Value Prop Statements

Value Prop Statements

How This Works

positioning-messaging builds the canonical positioning statement once, through a full 6-phase Dunford process — that's expensive, deliberate, and shouldn't be re-run every time a new segment or channel needs copy. This skill is the fast sibling: it takes that already-set positioning (or brain Section 3's alternatives-anchored gap statement) as fixed input and rapidly produces multiple segment- or channel-specific value proposition statements from it — the growth team's tool for cranking out testable copy variants without re-litigating positioning each time. Every statement it produces must trace back to the canonical positioning — if a variant contradicts or drifts from it, that's a signal to escalate back to positioning-messaging, not something this skill quietly resolves on its own.

Step 0 — Load the canonical positioning statement (brain Section 1 product context, Section 3 alternatives/gap statement, or a freshly-pasted positioning statement from positioning-messaging output) and brain Section 2 (ICP) if present.

Step 1 — Confirm the source positioning. Block if none exists or is only a vague product description — this skill fans out an existing positioning, it doesn't invent one.

Step 2 — Identify target segments/channels for this batch (from buyer-personas output if a recent session exists, brain ICP, or direct ask).

Step 3 — Generate one value-prop statement per segment/channel: benefit, feature/capability that makes it possible, audience-specific language.

Step 4 — Trace-check every statement back to the canonical positioning — flag any that drift or contradict it rather than silently delivering them.

Step 5 — Learning Close: log the session to /context/skill-sessions.md.

Trigger

• When: You already have a set positioning statement and need it translated into segment-specific, channel-specific, or persona-specific value-prop copy for marketing, sales, or onboarding.

• Not for: Building the canonical positioning statement itself from scratch, or the full messaging hierarchy → positioning-messaging (pmm-positioning), run that first if no positioning exists yet. Generating raw, pre-positioning campaign ideas → experiment-ideas (pmm-growth), run that first if you're brainstorming what to try, not rewriting something already decided. Mapping who's in the buying committee before writing to them → buyer-personas (pmm-positioning).

• Example prompts:

  • "Write value prop statements for our Enterprise segment"
  • "Adapt our positioning for a LinkedIn ad"
  • "Give me onboarding copy that matches our positioning"
  • "Sales deck value props for the Champion persona"
  • "We need 3 variants of our value prop for an A/B test"

Inputs

• Args: The canonical positioning statement (pasted, or loaded from brain), target segments/channels, number of variants wanted.
• Defaults: If no positioning statement is available anywhere, block and direct to positioning-messaging. If segments aren't specified, ask, or pull from a recent buyer-personas session if one exists.
• Context keys:
  • /foundation/brain.md — read Section 1 (Product), Section 2 (ICP), Section 3 (Alternatives/gap statement) if present. Never written to — variants are fast-iteration output, not a durable brain fact.
  • /context/skill-sessions.md — check for a recent buyer-personas session to pull real committee segments instead of guessing.

Pre-flight

• Check for a canonical positioning statement: brain Section 3's gap statement, or ask the user to paste one from a recent positioning-messaging session. If neither exists: hard block — "No positioning statement found. This skill fans out an existing positioning into variants — it doesn't build one from scratch. Run positioning-messaging first, then come back."
• If a recent buyer-personas session exists in /context/skill-sessions.md, offer to use its committee roles as the segment list instead of asking from scratch.

Steps

Step 1 — Confirm the source positioning. State back the positioning statement being used as the fixed input. Block if it's missing or is only a generic product description ("we help teams work better" is not a positioning statement — it has no named alternative or differentiator). Ask the user to run positioning-messaging first if so.

Step 2 — Identify segments and channels for this batch. If a recent buyer-personas session named committee roles, offer them. Otherwise ask which segments/channels need variants (marketing, sales, onboarding, or a specific persona/channel combination) and how many variants total.

Step 3 — Generate one statement per segment/channel. Each statement:

• Names the specific segment or channel it's for
• States the primary benefit and outcome in that audience's language
• Names the feature/capability that makes the benefit real (not just asserted)
• Is a rewrite of the canonical positioning's differentiator for this audience — not a new claim invented for this statement alone

Step 4 — Trace-check against canonical positioning. For each statement, verify: does this still say what the canonical positioning says, just in different words for a different audience? Or does it introduce a new claim, contradict the canonical differentiator, or overpromise beyond what the product does today? Flag any statement that fails this check as [DRIFT — doesn't trace to canonical positioning] rather than delivering it silently. Three or more flagged statements in one batch is a signal the canonical positioning itself may be stale — surface that directly rather than continuing to patch variants around it.

Step 5 — Learning Close. Append a row to /context/skill-sessions.md:

skill: value-prop-statements
session_date: {{date}}
pattern: "{{what surprised you, a recurring drift pattern, or 'none' if
  nothing notable happened — never skip the row}}"
source: {{surprised/wrong/missing/n.v.t.}}

Outputs

• One value-prop statement per requested segment/channel, delivered in chat only — this skill writes no output file of its own
• Session logged to /context/skill-sessions.md
• If 3+ statements were flagged for drift: an explicit note recommending a positioning-messaging AUDIT pass
• External side effects: n.v.t.
• Next skill: check next-skill-map.md for "After value-prop-statements" and surface that prompt.

Verification

• A canonical positioning statement was confirmed before any statement was generated — never invented from scratch mid-skill
• Every statement names its specific segment/channel, not left generic
• Every statement traces to the canonical positioning's actual differentiator, or is explicitly flagged as drift
• A drift rate of 3+ in one batch triggers a surfaced recommendation, not silent continuation
• Session logged with all four fields, pattern: none written explicitly if nothing notable happened — the row is never skipped

Do Not Use For

• positioning-messaging (pmm-positioning) — when the task is building the canonical positioning statement or full messaging hierarchy from scratch, not fanning out an existing one. Run that skill first if no positioning exists yet, then this one.

• experiment-ideas (pmm-growth) — when the task is generating raw, pre-positioning campaign or channel ideas, not rewriting an already-decided positioning into variants.

• buyer-personas (pmm-positioning) — when the task is mapping who's in the buying committee, not writing copy for roles already known.

Operating Rules

1. Never invent a positioning statement. If none exists, block and route to positioning-messaging — this skill fans out, it doesn't originate.
2. Every variant traces to the canonical differentiator. A statement that introduces a new claim isn't a variant, it's drift — flag it.
3. Name the specific segment or channel in every statement. A generic value prop that could apply to any audience has failed this skill's actual job.
4. 3+ flagged statements means escalate, not patch. Recommend a positioning-messaging AUDIT rather than continuing to generate around a stale positioning.
5. Write nothing to the brain. Variants are fast-iteration copy, not a durable company fact.
6. Pull real committee segments when available. Check for a recent buyer-personas session before asking the user to name segments from scratch.

Quality Gate

Commands

/variants [segment or channel list]

Generate one value-prop statement per named segment/channel from the confirmed canonical positioning.

/audit-drift

Re-run the trace-check against a batch of previously generated statements — useful after a positioning refresh, to see which existing variants now drift from the new canonical statement.