"We help companies increase productivity and reduce costs through innovative technology."
That's a real value proposition from a real B2B company's website. It's also completely meaningless. It could describe any company in any industry selling any product.
Most value propositions fail because they optimize for being technically accurate instead of being memorable and repeatable. They're written by committee to avoid offending any stakeholder, resulting in bland statements that offend nobody and inspire nobody.
After testing hundreds of value props in real sales conversations and campaigns, I've learned what actually works: value propositions that are specific, outcome-focused, and easy to repeat.
Here's the framework.
What a Value Proposition Actually Is
A value proposition is not:
- Your mission statement ("We believe in empowering teams...")
- Your positioning statement ("We're the leading provider of...")
- A feature list ("We offer X, Y, and Z")
- A tagline ("Innovation that matters")
A value proposition is: A one-sentence answer to "Why should I buy from you instead of doing nothing or choosing an alternative?"
It must be:
- Specific: Not generic enough to apply to every competitor
- Outcome-focused: Describes the result, not the method
- Repeatable: A prospect can explain it to their boss without looking at your website
- Differentiating: Makes it clear why you're different from alternatives
The Value Proposition Framework
Use this fill-in-the-blank format:
"We help [specific customer] achieve [specific outcome] without [common obstacle/pain], unlike [alternative] which [limitation]."
Let's break down each component:
Component 1: [Specific Customer]
Don't say "companies" or "teams." Be specific about who this is for.
Bad: "We help companies" Good: "We help product marketing teams at B2B SaaS companies"
Why specificity matters: Buyers need to self-identify. "Companies" could mean anyone. "Product marketing teams at B2B SaaS companies" tells someone immediately if this is for them.
How specific to get:
- Industry/vertical (B2B SaaS, healthcare, manufacturing)
- Team/role (product marketers, sales operations, finance teams)
- Company size (Series B startups, mid-market enterprises)
- Geography (if relevant)
Don't over-specify: "We help Series B B2B SaaS companies in North America with 50-200 employees in the fintech vertical" is too narrow for a value prop. Save that for ICP definition.
Component 2: [Specific Outcome]
What does success look like? Not "be more productive"—what specific result do they get?
Bad: "increase productivity" Good: "launch products 50% faster"
Bad: "improve collaboration" Good: "get cross-functional teams aligned without 15 status meetings per launch"
Why outcomes matter: Features tell customers what you do. Outcomes tell them what they get. Buyers don't buy features—they buy outcomes.
How to identify the right outcome:
- Ask customers: "What changed for you after using our product?"
- Look for quantifiable results (time saved, revenue increased, costs reduced)
- Focus on business impact, not task completion
Component 3: [Common Obstacle/Pain]
What's the obstacle that makes achieving this outcome hard today?
Format: "without [the thing that usually prevents this outcome]"
Examples:
- "without rebuilding battlecards in four different formats"
- "without hiring three more people"
- "without a 6-month implementation project"
- "without learning a new tool for every workflow"
Why this matters: It acknowledges that customers have tried to solve this before and failed or found it too painful. You're showing you understand their world.
How to find the obstacle:
- Listen to what prospects say when they describe their current approach
- Look at why they stopped using previous solutions
- Identify the friction that makes alternatives unappealing
Component 4: [Alternative and Its Limitation]
What do prospects do today, and why doesn't it work?
Format: "unlike [alternative] which [limitation]"
Examples:
- "unlike generic project management tools which force you to adapt your workflow to their structure"
- "unlike hiring a full-service agency which takes 8 weeks and costs $50K"
- "unlike spreadsheets which break when you share them across teams"
Why this matters: It positions you against real alternatives (not just competitors—also DIY, status quo, or different approaches).
Common mistakes:
- Don't trash talk competitors by name
- Don't make claims you can't substantiate
- Don't position against alternatives your customers don't actually use
Real Examples (Good vs. Bad)
Let's apply the framework to real companies:
Example 1: Project Management Tool
Bad value prop: "We help teams collaborate more effectively with powerful project management features."
Good value prop (using framework): "We help product teams at Series B SaaS companies ship features 30% faster without daily standups, unlike Jira which forces engineering workflows onto product teams."
Why it's better:
- Specific customer (product teams at Series B SaaS)
- Specific outcome (ship features 30% faster)
- Specific pain avoided (daily standups)
- Clear alternative (Jira) with limitation (engineering-first workflow)
Example 2: Sales Enablement Platform
Bad value prop: "We empower sales teams to close more deals with AI-powered insights and training."
