Is your customer value proposition delivering in practice?

Where CVPs most commonly break down

Most CVPs fail quietly, not because the strategy is wrong, but because execution is inconsistent. Common breakdowns occur when teams interpret the promise differently, systems are not designed to support it, or operational pressures override experience.

The difference between brand promise and customer reality

A strong CVP articulates what customers should expect. Reality is shaped by what actually happens across marketing, sales, onboarding, service and support. The gap between the two is where trust erodes.

Signals customers give when the CVP is not landing

Customers often tell you when the CVP is missing the mark, just not always directly. Signals appear in complaints, churn, reviews, service interactions, sales objections and declining advocacy.

How to diagnose a lived CVP

Use the prompts below to pressure test how your CVP shows up across the customer journey.

Friction points across the customer journey

• Where do customers experience delays, confusion or repetition?
• At which stages do handovers feel clunky or impersonal?
• Where does effort increase for the customer instead of decreasing?
• Which touchpoints generate the most follow up, clarification or escalation?
  
  

Consistency between marketing, sales and service

• Does the language used in marketing match what sales reinforces?
• Are expectations set during sales upheld during delivery and service?
• Do frontline teams understand the CVP in practical, behavioural terms?
• Where do teams unintentionally overpromise or underdeliver?
  
  

What customers complain about versus what brands measure

• What are the most common customer complaints or frustrations?
• Which issues appear repeatedly in reviews, surveys or support tickets?
• What metrics are prioritised internally, and what do they overlook?
  

Are you measuring efficiency more than experience, or volume more than value?

A CVP only works when it is experienced consistently, not just articulated clearly. The goal of this reality check is not to assign blame, but to create clarity.

Clarity creates alignment. Alignment builds trust. And trust creates belonging where real value and performance is delivered.

Download our CVP Reality Checklist to assess whether your Customer Value Proposition is showing up consistently across the real customer experience, not just in strategy or messaging.