Find your most compelling story with the Benefit-Of-The-Benefit Exercise

Dan Salva
4 min readJul 16, 2021

What can you say that will stop people in their tracks? What story could you tell that would cause a heart to beat a little faster? Or maybe cause goosebumps to rise?

We all look for those ideas that have this power.

Organizations that clarify their purpose have a natural advantage here because these types of stories flow naturally from their purpose statement and rallying cry.

While there is no replacement for going through this process, there is a way to get a sense of how much more powerful your stories could be by going through an exercise I use.

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The Benefit-Of-The-Benefit Exercise

The value of the Benefit-Of-The-Benefit Exercise is its ability to help you see beyond the features of your offering to help you make your story more compelling to those you hope to serve. Let’s look at the three parts of the exercise.

1. Describe what your offering is

Most find this fairly easy. In fact, you probably already do this regularly. Document the name of your offering. Then detail the key features that make your offering special. Now take a moment and review what you have written. My guess is that you’ll notice that it sounds like you talking about you. That’s okay (if you don’t stop here). It gives us something to build on.

Here is an example from a life insurance start-up.

We have an advanced online system that people can use to choose their coverage.

Our system works on the computer or phone.

We have knowledgeable consultants available that you can connect with by phone, chat, or email.

Once you’re a customer, we deliver regular tips, life-hacks, and advice that are specific to your situation.

2. Describe what it is that your offering does

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Dan Salva

Dan is an expert brand strategist and author of the book Big Audacious Meaning — Unleashing Your Purpose-Driven Story. He is a founder at Will & Grail.