Product Positioning Framework
This skill implements the product positioning methodology from April Dunford's "Obviously Awesome." It provides a structured, repeatable process for defining how your product is the best in the world at delivering something a well-defined set of customers cares a lot about.
Core Principle
Positioning is not messaging. Positioning is context.
Positioning defines the context within which customers evaluate your product. It determines what category customers place you in, what alternatives they compare you against, which features they pay attention to, and how they judge your value. Get positioning right, and everything downstream — messaging, sales pitches, marketing campaigns, pricing — becomes dramatically easier. Get it wrong, and no amount of clever copywriting or advertising spend will save you. Customers who don't understand what you are will never understand why you matter.
The foundation of great positioning is understanding that customers always evaluate products relative to alternatives. There is no such thing as absolute product perception. A product that seems expensive in one context seems cheap in another. A feature that seems innovative against one set of competitors seems table-stakes against another. Your job is to deliberately choose the context that makes your unique strengths obvious.
Scoring
Goal: 10/10 — Rate the positioning quality of any product on a 0-10 scale based on the following criteria:
| Score |
Description |
| 0-2 |
No clear positioning. Customers can't explain what the product is or who it's for. |
| 3-4 |
Vague positioning. Category is unclear, differentiation is weak, target customer is "everyone." |
| 5-6 |
Partial positioning. Some components are clear but others are missing or inconsistent. Team members describe the product differently. |
| 7-8 |
Strong positioning. All five components are defined. Team is aligned. Customers generally understand the value. |
| 9-10 |
Exceptional positioning. Every component reinforces the others. Customers immediately understand the product, why it's different, and why they should care. The positioning creates an "aha" moment. |
The 10 Positioning Components
| Component |
Description |
Example |
| Competitive Alternatives |
What customers would use if your product didn't exist |
Spreadsheets, manual processes, hiring a consultant, doing nothing |
| Unique Attributes |
Features or capabilities only your product has |
Real-time collaboration on financial models |
| Value Themes |
Benefits customers get from your unique attributes |
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