How to spot a real value proposition

It has become fairly common to hear the term “value proposition”. It is often featured as a component of a sales and marketing strategy in various ways, such as: advertisements, white papers, case studies or within sales collateral. In fact, the term has become quite familiar, yet when a series of value propositions are evaluated it becomes clear that not all value props are created equally. In fact, many of them appear to be mere statements of features and functions rather than fully developed value statements. Although there are no authoritative bodies that regulate or require the use of value propositions, there has been a sequence of development over the past thirty years that have led to guidelines for the development of a value proposition. This paper will review how to spot a well developed value proposition as well as to determine when a value proposition falls short of the best practice.