Understanding what really matters to customers sits at the heart of effective product marketing. Value proposition gains and pains describe what customers hope to achieve and what headaches or frustrations they’re desperate to avoid or relieve. Spotting these factors lets businesses design stuff people actually want, not just what they think folks want.
Greg Davis at Azola Creative has watched firsthand how aligning products with real customer experiences can set a brand apart in a sea of sameness. His team keeps hammering home that a clear value proposition and sharp product positioning often make the difference between a forgettable offer and one that sticks. If you want to sharpen your approach, Azola Creative is open for 1:1 consulting, workshops, or training.
Key Elements of Value Proposition Gains and Pains
Crafting a value proposition that actually lands with people starts by figuring out what matters most to them: their specific pains and the real gains they’re after. Frameworks like the Value Proposition Canvas help clarify these needs and shape how products or services deliver value that people notice.
Defining Gains and Pains
Gains are those positive results customers want. Maybe it’s saving money, making life easier, getting more done, or just having peace of mind. These are the outcomes that make a product or service feel worth it.
Pains are what annoy or slow down customers. Think inefficiency, high costs, missed expectations, or risk. A strong value proposition spells out how a solution tackles these pains and actively makes life easier.
When companies really see the difference between gains and pains, they can line up their offerings with what the market actually wants. Every pain solved or gain unlocked gives customers a reason to pick your solution over someone else’s.
The Role of Customer Jobs
At the core of every value proposition sits the “customer job.” Alexander Osterwalder’s Value Proposition Canvas defines customer jobs as tasks customers want to accomplish, problems they need solved, or needs they’re trying to satisfy.
Greg Davis has noticed that customer jobs aren’t always obvious—some are right out in the open (like buying something), but others are hidden, like seeking reassurance. Marketers who spot all these jobs—functional, emotional, social—can really fine-tune their messaging.
By mapping out these jobs, marketers connect what they’re selling to what people actually care about. Keeping the jobs to be done front and center keeps the whole gains and pains conversation grounded in reality.
The Value Proposition Canvas Framework
The Value Proposition Canvas helps teams dig into and match customer gains and pains with what they’re offering. It’s split into two main parts: the Customer Profile (jobs, gains, pains) and the Value Map (how the offering creates gains and relieves pains).
Greg likes to keep it simple and jot things down in columns or a table:
| Customer Jobs | Gains | Pains |
|---|---|---|
| Task to finish | Desired benefits | Current obstacles |
| Problem to fix | Positive experiences | Frustrations or risks |
This visual style, straight from Osterwalder, helps teams spot gaps between what they offer and what customers value. By getting specific, teams can choose where to focus product work and marketing.
Identifying Customer Gains
Really understanding customer gains is key to building a solid value proposition. When marketers know what customers want to achieve, they can tailor offers to fit those needs and make solutions that actually matter.
Customer Gains vs Benefits
Customer gains are the positive outcomes or results a customer expects from using your product or service. Unlike generic benefits, gains are specific improvements for that individual.
For instance, one small business might see “saving time on admin” as their main gain, while another really wants to boost sales. Gains tie back to unmet needs, and mapping these out helps products stand out.
Not every benefit is a gain for every customer segment. The difference? Gains fix a specific need, while benefits might just be a nice-to-have. It’s worth checking with real customers—interviews, surveys, whatever works—to see if something’s really a gain.
Quick comparison:
| Benefit | Customer Gain |
|---|---|
| Fast processing | Reduces manual workload for managers |
| Easy interface | Lowers training time for new employees |
Types of Gains
Gains aren’t all the same. Marketers need to recognize the different types when working with clients or building new products.
- Functional gains: Measurable stuff—saved time, more money, better results.
- Social gains: How customers look to others—maybe a better reputation, or feeling good about using something innovative.
- Emotional gains: Security, satisfaction, or just less stress.
- Cost-related gains: Saving cash, spending less, or getting more bang for the buck.
Figuring out which gains matter most for each customer segment keeps things grounded. The best gains to chase are the ones customers say they want, not just what businesses think is cool.
Analyzing Customer Pains
Spotting real customer pains is a must for designing value propositions that click. When marketers know the exact problems customers face, they can zero in on solutions that matter.
Frustrations and Risks
Customers get frustrated when products or services miss the mark, add extra work, or just confuse them. Maybe it’s slow service, clunky features, or terrible support. Sometimes it’s the same issue over and over—nothing’s more annoying.
Risks matter too. These might be losing money, wasting time, or worrying about privacy. If someone’s afraid of making the wrong call or losing out, that’s a big barrier. Marketers who get these risks can address them head-on in their messaging and design.
Common Customer Frustrations and Risks
| Pain Points | Examples |
|---|---|
| Time and effort wasted | Long onboarding, inefficient processes |
| Losing money | Unexpected fees, hidden costs |
| Unclear value | Overpromising features, underdelivering |
| Privacy concerns | Unsecure checkout, data misuse |
Unmet Needs and Customer Problem
Unmet needs show up where current solutions just don’t fix the real issue. You’ll hear these as frequent complaints or repeated requests in feedback. Digging deeper means asking why something’s missing—not just what’s missing.
The customer problem is that core challenge driving their choices. Say, a small business owner can’t manage marketing campaigns because they’re short on time or know-how. If a marketing consultant can pinpoint that, they can tailor their pitch and offerings to hit the mark.
When marketers identify unmet needs, they avoid guessing at what customers want. It helps them focus on changes and new ideas that actually improve the customer’s experience.
Mapping Products and Services to Gains and Pains
Connecting product and service features directly to a customer’s pains and gains is crucial for building real value. When teams make these links clear, they deliver stuff customers actually care about—and keep their edge.
