Avoid face plants with proper product positioning

One day, not so long ago, my double-jointed, super-flexible daughter showed me an intriguing yoga position called the crow. Little did I know that the next words out of my mouth would have such dire consequences: “Oh yeah, I can do that!”.

While it may have taken a camera with a sixty-four-thousandths of a second shutter speed to capture that unbeknownst-to-me incredibly challenging position, in my mind, I held it for an eternity.

Now I’m no physics expert, but a consultation with ChatGPT tells me that momentum describes the tendency of an object to continue moving in the same direction at the same speed unless acted upon by a force.?

I’m also no Jedi knight. The force wasn’t with me.

For those observing the masterclass in dad stupidity, not only did I demonstrate quite possibly the fastest crow position ever in history (let’s chat soon, Guinness Book of World Records) but quite possibly the most dramatic face plant into a hardwood floor.

The bruising was painful. So was the physical bruising.?

Astonishingly, my colleagues didn’t mention the swelling and discolouring on my forehead and around my right eye socket in the Zoom calls that week. Pretty sure self-inflicted full-face plants are an edge use case for the “touch up my appearance” feature. But I’m grateful to the geniuses who developed it.

As I have learned, much like correct positioning is critical in yoga, so too is correctly positioning your product.

What is product positioning?

Let’s get down to brass tacks. Positioning guru April Dunford explains it best:

Positioning defines how your product is the best in the world at providing some value that a well-defined set of customers cares a lot about.

Yep, that’s a mouthful, and April would probably be the first one to tell you that. But it captures it beautifully. It’s all about making your strengths obvious. And it provides a frame of reference that makes it easy for customers to understand why they should care about what you do.?

There are five components to figuring out positioning, and they need to be considered in sequence as they build off one another.?

1. Competitive alternatives: What would customers do if you didn’t exist??
2. Unique attributes: How are you different from the alternatives?
3. Value: What value do your unique attributes enable for customers??
4. Best-fit customers: Which customers care a lot about that value? Are they willing to pay?
5. Market category: What market do you intend to win?

Based on April’s awesome framework and anecdotes from her consulting experience, expert advice from Marcus Andrews , James Doman-Pipe ????? ?? , Julien Sauvage ?? , and Div Manickam through the Product Marketing Alliance , and my own experience, here are some key things to keep in mind when crafting or refining your product positioning:

Think beyond direct competitors?

You need to think from the perspective of your customers. If you didn’t exist, what options do they have for what you do??

As April points out, you could be competing against a simple spreadsheet. Or a relatively cheap co-op student or intern that does grunt work.

Your biggest competitor may not be a company that offers similar products and services but the status quo of what customers are doing today. In that case, you must position yourself as superior to the status quo.?

And not to put an arrow through the eye slot of your shiny knight armour, April points out that 40% of B2B deals result in ‘no decision’ by the customer. In other words, they decide to stick with the status quo. So… you better have your sh!t together.?

Think beyond product features

All too often, tech companies think a killer feature will be their differentiator. But that doesn’t last long as competitors will likely introduce it six months from now, or even sooner, in a competitive market. And which market is not competitive these days??

Take the blinders off; think beyond the physical product or software you provide, and consider the full spectrum of what you provide to customers. You may have outstanding customer support, be easier to do business with, or have a pricing model that works better for your customers. Your image, reputation or consultative relationship may be unique attributes too.?

The key here is to determine how you stand out from competing alternatives.

Think beyond benefits

What matters is the unique value that you offer your customers. Why does a customer care about your unique attributes or features? What’s in it for them??

You need to take the benefit that a feature or attribute enables for the customer one step further. You need to map it to a goal the customer is trying to achieve.

In B2B, it generally comes down to two things: you’re helping them make money or save money. Often “save time” is promoted, especially with software solutions. But what does that time savings mean for the customer? Dig deeper. Does it mean they can do more with fewer resources (save money)? Or does greater efficiency free up resources for activities that will grow their business (make money)??

Consider how you can position your solution as a growth driver or cost cutter, depending on what your prospective customers value. And with the recession narrative these days, guess which one will be top of mind for many businesses.

But don’t lose sight that you ultimately sell to humans in an organization. They care about personal success, avoiding failure, their reputation, performance bonuses, and personal well-being. You’ll want to appeal to these motivations too.

Think beyond customers that care

You may have a solution that solves a problem for many prospective customers, but not all prospective customers care a lot about the value you offer. You want to find the ones that do. What are the characteristics of those customers? The ones with those attributes are your best-fit customers and become your target accounts.?

Remember, it’s all about articulating why you are the best solution for a particular type of customer. Sure, others may initially buy your solution, but if they don’t place that much value on what makes you unique, then they aren’t going to stay.

A critical acid test is, are your prospective customers willing to pay? They might love what you offer, but if they are unwilling or unable to pay for your solution, you don’t have a business case.?

Think beyond your current market space

The last component of positioning is choosing your market category. Customers need to associate you with something they are familiar with. Are you project management software like Asana? Or a conversation intelligence solution like Gong? Or autonomous vehicles for manufacturing like Clearpath Robotics?

It’s hard. And getting this wrong will lead prospective customers to make incorrect assumptions about who you are and what you do.?

Does the market that you are currently positioned in still make sense? Market trends, competitors and customers change, and you may need to rethink this. Whatever category you choose, be sure that it provides the correct context for your positioning so that your value is evident to the prospective customers you are targeting.

There are a couple more things to keep in mind here. The market category will not explain everything you do and the value you offer. You’ll use your messaging and sales pitch to accomplish that. Its purpose is to correctly place your company in the minds of your prospective customers for that initial engagement.

There’s also a temptation to create a new market category, especially in a crowded market. Just recognize that if you do this, be prepared to spend a lot of marketing dollars in evangelizing, creating awareness, and educating prospective customers about that new category before you get to explain how you stand out. Deep pockets are required.?

Think beyond the obvious

Positioning requires deep thinking and exploring beyond the obvious to get to the gold. You need to think beyond direct competitors, beyond features and benefits, beyond customers that care, and beyond your current market space.?

It also requires collaboration across your company. Your CEO, marketing, sales and product leaders need to be involved. It’s not an exercise done in a marketing silo.?

So… just like in yoga, getting your positioning wrong can have dire consequences. It impacts your marketing efforts (messaging), your sales efforts (pitches), and your product efforts (roadmaps and pricing). And ultimately, the success of your business. Learn how to figure it out, and you’ll be a rockstar.?

Want to dive deeper?

Here are some great resources to learn more:

Positioning book: April Dunford has written an awesome book aptly called Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It. The book covers the framework introduced above and will help you develop or refine your positioning. This is a must-read.?

Positioning course: The Positioning Certified: Masters course from the Product Marketing Alliance is a great way to expand your strategic positioning knowledge and hone your skills as a product marketer. It includes many real-life examples with excellent advice from leading positioning experts, including April Dunford , Marcus Andrews , James Doman-Pipe ????? ?? , and Div Manickam . I highly recommend it.?

Drop a comment if you have other recommended resources too. And if you want to chat about product positioning strategy over a coffee (virtual or in real life), give me a shout. As for crow pose positioning, I have some advice, too: careful placement of a very thick pillow.?