What do you do if your team disagrees on product positioning or messaging?

When disagreeing on positioning or messaging, it means that the team isn't clear on the benefits, pain points solving for or even how the product stands out in the market (or maybe it doesn't have a clear point of difference). It's an opportunity to invest in market research to understand your customers, the competitors and the product (from the employee perspective). Using data to inform important strategic business decisions helps ensure success and avoid costly or harmful mistakes.

In my experience, our team was having trouble with the product name. They considered it far from its basic benefits. More precisely, there is no connection between the name and its therapeutic effect. Here lies the benefit of listening before making a judgement. After listening to all points of view, we concluded that the product’s message may lie in other matters that may be far from its benefits, but rather the focus may be on the disease that we are trying to treat with this product and not the therapeutic effect itself.

When my team disagrees on product positioning or messaging, I see it as an opportunity for constructive collaboration. I encourage open dialogue to understand each perspective fully, focusing on finding common ground and aligning our goals. By leveraging diverse viewpoints and insights, we can co-create a stronger, more cohesive strategy that resonates with our audience. I feel like it's all about embracing the diversity of thought within our team to drive innovation and success.

Listening first is like turning on the GPS before you start driving; it helps you figure out where you're going. In resolving team disagreements, especially about product positioning, let everyone in the room share their views without interruption. It’s like collecting all the pieces of a map. Here’s how it helps: ?Everyone feels valued: Like they’re part of crafting the journey. ?Understanding diverse perspectives: Each opinion might just hold the key to unlocking your product's potential in the market. By giving each viewpoint airtime, you're not just building a product; you're building a team that's geared up to collaborate on solutions. Ready to turn active listening into your team's superpower?

Listening first creates an environment of respect and understanding among team members, fostering trust and cooperation. Actively engage with differing viewpoints validates team members' contributions and uncovers valuable insights that can enrich the product positioning process. This approach promotes inclusivity and encourages collaborative problem-solving, leading to more robust and effective messaging strategies.

What's not mentioned in this article is learning how to prioritise. Prioritise customer feedback (what gets requested all the time vs by 2 people?), prioritise internal team needs (e.g. sales nice to have vs customer success's dire need), etc, etc. Knowing how to analyse data is useless if you're not cross referencing that with priorities, most importantly being your company's north star metric as that's your #1 priority at all times.

Once opinions are shared, let data lead. Utilize market research, customer feedback, and competitive analysis for objective clarity. This isn't merely number-crunching; it's about harnessing insights to bridge gaps in viewpoints. Data's role: ?Objective insights: Acts as a neutral referee, directing debates based on external truths. ?Validation and challenges: Confirms or counters team assumptions. ?Conversation focus: Ensures discussions align with market demands. Data transforms subjective views into informed decisions, crafting strategies that resonate with customers. Ready to ground your strategies in solid data?

Disagree and commit. Your team needs to be able to advocate for their individual perspectives. But once a debate has occurred and a decision has been made, it's time to align through unwavering commitment – even when you might disagree.

Before tackling product positioning, ponder: ? Who's at the helm of your product’s course? ? What stirs your team at night—innovation thrills or target chills? ? What triumphs are they chasing? ? What hurdles are in your race to market? Pro Tip → Sync as smoothly as a well-brewed espresso. Imagine goal alignment as a coffee roundtable: ? Who’s there, the eager intern or the tactical veteran? Consider this: ? Aligning isn't just about targets; it's harmonizing ambitions. ? Bridge personal drives with company objectives. ? Refine goals to forge a clear, shared path. Ready to get your team’s stars aligned for a blockbuster launch?

Listen carefully to each and ask "WHY" very often. Brainstorming is good, but don't try to force consensus or you will risk "death by LCD": everybody compromises to incorporate each person's perspective. The result is a decision that is the lowest common denominator: a choice that gives something to everyone. This is the worst scenario. How about the elephant in the room? The market outside our building, the buyers that have the problem we seek to solve 10x than alternatives. The ICP. That is the domain, the boundaries in which the whole team should be when thinking of strategies

Ready for a brainstorming dive? Imagine it as a melting pot where your team's brightest ideas come to life. Create a space where creativity soars, and each suggestion builds towards something extraordinary. Your strategy should: ?Foster an environment for open and imaginative discussions. ?Encourage all team members to contribute, valuing even the most unconventional ideas. ?Use each idea as a stepping stone to elaborate and expand on solutions. The goal is to blend individual insights into a comprehensive strategy that could not be achieved in isolation. By embracing all contributions, you pave the way for innovative breakthroughs. Ready to weave diverse ideas into a unified strategic masterpiece?

I initiate an open dialogue within the team, encouraging everyone to voice their perspectives and concerns. I ensure that all viewpoints are heard and understood before collectively analyzing the pros and cons of each approach. Through constructive debate and data-driven insights, we strive to find common ground and align on a product positioning and messaging strategy that best resonates with our target audience. Collaboration and compromise are key as we work towards a cohesive solution that reflects our shared goals and values while remaining adaptable to market dynamics.

Before you stamp the final seal on your product positioning, why not give it a test drive? Whip up some prototypes of your messages or positioning concepts and toss them out to a slice of your target audience. Think of it like a taste test for your marketing recipe—does it hit the spot, or does it need more spice? Here's why this step is a game-changer: ? Real feedback: Get a peek at how your audience reacts in the wild. ? Fine-tune vibes: Pin down exactly what clicks with them. ? Dodge blunders: Avoid the costly oops moments that can happen if you guess wrong. Testing assumptions isn't just smart—it's your safety net to ensure your final show is a smash hit. Ready to test those waters before you dive in headfirst?