Good value prop (using framework): "We help enterprise sales teams reduce rep ramp time from 6 months to 3 months without building training content from scratch, unlike LMS platforms which require learning design expertise."
Why it's better:
- Specific customer (enterprise sales teams)
- Specific outcome (reduce ramp from 6 to 3 months)
- Specific pain avoided (building training from scratch)
- Clear alternative (LMS platforms) with limitation (requires expertise)
Example 3: Segment8 (Our Example)
Bad value prop: "We help marketing teams be more productive and launch faster with better collaboration."
Good value prop (using framework): "We help product marketing teams at B2B SaaS companies launch products 50% faster without rebuilding the same battlecard in four different formats, unlike generic project management tools which weren't designed for GTM workflows."
Why it works:
- Specific (product marketing at B2B SaaS)
- Outcome (50% faster launches)
- Pain (rebuilding same content multiple times)
- Alternative (project management tools) with clear limitation (not built for GTM)
How to Test Your Value Proposition
Don't trust your gut. Test your value prop with real prospects and customers.
Test 1: The Elevator Test
Format: Explain your value prop verbally in 10 seconds to someone unfamiliar with your company.
Success criteria: They can explain back to you:
- Who it's for
- What outcome it delivers
- Why it's different from alternatives
If they can't: Your value prop is too complex or unclear. Simplify.
Test 2: The Sales Call Test
Format: Sales uses the value prop in 10 discovery calls.
Success criteria: Prospects respond with:
- "Yes, that's exactly our problem"
- "How do you do that?"
- "We've been trying to solve this with [alternative] and it's not working"
If they respond with confusion or indifference: Your value prop doesn't resonate. Iterate.
Test 3: The Campaign Test
Format: Run ad campaigns with your value prop as the headline.
Success criteria: CTR and conversion rates are 20%+ higher than generic messaging.
If performance is flat: Your value prop isn't compelling enough to drive action.
Test 4: The Repetition Test
Format: Ask 5 customers to describe your product to a colleague.
Success criteria: At least 3 of 5 use similar language to your value prop (even if not exact words).
If they describe it completely differently: Your value prop doesn't match how customers actually think about you.
Common Value Proposition Mistakes
Mistake 1: Too generic
"We help companies be more productive" could describe 10,000 products.
Fix: Add specificity. Who exactly? What specific outcome?
Mistake 2: Feature-focused
"We offer AI-powered analytics, real-time collaboration, and customizable dashboards."
Fix: Features are "how." Value prop should be "what outcome."
Mistake 3: No clear alternative
Your value prop doesn't acknowledge what buyers do today.
Fix: Position against real alternatives (including "doing nothing").
Mistake 4: Unsubstantiated claims
"We help teams 10x their productivity" with no evidence or specificity.
Fix: Use real customer data. If you can't prove it, don't claim it.
Mistake 5: Committee compromise
Every stakeholder added a word until it's meaningless: "We help forward-thinking companies increase productivity and reduce costs through innovative, AI-powered collaboration technology."
Fix: One DRI (usually PMM) owns the value prop. Others give input, but one person decides.
The Value Prop Hierarchy
Your main value prop should be supported by 3-5 sub-value props (one per key use case or persona).
Main value prop: The overarching promise for your primary customer.
Sub-value props: Variations for specific segments or use cases.
Example for a CRM:
Main: "We help mid-market sales teams close 20% more deals without adding headcount, unlike Salesforce which requires a full-time admin and 6-month implementation."
Sub-value prop 1 (for sales ops): "Give your reps the data they need without building custom reports in Salesforce every week."
Sub-value prop 2 (for sales reps): "Spend 5 hours less per week on data entry and 5 hours more on selling."
Sub-value prop 3 (for sales leaders): "Get real-time pipeline visibility without forcing reps into compliance."
Each sub-value prop supports the main prop but speaks to specific stakeholder concerns.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Most value propositions are bad because companies are afraid to be specific. They want to appeal to everyone, so they end up appealing to no one.
"We help companies" doesn't exclude anyone, but it also doesn't attract anyone. "We help product marketing teams at B2B SaaS companies" excludes 99% of the market—but it makes the 1% who fit that profile say "this is for me."
Good value propositions are polarizing. They make your target customer say "finally!" and make everyone else say "not for me."
That's the goal. You're not trying to resonate with everyone. You're trying to resonate deeply with the specific customer you're built for.
The companies that win are the ones brave enough to be specific.