Building a value proposition

Are you leading with your features… or their future?

If your sales pitch is all about what your product does, you’re not alone. It's a common habit

But people don’t buy features. They buy outcomes

When your value proposition talks more about your solution than their struggles or goals… something’s missing

The missing piece?

It’s the emotional and practical bridge from pain to prize

A strong Value Proposition does three things:

1. Identifies the problem your customer is facing

2. Paints the prize - the outcome they want

3. Clearly shows how your solution is the bridge to get them there

So how do you actually do that in a way that sticks?

🔶 Start with their pain

You need to understand their world first

- What’s frustrating them right now?
- What’s costing them time, money, or credibility?
- What keeps getting worse if they don’t solve it?

💡Interviews, testimonials, and sales calls are goldmines. Listen for patterns in their own words - that’s the language you’ll want to use.


🔶 Define their vision of success

What does 'better' look like for your customer?

- Do they want to reduce downtime?
- Meet new regulations?
- Automate a manual process that’s slowing them down?

💡Use hard numbers if you can - sales increased, hours saved, error rates reduced. The more tangible, the better.

🔶 Bridge 'Pain to Prize' (simply!)

Now comes your part

How you uniquely help them cross that gap

It’s not about listing all your features

It’s about showing how they solve that exact pain and deliver that exact outcome.

💡Example:
“Production managers struggle with machine downtime that delays shipments and frustrates customers. Our predictive maintenance platform detects failures before they happen, cutting unplanned downtime by 40% and helping teams meet delivery targets.”

See how it's not about the product... it’s about the problem and the payoff?

🔶 Use their language

Ditch your company jargon

Avoid over-complication

Talk like a human

If your customer wouldn’t say it in a meeting, it probably doesn’t belong in your pitch

💡Listen to how customers describe their challenges - then mirror that. It's how you create resonance.

🔶 Bring it to life with a story

People remember people - not bullet points

Tell a short story:
- What was the customer’s challenge?
- How did you help?
- What did they gain?

💡Real success stories build trust and lower skepticism

The best value propositions don’t talk about your product - they talk about your customer’s progress.

What shifts have you made in your messaging that helped it click with your customers?