1 Your offer
What is the name of the product or service you are going to analyze?
2 Value attributes
Define up to 5 attributes: features that customers compare, decide on, and pay more for versus the competition. Do not include price.
A value attribute is a feature that is specific, measurable and differentiable, and for which a customer is willing to pay more. The key distinction: important is not the same as valued.
| Important | "I want this," but I expect it included at no extra cost |
| Valued (yes, it is an attribute) | "I want this and I would pay more to have it at its higher tier" |
The 3 gold-standard questions: 1) Does the customer understand the difference between the low and high tiers? 2) Would they pay more for the higher tier? 3) Can you deliver it consistently? If the answer to any is NO, it is not an attribute.
Is an attribute vs Is not an attribute
| Depth of analysis (4 vs. 15 variables) | "Quality" (vague, break it down) |
| Response time (48h vs. same day) | "Good service" (table stakes) |
| Scope of service (basic vs. comprehensive) | "Modern technology" (expected by everyone) |
| Level of plan customization | "Years of experience of the firm" |
Examples by business type: click to use them
Consumer staples:
Professional services:
Products / distribution:
Software / subscription:
Quick technique to identify them
Think of two customers who buy the same thing: one pays $X and the other pays $3X. What is different about what they receive? Whatever changes between the two is usually a value attribute.
3 Attribute weights
Assign a weight to each attribute based on its importance to the purchase decision. The total must add up to 100.
The weight reflects how much each attribute influences the purchase decision and willingness to pay, not how much it costs you to deliver it.
Quick method: distribute 100 chips across the attributes. If one attribute weighs twice as much as another in the customer's decision, give it twice the points. A decisive attribute usually falls between 25 and 40; a secondary one, between 5 and 15.
Warning sign: if all attributes end up similar (e.g. 20-20-20-20-20), you have probably not prioritized. Almost always, one or two attributes carry most of the weight.
4 Competitors
Identify up to 8 main competitors in the market.
5 Scoring and prices
Rate from 1 to 5 how well each offer delivers on each attribute?1 = well below market · 3 = standard · 5 = the best in the market on that attribute. Rate relative to competitors, not in absolute terms., and enter the market price for each one. Your product is highlighted.
6 Value map
Perceived value (X axis, index 0-100) versus price (Y axis). The line is the fair-price zone (linear regression across the offers).