messaging-framework

Messaging Framework Skill

If marketing, sales, and the website all describe the product differently, customers can't form a clear

picture — and confused buyers don't buy. This skill builds the "message house": one value proposition,

a few proof-backed pillars, and the exact language everyone uses, so the story is consistent everywhere.

(Positioning decides the category and frame; this decides the words.)

Required Inputs

Ask for these only if they aren't already provided:

• Target audience — who specifically, and the problem they feel (the sharper the segment, the sharper the message).
• The product & its differentiated value — what it does and why it's better/different, with evidence.
• Proof — data, customers, results, or mechanisms that back the claims.
• Competitive frame — what they'd otherwise use, and the objections they raise.

Output Format

Messaging Framework: [product]

1. Audience & core problem — who it's for and the problem in their words.

2. Value proposition — one sentence: for [audience] who [need], [product] is the [category] that [key benefit], unlike [alternative], because [reason to believe].

3. One-liner — the plain-language tagline a customer would repeat to a colleague.

4. The three pillars — the message house roof + columns:

| Pillar (benefit, not feature) | Why it matters to the buyer | Proof point(s) |

|---|---|---|

| Pillar 1 | | |

| Pillar 2 | | |

| Pillar 3 | | |

5. Objection handling — the top 3–5 objections and the honest, evidence-based response to each.

6. Language guide — words we use (the customer's vocabulary, the category we claim) and words we avoid (jargon, overclaimed superlatives, competitor framing). This is what keeps everyone consistent.

Quality Checks

• [ ] The value proposition is benefit-led and specific to one audience — not a feature list for everyone
• [ ] Every pillar is a benefit with at least one concrete proof point — not an unbacked claim
• [ ] The one-liner uses the customer's language, not internal jargon
• [ ] Objections are answered honestly with evidence, not dodged
• [ ] A words-we-use / words-we-avoid list exists so the whole org stays consistent

Anti-Patterns

• [ ] Do not lead with features — buyers care about the outcome; features are proof, not the message
• [ ] Do not make claims without proof — an unbacked superlative ("the best", "revolutionary") reads as noise
• [ ] Do not try to speak to everyone — messaging for all audiences resonates with none; pick the segment
• [ ] Do not use internal jargon the customer wouldn't say — if they can't repeat it, it won't spread
• [ ] Do not confuse this with positioning — decide the category/competitive frame first (see product-positioning-doc), then write the words

Based On

Message-house / value-proposition practice (incl. April Dunford-style positioning as the upstream input).