Satire
The Value Proposition Nobody Agreed On
Six stakeholders. Six definitions of value. One slide deck that tries to please all of them.
Someone asks you to define the value proposition.
You write one. It is clear. It is honest. It says exactly what the product does.
What Actually Happens
The Head of Sales says it doesn't speak to revenue. The Head of Product says it's too technical. Legal wants the word guarantee removed. The CEO's chief of staff suggests it should feel more aspirational. The regional director from another market says it doesn't translate culturally. The CFO wasn't in the meeting but sends a comment 3 days later.
You rewrite it six times. Each version is blurrier than the last. By draft seven, the value proposition says:
"Delivering transformative outcomes through innovative collaboration at scale."
This means nothing. Everyone approves it.
“I've identified 6 value propositions in this deck. They contradict each other in slides 4, 7, and 11. I've logged this as a feature.”
DivineForge Advisory
Recognise this pattern in your organisation? I help teams cut through the governance, make the right technical calls, and actually ship.
Let's talk architecture →How a Builder Should Respond
You separate the internal working definition from the external marketing copy — and you protect the internal one. The working definition must be specific enough to make architectural decisions against. Write it, get one decision-maker to sign off, and anchor the build to it. Let the marketing team own the website version. You own the one that tells you what to ship and what to cut.
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