One of marketing’s most important roles is developing value propositions. A well-written, compelling value proposition differentiates you from your competitors and opens doors for your sales team. And in these economic times, communicating unique value is more than a goal—it’s a matter of survival. Unfortunately, today most value propositions don’t do that.

Most marketers understand that they need to do better. Indeed, 8 out of 10 ITSMA member companies say that they are responding to the current economic uncertainty with this action: modifying value propositions.

Writing good value propositions takes more than command of the language. To be effective, value propositions must convey unique differentiation and superior value. This is complicated by the long sales cycle in B2B. There’s a need for several different types of value propositions to span the various stages of the buying process. Furthermore, value propositions have to be more than words; they have to be based on tangible, proven, and repeatable results.

In our work with clients, we have discovered that there needs to be more science applied to the art of writing value propositions. At the heart of ITSMA’s approach is research that uncovers unique differentiation and quantifies value. In this Update, we present the five core elements that contribute to an effective value proposition, our six-step process for developing effective value propositions, and a proven template for crafting value propositions that deliver results.