Definition

Positioning is the act of deliberately defining how you are the best at something that a defined market cares a lot about

<aside> 💡 Context setting. When customers encounter a product they’ve never seen before they are looking for clues to help them figure out what it is, who it’s for and why they should care

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Positioning Goal

Shorten sales cycle and grow revenues by helping prospects to quickly understand why your product is unique and important i.e matters to them (+ ensure alignment across org)

Common positioning failure

Not deliberately positioning the product (but rather stick with “default” positioning even when the product changes or the market changes

Great positioning takes into account the following:

• Customer’s POV on the problem you solve & alternative ways of solving that problem
• Ways you are uniquely different from those alternatives and why that’s meaningful for customers
• Characteristics of a potential customer that really value what you can uniquely deliver
• Best market context for your product that makes your unique value obvious to those customers who are best suited to your product

Five (plus one) components of effective positioning

1. Competitive alternatives – if your product did not exist, what would customers use or do? (incl. do nothing)