Question I get a lot - should I position around what the product does today or what we plan to do in the future? I have opinions about that 1/
imo one of the main goals of positioning is to give sales + marketing a tight definition of where they should focus their efforts. This is particularly important in startups where we don't have unlimited budget/headcount. We need to get big bang for our marketing/sales bucks 2/
Crisp positioning gets the team aligned around - what are the alternatives to our solution, how are we different and better, and what kinds of customers are best suited for our product. These are the inputs necessary to have high performing marketing + sales programs 3/
If that's the goal, our positioning should sell what we have today to the folks most likely to buy it. Our product in the future is different, but if so, the target buyer is likely different as well. We'll adjust the positioning when we get there. There are exceptions to this 4/
If we are positioning for non-customer audiences (investors, partners, analysts), it might be very appropriate to position your longer-term view because those audiences need that to make decisions. 5/
Customers however are looking to exchange their cold hard cash for what you can do today. Sure they care a bit about your future (they'd like you to stay in business), but unless the deal is big/strategic, they care more about why you right now vs why you next year. /end
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