John Elbing

I needed a value proposition I could explain clearly and concisely in one sentence, and one that touched on pain points a prospective client would truly recognise. What I realised is that what you believe is the pain you are solving for a client is not always something they are ready to understand. If they were, they would probably have built the product you built. So at some point I began positioning my solution in a way that was more in line with their way of thinking and their decision-making when it came to buying EdTech products.

Clients can now quantify the benefit of subscribing to my product, rather than just hearing qualitative or anecdotal evidence of its benefits. John will help you think things through from the perspective of the buyer, not yours as the seller. That makes all the difference in the world, if you ask me. Today I am an exited founder, and John has played a role in that through his coaching.

I used to get tangled in the technical explanation of how we do what we do, instead of looking at it from the customer’s point of view. The turning point came when we realised we weren’t managing conference logistics, we were managing knowledge. That one shift gave us our value proposition.

Since then we’ve landed three clients and two successful pitches, and a dry technical conversation has become a story-rich investor presentation. John helps you pick the right tools for the right problems and shape your story into something you can be proud of.

I was simply too close to my business. I’d worked on it, and on the website, for so long that I knew every detail and every reason behind it, which made it hard to see what was actually clear to someone arriving for the first time. I knew something was missing, but I couldn’t say what.

It clicked when John made me look at the website as if I had never seen it before. I realised I was trying to communicate too much because I knew too much about every aspect of my project. Things I’d been overthinking for weeks suddenly became obvious, and now I know what to keep, what to cut, and what I want people to take away. Sometimes you don’t need more ideas. You need someone who can step back, ask the right questions and show you what you can no longer see yourself.

We struggled to sum up our offer in one clear sentence. Wills, advance directives, expert guidance: several building blocks with no obvious thread running through them. And we couldn’t put our finger on what was really stopping a client from taking the step. Fear of the subject? How complicated it seemed? The price?

The click came when we filled in John’s canvas. We understood who we were really for, which pain we were answering, and what was holding our clients back. Our offer is now restructured and easier to read, and we can name the points of friction and adapt how we talk about it. If you’re struggling to explain your offer simply, or your website isn’t converting, his method helps you step back from the day-to-day and see what is really holding the customer back.

I’m pleased to have worked with John Elbing at Standpoint on my storytelling and strategic positioning. We conducted multiple sessions via video and that format worked above expectation, really powerful and efficient use of time. John went deep into my companies situation. He clearly understands tech, product and the business challenges that a company like mine faces.

John then has a real knack for synthesising this context, applying a couple of really powerful frameworks, and has shepherded me to a place where my message is a lot clearer and customers will find it a lot easier to listen….an easy story is a better story! Thank you John, I look forward to working with you again.

We didn’t have one punchy story for inHotel. We had several, and together they diluted the message. What clicked was seeing John’s method at work: sticky notes connecting our product to the mindset of each audience. Watching the process reverse-engineered made it something I could actually use.

Now I keep one clear story for each audience. Before I meet a prospective partner or customer, I take a few minutes to write it down and ask myself why it should resonate with them. John listens, asks the right questions and gently challenges your perspective, without judgment. His broad experience helps you uncover your blind spots.

We were struggling to put the real value of our products into language that was easy to digest and easy to remember, and every deck, every letter, every approach had to be reworked for its audience. It was overwhelming. What unlocked it was talking through the core of the business, the impact and the need, with an impartial third party: our thoughts came out loud, then onto paper, then into something coherent.

Now we work from one core storyline and shift the emphasis for each audience. Our pitch deck is modular, with an emotional journey built in, and the feedback shows it: far less confusion and disengagement, far more “How does that work?” and “Tell me more!” Our advice: do it. Get your thoughts out in the open, then listen, play, and budget time for interesting tangents. John is an excellent sparring partner.

Working with John at Standpoint was an excellent experience. Despite being conducted mostly through video conference, the process was seamless and highly effective. John’s expertise and innovative approach on storybuilding not only challenged us but also helped us think outside the box, leading to a significant refinement of our value proposition for our product, “Chilax!”—an innovative process documentation SaaS solution.

His insights were invaluable and we very much appreciated his dedication to support us throughout. We highly recommend John and Standpoint for anyone looking to elevate their business strategy and achieve meaningful growth.

I wasn’t sure how to position the business, or how to explain clearly what made it different from the competition. The click came when I knew exactly what I wanted people to understand.

Now the positioning is much sharper, with a clear, punchy pitch that carries the value in just a few words. I’d recommend John to any founder who wants to sharpen their positioning, or to understand how a client actually sees their business.

John has become a valued marketing partner for BlueBotics. We worked with him to update our brand messaging. Instantly respected by our entire team, he both carefully guided and brought a fresh (but relevant) perspective to these brainstorms. He helped us to define, in particular, our customers’ key challenges in a way that speaks to anyone. We’ve since used John’s consultancy to stress-check our plans for our messaging rollout and I can imagine this won’t be the last time we enlist his expertise.

Most consultants are good at talking, John is all about listening and delivering valuable results. Our Value proposition workshop was straight to the point and allowed the management team to agree on common goals.

Later, we contacted Standpoint to help us with our website copywriting and content creation. Once again, John delivered great content in no time.

As a solo founder, I was struggling to put business priorities ahead of tech ideas, and to get real clarity on our roadmap. There was no single moment. It was the conversations over time, having a coach to think out loud with. Even hearing myself answer John’s questions brought a lot of clarity, and every session came with a piece of specific advice that helped.

That clarity has helped Inkspired move faster, and it shows across our KPIs, from growth to sales. John brings real expertise in his field, and an enthusiasm that can be hard to find on the entrepreneurial rollercoaster.