The value proposition is the offer made to a potential customer.
It's tempting to think of "the offer" as the firm's product or service. Resist the urge to think in these terms. It's product-based thinking. It frames matters in your terms, not your customer's.
A model-based definition says the value proposition is a promise-based solution offered to a potential customer's problem.
The nature of the solution varies by model-type.
This site's view of the value proposition as a solution to a problem is unique. It stands apart from, but does not necessarily in conflict with, two prevailing viewpoints:
The marketing viewpoint as expressed in Theodore Levitt's classic Marketing Myopia
The innovation viewpoint as presented by Clayton Christensen's classic The Innovator's Dilemma
To improve your mastery of the business model template: Chickens and Pigs - The Book
