrite and retry
Use what the review showed to write a better version.
The second version
Start from their words
Put the buyer’s phrase first, then your one capability.
Cut to one example
Keep the example that best fits what they described.
Reflection questions and how to get started
- Is the new version shorter? It usually should be.
- Does it begin with the buyer’s words? Make it.
Your practice task
- After a practice call with Selly, find the moment you explained your offer.
- Run the four checks: their words, one capability, proportionate claims, a response.
- Rewrite the explanation starting from the buyer’s words.
- Run the call again and compare the buyer’s reaction.
Conclusion
A grounded explanation starts from the buyer’s words, offers one capability honestly and gets a response. Review against those checks and the next version writes itself.
