Demos that don't close
People take the meeting, nod along and don't buy. Usually the product is fine and the reason to buy now is missing.
Services / VALUE PROPOSITION
VALUE PROPOSITION CONSULTINGSay why your product matters, in your customer's words.
Most founders know their product inside out and still struggle to say why a customer should care. In a fixed-fee project we turn what you know into one to three clear customer profiles, a value proposition for each, and a plan to test them before you spend more on ads, sales or features.
$32 → $9 cost per quoteHow message and audience tests changed the economics for KOBA Insurance.Read the KOBA case study ↗
1–3Ideal customer profiles
OneValue proposition for each
A$1,500–2,000Fixed fee + GST, agreed upfront
THE REAL GROWTH PROBLEM
When the message is unclear, every channel costs more.
A product can be good and still not sell, because the people who would benefit don't see why it matters to them. That gap is a message problem, and it makes every channel more expensive: ads attract the wrong people, demos stall and the website explains features nobody asked about.
One test we use is to ask how hard the job is today, from 0 to 10, and how hard it is with your product. A drop from 8 to 1 is a reason to switch; a drop from 6 to 4 is not. Part of the project is finding the customers for whom your product makes that big a difference, and saying so in their words.
For more on the ideas behind the project, see our guides to the value proposition, ideal customer profile, jobs to be done and positioning statements.
SIGNS YOU NEED THIS
When value proposition work comes first.
Several customer types, one message
Your website talks to everyone, so it convinces no one. Each type of customer needs to hear about their own problem.
Ads that get clicks but not customers
The ad promises one thing and the product page talks about another, or the message attracts people who were never going to pay.
You are the expert, your customer is not
Founders often describe the product the way they think about it. Customers buy the outcome, in their own words.
WHAT IT COSTS
A fixed fee, agreed before we start.
The project costs A$1,500–2,000 plus GST, depending on how many customer types we need to cover. A product with one buyer sits at the lower end; a marketplace with several sides sits at the higher end. We agree the fee before any work begins.
- If you go on to work with us on the next stage, that is scoped and quoted separately.
- If the evidence says the idea needs more validation before marketing, we will tell you.
WHAT YOU GET
A message you can test, and a plan to test it.
Every project ends with the same set of deliverables. What goes into them depends on your product and your market.
Founder discovery
A questionnaire and structured interviews to get what you know about your customers and market out of your head and onto paper.
One to three ideal customer profiles
For each, who they are, what triggers the need, what they use today and why it falls short.
A value proposition for each profile
The outcome they get, how much easier it makes the job, and the words to say it in.
Messaging for your pages and pitch
Headlines and key messages for your website, ads and first conversations.
A demo or sales outline
For products sold through calls, a structure for each profile, so you can see where a conversation wins or loses.
A go-to-market test plan
Which hypotheses to test first, on which channel, how to measure them and what result would change the plan.
HOW IT WORKS
From what you know to what your customer hears.
Discover
We work through your product, your customers and your market with you, in structured sessions.
Define
We define the customer profiles and the problem each one will pay to solve.
Write
We write the value proposition and messaging for each profile, in your customer's language.
Plan the test
We set out how to test the message in the market, so the next decision is based on evidence.
“It’s really good feedback. You’ve nailed it. Getting to the real core of the problem is the thing I haven’t focused on enough.”
FROM OUR CLIENT WORK
For KOBA Insurance, acquisition experiments doubled as positioning research and showed which audience and message to keep. For Syntrico, testing angles before scaling found the message that took it from zero to more than $650K ARR. For MyGigsters, a value proposition workshop came before the pre-launch campaign that reached 120 early-access sign-ups.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Value proposition consulting FAQs.
Straight answers to what founders ask before starting.
What is value proposition consulting?
Value proposition consulting helps a company say clearly who its product is for, what problem it solves for them and why they should choose it over what they use today. For a startup, it usually means defining the first customer profiles, writing the message for each, and planning how to test that message before spending more on marketing or sales.
How much does it cost?
A fixed fee of A$1,500–2,000 plus GST, depending on how many customer types the project covers. The fee is agreed before work begins. Any work after the project, such as running the tests, is scoped and quoted separately.
What is the difference between a value proposition and positioning?
A value proposition is the promise to a specific customer, the outcome they get and why it matters to them. Positioning is where the product sits in their mind compared with the alternatives. The project covers both, because a message only works if it is clear what you are being compared with.
What do I need to bring?
Your product or a working demo, what you know about your customers so far, and any evidence you have, such as sales calls, sign-ups or ad results. If you are early and the evidence is thin, the test plan focuses on collecting it.
Do you only work with SaaS?
We work with SaaS products, mobile apps and marketplaces. Marketplaces often need a message for each side, which is why the fee depends on the number of customer types.
What happens after the project?
You can run the test plan yourself, or we can run it with you. If you want our help, we scope and quote that separately once the project is finished.
YOUR NEXT GROWTH LOOP
Find the words that make customers act.
A 30-minute conversation about your product, your customers and whether a value proposition project is the right first step.
Book a growth call ↗