You know what's frustrating? When you know your business delivers real value, but every time you try to explain it, you sound like every other company in your space.

"We provide comprehensive solutions." "We're customer-focused." "We deliver results."

Ugh. Even typing that makes me want to close the browser tab.

The problem isn't that you don't have a strong value proposition, it's that you're approaching it backwards. Most of us (myself included) start with what we think makes us special, then try to convince people why that matters.

But here's what I've learned running customer website projects at DoorLoop and building brands through Zossoz: your best value proposition is hiding in plain sight; in the success stories you've already created.

Instead of brainstorming what makes you unique, start by looking backward. I call it the "Reverse Engineering Success" method, and it's way simpler than it sounds.

The idea is to study your most successful client relationships and identify the exact value they received. What specific problems did you solve? What measurable results did they achieve? Then, turn these real-world successes into your value proposition.

Grab your three most successful client relationships and ask yourself:

What specific problem did I solve for them?
Not the surface-level stuff like "we built them a website" or "we provided consulting." Dig deeper. Did you help them stop losing customers to competitors? Did you free up hours of their week? Did you help them finally feel confident about their brand?

What measurable results did they get?
This is where most people get squeamish because tracking results feels like work. But if you can't measure your impact, you can't sell it. Revenue increases, time saved, leads generated, customer retention, whatever applies to your business. Get specific.

What was different about how you approached their situation?
This is the secret sauce. Maybe you spent extra time understanding their industry. Maybe you caught something other vendors missed. Maybe you just explained things in a way that finally clicked for them.

Think about it this way: when you base your value prop on real results, you're not making promises, you're sharing a track record.

Instead of saying "We help businesses grow," you can say something like "We've helped X number of businesses increase their online sales by an average of Y% within Z timeframe through our proven strategy framework."

The difference? One is a promise anyone can make. The other is a track record only you can claim.

Here's your homework (and yes, as a dad to two little ones, I'm comfortable assigning homework):

Step 1: Pick three clients where you absolutely knocked it out of the park.
Step 2: Write down the exact problem you solved and the specific results they got.
Step 3: Look for the pattern, what's the common thread in how you approach these challenges?
Step 4: Turn that pattern into a simple statement: "We help [type of business] achieve [specific outcome] by [your unique approach]."

Don't overthink it. The best value propositions feel obvious once you see them—because they're based on stuff that actually happened, not marketing fantasies.

Look, I get it. This feels vulnerable. You're putting real numbers and real claims out there instead of hiding behind safe, generic language. But that's exactly why it works.

Your success stories aren't just case studies, they're your competitive advantage. Most businesses are so busy looking forward that they forget to mine the gold that's already in their client relationships.

The companies crushing it in their markets aren't the ones with the fanciest websites or the biggest marketing budgets. They're the ones who can clearly articulate the specific value they've already delivered to real people.

Time to start treating your wins that way.

What's your best client success story? I'd love to hear about it. Drop me a line on LinkedIn—nothing makes my day quite like hearing about businesses that are absolutely crushing it.