# Value Prop That Converts > Write a developer value proposition that is specific, provable, and free of puffery. Use when the messaging leans on "powerful," "better," "seamless," or "best-in-class," when claims have no proof, or when the same line is supposed to reach both the developer and the buyer. - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-aidevgtm-gtm-cofounder-value-prop-that-converts` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [AIDevGTM](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/aidevgtm) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [AIDevGTM](https://github.com/AIDevGTM) - **Source:** https://github.com/AIDevGTM/gtm-cofounder/tree/main/skills/value-prop-that-converts - **Website:** https://gtmcofounder.com ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-aidevgtm-gtm-cofounder-value-prop-that-converts ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # The value prop that converts > "Better" is sloppy thinking. Better how, along what dimension, by how much, proven by whom? Developers test every claim you make. Give them numbers or give them nothing. **Use this when:** your value prop contains puffery, your claims aren't attributed, or you're trying to make one sentence do the job of two audiences. ## The core idea Developers have a finely tuned BS detector and they *will* verify you. Specificity is credibility. Every strong dev value prop is: **specific + provable + spoken in their language.** ## Framework: the value-prop rules (Frankl) 1. **Never say "better."** Say better *how*, by *how much*, versus *what*. 2. **Time savings must be specific.** ❌ "saves developer time" · ✅ "8× faster builds, 2 hrs → 15 min" (attributed). 3. **Two kinds of time, speak to both:** - **Chronos** (Alpha Dev): clock hours saved per week. - **Kairos** (Empowered CTO): calendar time, weeks off a release cycle, competitive edge. - The same product must land both. *"Release fast or die"* worked for developer *and* CTO. 4. **Every claim needs proof.** A demo is the *weakest* proof (ideal conditions). An **attributed testimonial** (name + title + company + number) is the strongest. Anonymous quotes are assumed invented. 5. **Sell the category, not the solution.** Talk about the problem and the need for "a tool like this"; don't proactively pitch features; it trips developer defenses. 6. **Never "pleased to announce" / "excited to share."** No one cares how you feel. ## Framework: the three dimensions of a dev value prop (Czakon) A complete value prop answers all three, fast: - **What is it?**: category / known-incumbent comparison / plain statement ("a Datadog alternative," "CI for monorepos"). - **For whom / what use case?**: the ICP and the job (from `who-is-this-for`). - **Why you over the 10 alternatives?**: the legitimate, provable reason to exist. Headline = *what is it.* Subhead = *for whom / what job.* For dev tools, weight the **how** over the **why**. Developers often already know why they hurt. ## The puffery detector: flag and replace | Banned | Why devs discount it | Replace with | |---|---|---| | Powerful | everyone claims it | the specific thing it does | | Easy to use | they'll test it in 60s | time-to-value with a number | | Best-in-class | says who, by what metric | the source or the number | | Seamless integration | unprovable in the abstract | named integrations + logos | | Industry-leading | says nothing | real share / user counts | | Platform | hears: integration headache | the one job it does | | Revolutionary / cutting-edge | pure air | name the actual technology | ## Proof hierarchy (weakest → strongest) ``` your claim < a demo < a benchmark you ran < a named user's attributed result ``` Spend your effort at the right end. ## Mistakes that look reasonable - **Adjective stacking**: "powerful, seamless, intuitive." Three words, zero information. - **One line, two audiences**: a Chronos-only message loses the buyer; a Kairos-only message loses the adopter. - **Unattributed social proof**: "developers love us." Which developers? At which company? - **Leading with the why**: for most dev tools the pain is known; lead with the *how* and the proof. ## Your next 30 minutes - [ ] Run your homepage copy through the puffery table. Delete or replace every hit. - [ ] Rewrite your #1 claim with a **number** and an **attribution** (even a single named user). - [ ] Write one Chronos line (hours/week) and one Kairos line (weeks/release). Make sure both exist. - [ ] State your value prop as the three dimensions: *what · for whom · why you.* --- Built from real dev-tool GTM experience, with frameworks from Adam Frankl (*The Developer-Facing Startup*) and Jakub Czakon (*markepear.dev*). When a framework can't make the call, that's what a human is for: [The DevTool GTM Company](https://thedevtoolgtmcompany.com). ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [AIDevGTM](https://github.com/AIDevGTM) - **Source:** [AIDevGTM/gtm-cofounder](https://github.com/AIDevGTM/gtm-cofounder) - **License:** MIT - **Homepage:** https://gtmcofounder.com Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-aidevgtm-gtm-cofounder-value-prop-that-converts - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/aidevgtm - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.