Value is in the eye of the prospect. Value propositions are typically written from the perspective of the seller. At best a well thought out and written value proposition is a list of possible values to the prospect. It is up to the salesperson to uncover from the prospect what would be of value to her or him. If you lead with the company generated value proposition, you run the risk of being easily paired and put on the defensive by a simple statement from the prospect like “we really don’t have an issue with that” or “I am not that interested in having one of those”. So use the value proposition to prepare for a sales call but don’t bring it up on the sales call directly. Rather, use it as a basis to ask whether or not the prospect has the problem that underlies the value proposition.
