Your homepage headline says: "The modern platform for data-driven teams."
A prospect lands on your site. They read it. They shrug and leave.
Your value proposition makes perfect sense to you. You know what "modern platform" means in your category. You know exactly which teams you serve and how you make them "data-driven."
But prospects don't have that context. They see generic language that could describe dozens of products. Nothing in that headline tells them what you actually do, who you're specifically for, or why they should care.
This is value proposition mistake #1—and it's just the beginning.
After auditing value props for 40+ B2B companies and running tests that show dramatic conversion improvements when messaging changes, I've seen the same seven mistakes repeated constantly. They're not obvious. They sound fine in internal reviews. But they kill conversion with real prospects.
Here's how to identify and fix them.
Mistake 1: Leading with What You Are, Not What You Do
What it looks like:
"We're the leading AI-powered customer data platform."
Why it fails:
Prospects don't care what you call yourself. They care what problem you solve.
"AI-powered customer data platform" is a category label. It tells them what shelf you sit on, not why they need you.
How to fix it:
Lead with the outcome, not the category.
Before: "We're the leading AI-powered customer data platform."
After: "Turn scattered customer data into revenue—without building pipelines or hiring engineers."
Now prospects instantly know: This solves messy data problems and doesn't require technical resources. That's useful information. "AI-powered platform" is not.
The test: Can a prospect who's never heard of you understand what you do from your value prop? If they need category knowledge to parse it, you're leading with the wrong message.
Mistake 2: Using "Helps You" Instead of Describing the Outcome
What it looks like:
"Helps teams collaborate more effectively"
"Enables smarter decision-making"
"Empowers your sales team"
Why it fails:
"Helps," "enables," "empowers"—these are vague mechanism words. They don't specify what actually changes for the customer.
Collaborate toward what outcome? Make which decisions? Empower sales to do what exactly?
How to fix it:
Replace mechanism words with concrete outcomes.
Before: "Helps marketing teams create better content"
After: "Marketing teams publish content 3x faster without sacrificing quality"
Before: "Enables data-driven product decisions"
After: "Ship features customers actually want instead of guessing"
The test: If you removed the mechanism word ("helps," "enables," "empowers"), would the rest of the sentence still make sense? If not, you're using filler language instead of describing real value.
Mistake 3: Solving "Challenges" Instead of Specific Problems
What it looks like:
"Solve your go-to-market challenges"
"Address complex sales enablement needs"
"Overcome marketing obstacles"
Why it fails:
"Challenges," "needs," and "obstacles" are abstraction words. They sound important but mean nothing specific.
Every company has "challenges." Your value prop needs to name the specific problem you solve, not gesture vaguely at "challenges."
How to fix it:
Name the specific painful problem.
Before: "Solve your content marketing challenges"
After: "Stop wasting 20 hours per week writing content that nobody reads"
Before: "Address complex sales enablement needs"
After: "Onboard new sales reps in 2 weeks instead of 3 months"
The test: Would a prospect experiencing this problem recognize their exact situation in your value prop? If they have to translate "challenges" into their specific pain point, you're being too vague.
Mistake 4: Promising Everything to Everyone
What it looks like:
"For marketing, sales, customer success, and product teams"
"Improve efficiency, increase revenue, reduce costs, and boost satisfaction"
Why it fails:
When you're for everyone, you're compelling to no one. Prospects need to see themselves specifically as your target.
Listing four departments and four benefits makes prospects think: "This probably does something for someone, but I'm not sure it's specifically for me."
How to fix it:
Pick your primary audience and primary benefit.
Before: "For marketing, sales, customer success, and product teams to improve efficiency, increase revenue, reduce costs, and boost satisfaction"
After: "For B2B marketing teams who need to prove ROI on every campaign without drowning in spreadsheets"
Now it's crystal clear who this is for and what it solves. If you're a B2B marketer struggling with campaign attribution, this speaks directly to you.
The test: If you stripped away three of your four audiences and three of your four benefits, would the value prop be stronger? Usually yes—because focus creates resonance.
Mistake 5: Features Disguised as Benefits
What it looks like:
"Advanced analytics and customizable dashboards"
"AI-powered recommendations and real-time updates"
"Seamless integrations and unlimited scalability"
Why it fails:
These are features (things your product has), not benefits (outcomes customers achieve).
"Advanced analytics" is a feature. The benefit is "identify which marketing channels actually drive revenue."
"Real-time updates" is a feature. The benefit is "catch problems before they impact customers."
How to fix it:
For every feature, ask "so what?" until you reach the actual outcome.
Feature: "AI-powered recommendations"
So what? "Suggests best content for each visitor"
So what? "Increases conversion rates"
So what? "You get more customers from the same traffic"
Final benefit-focused value prop: "Get 30% more customers from your website without increasing ad spend"
The test: Would a competitor describe themselves using similar features? If yes, you're not describing your unique value—you're describing table stakes capabilities.
Mistake 6: Superlatives Without Proof
What it looks like:
"The fastest way to..."
"The easiest platform for..."
"The most comprehensive solution for..."
Why it fails:
Every vendor claims to be "fastest," "easiest," or "most comprehensive." Without proof, it's marketing noise.
Prospects have heard these claims before and learned to ignore them.
How to fix it:
Replace superlatives with specific, provable claims.
Before: "The fastest way to launch products"
After: "Launch products in 6 weeks instead of 6 months—validated by 200+ B2B companies"
Before: "The easiest analytics platform"
After: "Get your first insight in under 5 minutes, no SQL required"
The test: Could you prove your claim in a demo or with customer data? If not, it's a superlative without substance.
Mistake 7: Insider Language Your Customers Don't Use
What it looks like:
"Leverage omnichannel orchestration to optimize customer journeys"
"Deploy ML-driven propensity models for predictive segmentation"
Why it fails:
You might use this language internally or at industry conferences. Your customers don't.
If prospects need to Google terms in your value prop, you've lost them.
How to fix it:
Use the exact language prospects use to describe their problem.
Before: "Leverage omnichannel orchestration to optimize customer journeys"
After: "Send the right message to the right customer at the right time—across email, web, and mobile—without building complex automation workflows"
Before: "Deploy ML-driven propensity models for predictive segmentation"
After: "Know which customers are likely to buy, churn, or upgrade before they do"
The test: Read your value prop to someone outside your industry. Can they explain what it means in their own words? If not, you're using insider language.
The Value Prop Testing Framework
Don't guess whether your value prop works. Test it.
Test 1: The five-second test
Show your homepage to someone unfamiliar with your product for exactly five seconds. Ask: "What does this company do?"
If they can't answer accurately, your value prop fails the clarity test.
Test 2: The comparison test
Show prospects your value prop alongside two competitors. Ask: "Which one most clearly explains what they do and why it matters?"
If competitors win, you need stronger differentiation in your messaging.
Test 3: The conversion test
A/B test value prop variants on your homepage. Measure qualified lead conversion, not just clicks.
A 20% improvement in conversion from value prop changes is common. That's how much bad value props suppress results.
The Formula That Works
Most strong value props follow this structure:
[Who you're for] + [What changes] + [How it's different]
Examples:
"For B2B SaaS companies who need to understand product usage (who), we turn product analytics into action plans (what changes), without requiring data science teams (how it's different)."
"For sales teams chasing enterprise deals (who), we predict which deals will close and when (what changes), by analyzing buyer behavior across 50+ signals your CRM can't track (how it's different)."
This three-part structure ensures you cover target audience, outcome, and differentiation—the core elements of any strong value proposition.
When you fix these seven mistakes, your value prop stops sounding like everyone else's and starts actually converting prospects who land on your site.