Pain Relievers and Gain Creators
Every product or service should solve a specific customer problem or help them reach a goal. Pain relievers tackle frustrations or risks—like a software subscription that cuts down on manual reports or reduces errors. Gain creators help customers get what they want, like saving time or boosting revenue.
Start by listing each feature and tying it directly to a pain it solves or a gain it creates. This keeps the value proposition focused on customers, not just features for features’ sake. Here’s a simple way to lay it out:
| Feature | Pain Relieved / Gain Created |
|---|---|
| Automated reporting tool | Reduces time spent on manual work |
| Customer analytics suite | Identifies sales opportunities |
| 24/7 support service | Relieves customer uncertainty |
Matching Features to Customer Needs
Getting features and customer needs lined up is the foundation. Marketers and product folks need to spell out the exact “jobs-to-be-done” for their audience. What are people trying to accomplish? What’s in their way? What outcomes do they actually care about?
Greg always pushes teams to check every feature with actual user feedback, not just gut instinct. For example, adding secure file-sharing should match a real need for data safety. If a feature doesn’t relieve a pain or create a gain, maybe it doesn’t belong.
Organizing features around these needs keeps everyone focused and makes it way easier to pitch, demo, and market to what matters.
Quality and Market Fit
Quality isn’t just about being reliable—it’s about meeting customer expectations and delivering obvious value. You hit market fit when your product meets the pains and gains of a specific group better than the alternatives.
Greg’s big on iterating with real feedback. Don’t just launch and hope for the best. Keep tweaking features to boost gains or cut pains, and people will notice.
Teams can track fit by watching adoption, collecting NPS (Net Promoter Score), and keeping an eye on the market. Products that consistently deliver on pain relievers and gain creators tend to earn loyalty and stick around.
Value Proposition Design in Business Strategy
A clear value proposition sets the stage for matching company solutions to real customer needs. Weaving gains and pains into strategy helps businesses build models that actually work in the real world.
Business Model Canvas Alignment
Greg Davis points out that lining up the value proposition with the business model canvas is key for staying on track. The value proposition connects straight to customer segments and channels, making sure products and services solve real pains and deliver gains.
Teams can use tables or lists to map jobs, pains, and gains onto the canvas. This makes it easier to spot gaps with other business areas, like key activities or partnerships. Regularly reviewing the canvas through the lens of the value proposition keeps teams focused on solving real problems, not just chasing ideas.
Lining things up this way also makes it easier to get everyone on the same page. When people across departments see the same goals, collaboration just works better.
Revenue Streams and Cost Structure
Davis says understanding customer pains and gains shapes how companies earn money and manage costs. By focusing on the biggest pains and delivering the gains that matter, businesses can justify their prices—and maybe even open up new revenue streams.
The cost structure should reflect the unique value delivered. Maybe you pour money into R&D if it really solves a core pain. Laying out which costs are must-haves and how they tie back to the value proposition keeps things clear.
This approach helps leaders stay profitable and true to their goals. By always linking money decisions to the value proposition, teams build business models that can weather changes.
Practical Applications and Real-World Examples
Spotting customer gains and pains shapes products, messaging, and strategy. The companies that do this well keep refining what they offer and speak directly to what customers care about.
Product Development and Innovation
In product development, knowing gains and pains guides every step—from picking features to designing the experience. Greg Davis has seen teams move faster when they use tools like the Value Proposition Canvas to map out jobs, pains, and gains alongside solutions.
Developers can use this framework to keep new features tied to real value. Focusing on pain relievers like speed or simplicity often leads to a tighter market fit.
It also helps teams skip unnecessary bells and whistles. When innovation is about solving clear pain points or delivering specific gains, products usually land better and get adopted faster.
Communicating Value to Target Customers
Getting the message across about value proposition gains and pains helps companies attract the right people. Marketers need to turn technical features into benefits that actually matter.
Greg always recommends using plain language—like “save hours each week” or “no more manual errors”—so customers get it right away. Showing how a product solves a pain or delivers a gain proves you really understand your audience.
One trick: use bulleted benefit lists with short customer testimonials. It’s easy to scan and hits the points that matter most.
Case Studies: Slack and Grammarly
Let’s talk about Slack and Grammarly—two companies that really get how to connect their value propositions to what people actually deal with. Slack zeros in on those all-too-familiar communication headaches, like messages scattered everywhere and email threads that seem to never end. Instead, they bring in real-time collaboration and make it easy to find what you need, when you need it.
Grammarly, on the other hand, takes on the pain of making writing mistakes and that nagging feeling your message isn’t coming across right. What do users get out of it? Well, mostly, it’s a boost in confidence and a sense of professionalism that’s hard to fake. Both companies make these benefits obvious—not just on their websites, but baked right into how their products actually work.
Table: Summary of Value Proposition Focus
| Company | Key Pain Relieved | Main Gain Delivered |
|---|---|---|
| Slack | Fragmented team conversations | Seamless, organized workflow |
| Grammarly | Writing errors and lack of clarity | Clear, effective communication |
Learning Curve and Customer Insights
Companies really need to keep digging for customer insights if they want to understand what actually matters to their users—what’s working, what’s not, and what’s just annoying. Greg, who’s worked with all sorts of teams, always pushes for interviews and feedback loops early on, and honestly, you can’t just wait until launch. Start sooner.
You’ll probably find that your first guesses about what customers care about end up changing once you start seeing real usage data. When teams tweak features based on what people struggle with or keep asking for, the learning curve doesn’t feel so steep anymore.
If you keep an eye on onboarding stats, support tickets, and what people are saying directly, you’ll spot those friction points fast. That kind of ongoing listening helps teams shape products people actually want to keep using. Isn’t that the point?