product-positioning

Product Positioning

When to Activate

• Launching a new product and need to define how it fits in the market
• Existing product positioning isn't resonating (sales struggles to explain value, customers are confused)
• Entering a new market or segment
• Repositioning after competitive landscape changes
• Preparing a go-to-market strategy and need the positioning foundation
• Sales team asks "how do we explain what we do?" and nobody gives the same answer
• Competitor launches a product that changes the category conversation

First Questions

1. What do your best customers say when they describe your product to others?
2. Who is your ideal customer? (Be specific — title, company size, situation)
3. What were they doing before they found your product? (The real competitive alternative)
4. What can you do that no alternative can? (Your unique capabilities)
5. What is the measurable value customers get? (Time saved, revenue gained, cost reduced)
6. What market category do customers put you in?
7. Why do you win deals? Why do you lose them?

Geoffrey Moore's Positioning Statement

The Classic Framework

For [target customer]
who [statement of need or opportunity],
[product name] is a [product category]
that [key benefit / reason to buy].
Unlike [competitive alternative],
our product [primary differentiation].

Example

For mid-market SaaS companies
who struggle to predict customer churn before it happens,
RetainIQ is a customer intelligence platform
that identifies at-risk accounts 30 days before they cancel.
Unlike generic analytics tools,
our product uses behavioral AI trained specifically on
SaaS engagement patterns to deliver 89% prediction accuracy.

When to Use Moore's Framework

• Quick internal alignment on positioning basics.
• Starting point before deeper positioning work.
• Useful for early-stage companies with a clear product-market fit.
• Not sufficient for complex positioning decisions — use Dunford's framework for depth.