Value Proposition Canvas: English guide and template
Customers don't buy your product, but the problem it solves. Here is the Value Proposition Canvas in English: the six fields, six steps, an English example of the match, and a template for the value statement.
Published · 7 min read
In short
- Fill out the customer profile before the value proposition — never the other way around.
- Every pain must have a pain reliever, every gain a gain creator.
- One canvas per customer segment.
- Test the value statement on hit rate and average price.
What is the Value Proposition Canvas?
The Value Proposition Canvas is a tool for describing why customers choose you. It consists of two halves: a customer profile with the customer's jobs, pains, and gains — and a value proposition with your products, pain relievers, and gain creators.
The tool was developed by Alexander Osterwalder as a zoom-in on the two most important fields in the Business Model Canvas: customer segments and value propositions. The point is “fit”: every customer pain should have a pain reliever from you, and every desired gain a gain creator.
For Danish SMEs, the most common discovery is that sales materials describe product features, while the customer buys to avoid downtime, hassle, or risk. The Canvas makes the difference visible — and at the same time provides the phrases that salespeople lack.
The Six Fields
Always fill out the customer profile first. The value proposition should respond to it, not the other way around.
Customer Jobs
Customer Profile
What is the customer trying to get done — functionally, socially, and emotionally?
Examples: Keep production running, be accountable to their own management.
Pains
Customer Profile
What costs time, money, or sleep today? What goes wrong, and what are they afraid of?
Examples: Unscheduled downtime, unclear invoices, long response time for quotes.
Gains
Customer Profile
What results does the customer want — including the unspoken ones not found in tender documents?
Examples: Predictable costs, documentation that can be passed on.
Products and Services
Value Proposition
What do you specifically offer? A list, not a description of features.
Examples: Service agreement, installation, emergency response, digital overview.
Pain Relievers
Value Proposition
Exactly how does your offering alleviate each specific pain?
Examples: Four-hour response time removes the risk of long downtime.
Gain Creators
Value Proposition
How do you create the desired gains — preferably measurably?
Examples: Fixed monthly price provides budget certainty; monthly report can be forwarded.
How to fill out the canvas in six steps
Two hours with sales, service, and management. Bring three real customer cases instead of hypotheses.
1. Choose one customer segment
One canvas per segment. If you mix two segments, the value proposition will end up as generic formulations that neither can use.
2. Describe the customer's jobs
Start with the functional job, then add the social and emotional. The latter often explains why the customer chooses the most expensive supplier.
3. List pains and gains
Use the customer's own words from sales conversations, complaint cases, and cancellations. Then prioritize the three most important in each category.
4. Match your offering
Write pain relievers and gain creators directly opposite the prioritized pains and gains. Empty fields indicate gaps in the offering.
5. Formulate the value statement
One sentence: “We help [segment] to [job] without [pain], so they achieve [gain].” It should be speakable without jargon.
6. Test and measure
Use the statement in three sales conversations and measure hit rate and average price. If neither changes, the offering is not sharp enough yet.
Example: the match in a technical service company
Each line is a match. Without a line in the right column, the pain is not addressed.
| Customer's Pain | Our Pain Reliever | Customer's Gain |
|---|---|---|
| Unscheduled downtime stops production. | Four hours guaranteed response time and preventive service twice annually. | Fewer downtime hours and a delivery capability the customer can confidently promise. |
| Unpredictable bills. | Fixed monthly price with defined coverage and agreed hourly rate beyond that. | Budget certainty and fewer discussions with their own finance department. |
| Lack of documentation during audit. | Digital plant overview with service history per unit. | Can be presented directly to customers and authorities. |
| Long response time for quotes. | Standard packages with prices on the website, same-day response. | Faster internal decisions for the customer. |
Template: the value statement
We help [customer segment] to [customer's most important job] without [the pain they pay to avoid] so they [the measurable gain] Example: We help manufacturing companies with 20-100 employees to keep their plant running without having to chase a technician when something stops, so they can confidently promise their own customers a delivery date.
Fill out per segment. This sentence becomes the headline for sales materials and the front page.
Common Mistakes
- The Canvas is filled out from the left (your offering) rather than from the customer — then you're just confirming yourselves.
- Multiple segments in the same canvas, after which the value proposition becomes meaningless.
- Pains described in your jargon instead of the customer's words.
- Features confused with gains: “ISO-certified” is not a gain, but proof.
- No prioritization — 20 pains without rank provide no direction.
- The value statement is never tested in a real sales conversation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Value Proposition Canvas?
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The Value Proposition Canvas is a tool with six fields that match the customer's jobs, pains, and desired gains with the company's products, pain relievers, and gain creators. The goal is a documented fit between customer needs and the offering.
What is the difference between the Value Proposition Canvas and the Business Model Canvas?
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The Business Model Canvas describes the entire business model in nine fields. The Value Proposition Canvas zooms in on two of them — customer segment and value proposition — and details why the customer chooses you.
How do you write a good value statement?
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Use the form: we help [segment] to [job] without [pain], so they [gain]. The sentence should be speakable without jargon and should contain a gain the customer would formulate themselves.
How many canvases should one create?
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One per customer segment. Most SMEs have two to four real segments, and their pains are rarely the same.
How do you know if the value proposition works?
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Measure the hit rate on quotes and average price before and after the new value proposition is implemented. If neither increases within a quarter, the offering is not sharp enough or not communicated effectively.
Related guides
These guides are closely connected to value proposition canvas and are natural next steps in your strategy work.
- Business Model Canvas explainedThe nine building blocks of your business model, written for SMEs.
- Blue Ocean strategyCreate new demand instead of competing on the same terms.
- Competitor analysis: template and methodSix steps from mapping competitors to concrete strategic choices.
- Value chain analysisMap activities and find where you really create value.
More strategy guides
Analysis and environment
Goals, KPIs and performance
Strategy process and planning
Turn your value proposition into strategic goals
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