Value themes examples
Value themes are the few outcomes you group your differentiated value into, so a buyer can remember why to pick you. Dunford’s value step asks what each capability lets a customer do, including what only a combination of capabilities creates. A theme is that outcome, in the customer’s words, with proof you can show. The examples below are illustrative.
Group the value after you know it
Themes come after unique attributes. Dunford’s exercise says customers care what a feature does for them, and that a combination of features can deliver value none of them delivers alone. Cluster those results into a short list a buyer can repeat. Each theme needs proof you can put next to it. A theme with nothing beside it is a slogan.
Illustrative themes
| Theme | Comes from | Proof you would attach |
|---|---|---|
| Invoices go out the day the work is done | Drafts the bill from the client email, which the spreadsheet cannot | One invoice, shown from email to sent |
| You stop chasing late payments at night | Reminders run on the schedule the owner used to run by hand | The owner’s words, quoted with permission |
| The month closes without a weekend rebuild | Drafts, reminders and the payment list live in one place | The owner describing their Friday, in their words |
Fictional. Acme Billing, for small accounting firms whose owners still send invoices, is not a client. The proof column names the kind of evidence you would attach. It is not a measured result.
How to write one
Start from attributes that survived
If the alternative has it, it cannot found a theme.
Write the outcome
The customer’s words for what they can now do.
One idea in the sentence
Three outcomes joined by “and” are three themes, or none yet.
Attach proof you can show
A quote, a workflow or a sample. Not a number you do not have.
Use the themes downstream
Pillars in a message house. Rows in the messaging document. Not a new position.
FAQs
How many value themes should we have?
Few enough that each one has proof. Three is common on a message house. It is not a rule. Two strong themes beat four you cannot show.
Is a value theme a value proposition?
A value proposition is one message for one audience. A theme is an outcome you reuse. The proposition for a given buyer is written from the themes they care about.
Can a theme mention a feature?
The feature can sit behind the theme as the reason it is true. The theme itself is the outcome the buyer would repeat.