Obviously Awesome

1. Positioning is the foundation of all marketing and sales efforts

If we fail at positioning, we fail at marketing and sales. If we fail at marketing and sales, the entire business fails.

Positioning defines context. It's the act of deliberately defining how you are the best at something that a defined market cares about. Effective positioning sets the context for your product, allowing customers to quickly understand what it is, why it's special, and why it matters to them. Without strong positioning, even the best marketing tactics and sales efforts will fall flat.

Positioning impacts everything. It's not just a marketing exercise - positioning influences every aspect of the business:

• Marketing: Messaging, audience targeting, campaign development
• Sales: Target customer segmentation, account strategy
• Customer Success: Onboarding, account expansion
• Product: Roadmaps, feature prioritization

Strong positioning makes all of these efforts more effective and efficient. It's like having the wind at your back, making everything easier. Weak positioning, on the other hand, is like constantly fighting against the wind.

2. Effective positioning requires understanding your best customers

Your best-fit customers hold the key to understanding what your product is.

Start with your happiest customers. Look for patterns among your most enthusiastic, loyal customers - the ones who bought quickly, rarely ask for discounts, and act as references. These customers likely share characteristics that make them an ideal fit for your product.

Identify what makes them love you. Analyze what these best-fit customers have in common:

• Industry or market segment
• Company size or structure
• Specific pain points or challenges
• Goals and priorities
• Buying behaviors

Understanding these patterns will help you focus your positioning on the customers who derive the most value from your product. This targeted approach is more effective than trying to appeal to everyone.

3. Identify your true competitive alternatives from the customer's perspective

Understand what a customer might replace you with in order to understand how they categorize your solution.

Look beyond direct competitors. Your true competitive alternatives aren't just similar products, but anything a customer might use to solve their problem instead of your solution. This could include:

• Manual processes or workarounds
• In-house solutions
• Hiring additional staff
• Doing nothing

Focus on your best customers. Ask yourself: "What would our best customers do if we didn't exist?" This perspective helps you understand how customers truly categorize your solution and what they see as viable alternatives.

Understanding your true competitive landscape allows you to position your product more effectively by highlighting your unique strengths in comparison to these alternatives. It also helps you avoid comparing yourself to competitors that customers don't actually consider.

4. Isolate your unique attributes and map them to customer value

Features enable benefits, which can be translated into value in unique customer terms.

Identify truly unique attributes. List all the capabilities, features, or characteristics that set your product apart from the alternatives. Focus on provable, objective attributes rather than subjective claims.

Map attributes to benefits and value. For each unique attribute:

1. Identify the benefit it enables for customers
2. Translate that benefit into concrete value in customer terms

For example:

• Attribute: 15-megapixel camera
• Benefit: Sharper photo images
• Value: Images can be zoomed in or printed in large format and still look sharp

Grouping these value points into themes helps you identify the core value propositions that resonate most with your target customers. This process ensures your positioning emphasizes what truly matters to your ideal customers.

5. Determine who cares most about your unique value

An actionable segmentation captures a list of a person's or company's easily identifiable characteristics that make them really care about what you do.

Identify your best-fit prospects. Look for characteristics that make some customers much more excited about your offering than others. These are the customers who:

• Understand your product quickly
• Buy without hesitation
• Rarely ask for discounts
• Become enthusiastic advocates

Create an actionable segmentation. Define your ideal customer segment using easily identifiable characteristics such as:

• Industry or market sector
• Company size or structure
• Geographic location
• Specific technologies or processes they use
• Particular challenges or goals they face

Focusing on this best-fit segment allows you to tailor your positioning and marketing efforts for maximum impact. It's more efficient and effective than trying to appeal to a broader, less defined audience.

6. Choose a market frame of reference that highlights your strengths

Most products are exceptional only when we understand them within their best frame of reference.

Consider multiple market categories. Your product might fit into several different market categories. Evaluate each option based on how well it:

• Highlights your unique strengths
• Resonates with your target customers
• Differentiates you from alternatives

Choose strategically. The market category you select will trigger assumptions about:

• Your competitors
• Expected features and functionality
• Typical pricing models

Select a category that puts your product's strengths at the center and makes your value obvious to your target customers. This might mean repositioning your product in a different category than you originally intended.

Be willing to evolve. As markets and customer needs change, be prepared to reconsider your market category. A product that starts in one category might find greater success by repositioning in an adjacent or entirely new market.

7. Consider layering on a relevant trend to increase appeal

Trends can help customers understand why a product is important to them right now.

Identify relevant trends. Look for trends that:

• Are important to your target customers
• Align with your product's strengths
• Make your offering more timely and relevant

Use trends carefully. Trends can make your product more appealing and urgent, but only if used appropriately:

• Ensure a clear link between the trend and your product
• Don't rely solely on trend association without substance
• Avoid confusing customers by focusing too much on trends at the expense of clearly defining your market category

Balance trendiness with clarity. It's better to have clear, effective positioning without a trendy angle than to confuse customers by forcing a trend connection that doesn't truly fit.

8. Capture and share your positioning across the organization

Positioning on its own isn't useful to a company. Once you have worked through your positioning, you need to share it across the organization.

Document your positioning. Create a comprehensive document that outlines:

• Competitive alternatives
• Unique attributes and their value
• Target customer characteristics
• Chosen market frame of reference
• Relevant trends (if applicable)

Ensure organization-wide alignment. Share your positioning with all departments and use it to inform:

• Branding and messaging
• Marketing campaigns
• Sales strategy and materials
• Product development priorities
• Customer success approaches

Consistent application of your positioning across all customer touchpoints strengthens its impact and helps create a cohesive brand experience.

9. Adapt your positioning style based on market maturity and competition

The "style" of positioning you choose will depend on a set of factors including the competitive landscape and your business goals.

Three main positioning styles:

1. Head to Head: Competing directly in an established market

   • Best for: Market leaders or well-resourced challengers
   • Challenge: Must prove superiority on established criteria

2. Big Fish, Small Pond: Dominating a subsegment of an existing market

   • Best for: Startups or companies with niche strengths
   • Challenge: Proving subsegment needs are distinct and important

3. Create a New Game: Establishing an entirely new market category

   • Best for: Truly innovative products or well-resourced companies
   • Challenge: Educating customers on a new problem and solution

Choose wisely. Consider your product's strengths, competitive landscape, and resources when selecting a positioning style. Be prepared to adapt your approach as markets evolve and your company grows.

10. Be willing to let go of your original positioning as markets evolve

Sometimes a product that was well positioned in a market suddenly becomes poorly positioned, not because the product itself has changed, but because markets around the product have shifted.

Recognize market shifts. Stay attuned to changes in:

• Customer needs and preferences
• Competitive landscape
• Technological advancements
• Economic conditions
• Regulatory environment

Overcome positioning baggage. Be willing to let go of how you've always thought about your product. Your customers don't have the same history with your product and may see it differently.

Reevaluate regularly. Periodically reassess your positioning to ensure it still:

• Highlights your key differentiators
• Resonates with your best customers
• Aligns with current market conditions

Successful companies are willing to evolve their positioning as markets change. This flexibility allows them to maintain relevance and continue growing even as their original market matures or shifts.

Last updated: October 5, 2024