Value Merchants: Demonstrating and Documenting Superior Value in Business Markets

TWO

Conceptualize Value

Focusing on What Matters

IN RECENT YEARS, the terms value and value proposition have become two of the most widely used terms in business markets. While these terms are fundamental to our customer value management approach, our research reveals that despite their growing use, there is little specificity or agreement about (1) what is value, (2) what constitutes a customer value proposition, and (3) what makes a value proposition persuasive.

Moreover, we find that most value propositions that suppliers construct and deliver in business markets do not actually convey the superior value their offerings may provide to customers. Lacking the knowledge to persuasively substantiate the superior value of their offerings relative ...