A B2B value proposition earns attention when buyers recognize their situation in the offer. Write it from the buyer's side: who it is for, what problem changes, what they get, and why choosing you is better than leaving the problem in place. The hard part is perspective. Companies often describe the product from the inside, so buyers cannot see themselves in the description.1 Most B2B sales are lost between describing what the company does and what the customer gets.2
Build the draft
Use this order each time. It keeps the proposition tied to the buyer's situation and gives you a line to test in outbound.
| Stage | What you are trying to learn | Example question |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Show that the offer is for the recipient, their industry and something they care about3 | Who is this for, and what do they care about? |
| Problem | Connect the offer's function to the problem it removes4 | What is happening now? |
| Outcome | State the benefit the customer gets from choosing the offer5 | What changes for them? |
| Choice | Explain why the ideal customer should choose this offer over a competitor6 | Why should they choose this? |
| Consequence | Explain why change should happen and what happens if nothing changes7 | What happens if this stays as it is? |
Write the answer down before putting it on a website or in marketing collateral.8 Use this form: "For [target user], who [user need], [name of concept] solves/provides/helps [benefit]."9 Keep the benefit concise and focused on one customer need.10
State plainly what the company does and why it solves the problem.11 Read the draft as if you had never heard the product description. If the buyer has to infer the problem, outcome or reason to choose you, change the wording.
Make the problem carry the value
Put the problem before the product explanation. This turns a capability into a reason for the buyer to change.
Traditional value propositions tend to pitch benefits and leave out the prospect's problem.12 Name the problem in terms the buyer recognizes, then ask:
- Where does this problem show up in the current process?
- What does it interrupt or prevent?
- What would a successful change allow the buyer to do?
- What would make the change worth acting on now?
Solving a problem the prospect has identified creates value.13 After you uncover a process problem, show why the product will capture that activity now.14 Keep the explanation close to the buyer's situation so the outcome feels like a change in their work, not a tour of your product.
Make the choice credible
A buyer can understand the problem and still have no reason to choose your offer. Give the proposition something the buyer can test against their own priorities.
If you use a customer quote, make sure it addresses a problem the prospect is trying to solve.15 A quote about general satisfaction does little for a buyer who needs a reason to act on a specific issue. Choose proof that touches the same problem and outcome named in the proposition.
Look for things the prospect values that cost you nothing to offer.16 These details can sharpen the offer without turning the proposition into a feature list. Ask what the buyer would count as a useful change, then make that change visible in the sentence.
Carry it into outbound
Carry the proposition across channels. The wording should stay clear when a buyer sees it with little context.
Keep it short, concise and clear.17 A value proposition is typically no more than a few sentences long.18 On a cold call, help the buyer quickly understand what you do and what it means for them.19 In email, state the value proposition directly.20
Use the proposition as the basis for customer-facing messages. Headlines, slogans and other messages should express the value proposition.21 The wording can change with the channel, while the buyer, problem, outcome and reason to choose you stay connected.
Write many descriptive variations and edit them repeatedly.22 Remove language that only describes your internal process. Keep language that helps the buyer recognize the problem and the result. When objections keep appearing, check whether the prospect believes you add value to what they are focused on.23
What not to do
Use these checks before the proposition reaches a prospect. Each one catches a different way the buyer can lose the thread.
- A value proposition is not a headline or slogan.24
- Do not assume customers care about the offer.25
- When you ask for a commitment, explain the value the client receives for saying yes.26
- Explain where the value lies before the goal line. Telling the buyer then does not help if they are not already seeing it.27
Put the draft into the next outbound message and read it as the buyer would. If the buyer can recognize the problem, the change, the benefit and the reason to choose you without asking what you mean, keep it. Otherwise, return to the worksheet and rewrite the unclear part.