Developing Your NED Value Proposition: 4 Ways to Connect with SME Owners

Are you an experienced executive struggling to secure SME NED roles? Despite your impressive background, do you find that your pitch falls flat when speaking with small business owners? You're not alone in this communication challenge.

The Communication Gap Between Executives and SME Owners

After decades in corporate environments, many executives develop a vocabulary that demonstrates expertise in large organisations but fails to resonate with the SME community. This disconnect can cost you valuable board opportunities with smaller businesses.

One technology executive I worked with kept highlighting his "enterprise-wide digital transformation experience" to SME owners who were simply looking for someone to help them "stop losing customers through their outdated website."

Another former CFO proudly spoke about her "expertise in optimising capital allocation frameworks" when the business owner just wanted to know "if they had enough cash to make it through the next six months."

The good news? With a few simple changes, you can bridge this communication gap and develop a value proposition that opens doors to paid SME board positions.

Four Ways to Transform Your NED Pitch

Tip 1: Talk Outcomes, Not Credentials

SME owners buy outcomes, not credentials or deliverables. While it's tempting to lead with your impressive career history - the blue-chip brands, the size of teams you've managed or your advanced qualifications - that's not what will convince business owners to work with you.

What they care about is whether you can solve their specific problems.

A manufacturing business owner I advise recently told me: "I don't need to know they managed a £500M division. I need to know they can help me reduce my £80,000 monthly waste costs."

Instead of leading with your CV highlights, focus on articulating the tangible outcomes you've delivered that align with the SME's immediate challenges:

• INEFFECTIVE: "Former Operations Director with 15 years' experience in multinational manufacturing environments"
• EFFECTIVE: "I help manufacturing businesses reduce waste costs by 15-20% while improving production throughput"

Sell the destination, not your credentials when developing your NED proposition.

Tip 2: Use the Language of SMEs

Your language signals whether you truly understand the reality of running a small or medium-sized enterprise. Corporate jargon and theoretical frameworks may impress in large organisations but can actively repel SME business owners who value practicality and straight talk.

One executive I coached was puzzled why she wasn't gaining traction with her "strategic oversight and governance expertise" pitch to SMEs. When we reframed her value as "helping business owners make confident decisions about which opportunities to pursue and which to ignore," doors started opening.

Rather than using language that showcases your sophistication, use words that demonstrate your understanding of their day-to-day challenges:

• INEFFECTIVE: "I specialise in implementing robust KPI frameworks to drive organisational alignment"
• EFFECTIVE: "I help owners get clarity on which numbers really matter in their business, so they can focus their team on what moves the needle"

Speak their language, not yours when positioning yourself for non-executive roles.

Tip 3: Specificity Cuts Through the Noise

One of the biggest mistakes executives make when positioning themselves for non-executive director positions is being too generic. Phrases like "strategic advisor" or "growth expert" are so overused they've become meaningless - and they don't help SME entrepreneurs understand your unique value.

A business owner recently showed me a message he'd received from an executive looking to break into the SME NED space. "The person looks interesting," he told me. "But I don't understand what they're saying... can you help me translate?"

Instead of broad platitudes, narrow your focus to specific challenges, sectors or business types where your expertise can have the most impact:

• INEFFECTIVE: "Experienced board advisor helping businesses achieve sustainable growth"
• EFFECTIVE: "I help family-owned manufacturing businesses with £5-15M turnover navigate succession planning while doubling profitability"

The more specific your NED positioning, the more it resonates with the right audience. Be the specialist, not the generalist.

Tip 4: Address Their Hidden Fears

Your value proposition must address the biggest hidden fears SME owners live with every day - fears they rarely express directly. Most have never worked with a non-executive director before and harbor concerns about bringing an "outsider" into their business.

They worry about:

• Being judged for past decisions
• Having their authority undermined
• Paying for advice they won't be able to implement
• Being forced to adopt corporate practices that don't fit their business

A software company founder confided in me: "My biggest fear was bringing someone in who'd try to force big company processes onto us without understanding what makes us different."

Your NED proposition needs to subtly address these fears while emphasizing the practical benefits you bring:

• INEFFECTIVE: "I provide corporate best practices to professionalise your business operations"
• EFFECTIVE: "I help ambitious business owners implement the right systems at the right time - keeping things practical while avoiding the bureaucracy that slows businesses down"

Acknowledge the emotional journey, not just the business outcomes in your non-executive director positioning.

Translating Your Expertise for the SME Market

If SME owners and entrepreneurs aren't connecting with your pitch, it's no reflection on your skills, expertise and experience. It's often a simple communication challenge that can be solved quickly.

You just need to translate your extensive experience into terms that resonate with business owners. Those who successfully secure paid board roles are the ones who master this translation.

The executive who can shift from "I was the finance director for a FTSE 250 company" to "I help business owners understand the real drivers of profitability in their business so they can make confident investment decisions" is the one who gets appointed.

This shift in positioning doesn't diminish your experience. You're simply reframing it in a way that speaks directly to the needs, desires, and concerns of your target audience in the SME sector.

Refine Your NED Value Proposition

What aspects of your executive experience do you find most challenging to translate into SME-friendly language? Have you found effective ways to communicate your value that resonate with business owners?

If you're ready to develop a compelling value proposition, find the right SME NED opportunities and negotiate agreements that reflect your true worth, join our one-day SME Non-Exec FastTrack workshop. The program provides everything you need to effectively position yourself in the SME NED market.