How to Quickly Test the Impact of your Value Proposition

“We cannot have a validated value proposition without a validated customer segment.” – Tristan Kromer, Innovation Consultant

The ideal value proposition is one sentence long — the perfect length for word of mouth. It should never use the words ‘technology,’ ‘software’ or ‘platform’ because these words are generic and add little value.

Speak to what your prospects know. ‘Cloud’ is not a value proposition; it requires education. Think benefits and value, not features.

You can test the efficiency (impact and memorability) of your value proposition in two ways:

1. At conferences or networking events: you can quickly iterate the same value proposition by testing the efficiency from one person to the next. After a few drinks, you can see how memorable your pitch is by asking people to share back what you do.
2. Over the phone: you can share your value proposition with contacts, tell them to call another contact and see what comes out. The repeated value proposition at the output of this game of Chinese whispers is what your contacts can remember. It’s the essence of your value proposition.

A good value proposition is compelling, quantifiable, provable, referencable and easily explainable.

More on Value Proposition Testing

• How to Quickly Test the Impact of your Value Proposition
• What Makes a Great B2B Value Proposition in The Early Days of Your Startup?
• The Lean B2B Canvas – A Free Tool to Iterate Value Propositions