Most B2B propositions fail not because the underlying capability is weak, but because the proposition is shaped wrong for the buyer it's aimed at.
What proposition testing tests
A proposition is the offer in the buyer's frame. It includes value, scope, structure, price, mechanics, the case for choosing it over the alternatives, and the language used to describe all of those things. A well-shaped proposition lands. A badly-shaped one, even when the underlying capability is excellent, does not.
Critical Deal proposition testing puts the proposition in front of real target buyers and surfaces exactly where it lands, where it falls flat, and what would have to change for the buyer to actually buy it. The output is a sharpened proposition with the specific changes named.
The six dimensions we test
- Problem-fit. Is the proposition aimed at a problem the buyer actually has, and prioritises?
- Value clarity. Does the buyer understand what they get? In their language, not yours?
- Structural fit. Is the proposition the right shape, package, deliverables, mechanics, engagement model?
- Price acceptance. Does the proposition land at the price you're proposing? Where's the elasticity? Where would the buyer balk?
- Competitive fit. Against the alternatives the buyer would also consider, where does the proposition win, where does it lose, where does it tie?
- Trigger fit. What event would push the buyer to commit? Which moment in their cycle is the right one to put this in front of them?
What you get
- A proposition verdict: works as-is / works with changes (named) / does not work.
- A reshaping playbook: the specific changes that move the odds.
- A price-curve read: where elasticity exists, where it doesn't.
- A language file: the buyer's actual words for the value, the problem and the alternatives.
- A competitive comp set: who the buyer would actually compare you against, and where each comp wins or loses.