# Build a promise that the buyer and your evidence recognise Begin with a buyer's situation and the alternatives used today. Then describe the relevant difference your company can support. Words such as quality, expertise and great service may be true, but they do not explain why someone facing a particular problem would choose you. If no offer has been selected, investigate the benefit before writing the proposition. Ask what makes the task difficult, how it is handled and what an acceptable improvement would change. A marketer's distinctive phrase is useful only when it connects to a decision the buyer recognises. ## Move from a broad benefit to a bounded claim **Hypothetical scenario:** a team wants to promise that its software makes businesses more efficient. Interviews might reveal repeated re-entry of information during a handover, or show that re-entry is manageable and another issue matters more. The scenario illustrates a research direction, not evidence that the company saves time. | Step | What to write down | What could contradict it | | --- | --- | --- | | Situation | A specific task, buyer and circumstance | The problem occurs elsewhere or rarely | | Proposed benefit | The change buyers might value | They prefer the present approach | | Company difference | A current capability linked to that change | It is irrelevant or common to alternatives | | Proof | Permitted evidence within a clear scope | The case does not support the promised outcome | SBA's competitive-analysis guidance includes indirect alternatives. Compare an incumbent, internal work and postponement alongside named suppliers. If a competitor's website omits a claim, record that as missing public wording; it does not prove the competitor cannot deliver the benefit. ## Check what a customer story actually supports Trace the proposed promise to the underlying account. Who experienced the change? What happened before and after? What else changed? Is the customer's permission suitable for the wording and publication? Remove private details and unsupported causal claims. A statement about one team's experience may support a scoped example. It does not establish a universal result, an objective superiority score or a guarantee for every UK buyer. Where evidence is limited, describe a capability or hypothesis accurately instead of presenting an outcome as demonstrated. Use Stanford's open interview approach to ask buyers to explain which part matters and what remains unconvincing. Ask "When would you choose the current alternative?" and "What would you need to verify?" Keep responses that weaken the claim. They may show that the offer needs revision, rather than that the marketing needs stronger language. Leave with one proposition draft and a relevance/claim/proof record. Sales and delivery should be able to explain the same promise, including its boundaries. A narrower, credible statement can be more useful than a sweeping benefit no one can substantiate. [Buyervalues.ai](https://buyervalues.ai/?bv_article=%2Fgrowth%2Fen%2Fwrite-a-promise-your-evidence-supports.md) publishes this guide from a buyer-value and competitive-intelligence perspective: compare needs, alternatives and strengths without treating missing evidence as superiority. Current market coverage is Finland and Sweden; UK company-data coverage remains a forward-looking assumption. ## Sources and context - [SBA: Market research and competitive analysis](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/plan-your-business/#market-research) — general competitive and audience research methods. - [Stanford d.school: Design Thinking Bootleg](https://dschool.stanford.edu/tools/design-thinking-bootleg) — learning about needs and choices through open, specific interviews. --- Prepared and editorially reviewed with AI assistance. Publisher: [Buyervalues.ai](https://buyervalues.ai/?bv_article=%2Fgrowth%2Fen%2Fwrite-a-promise-your-evidence-supports.md). Updated: 2026-10-03 · Editorial review: 2026-10-03 · Revision: 1 · Locale: en-GB Canonical URL: