Positioning Workshop

Purpose

Guide a team through building a product positioning statement step-by-step using adaptive questions. Combines Geoffrey Moore's classic template with April Dunford's Obviously Awesome methodology for a modern, thorough positioning exercise.

Key Concepts

Workshop Flow (5-7 turns)

1. Competitive Alternatives — What would customers do if you didn't exist?
2. Unique Attributes — What do you have that alternatives don't?
3. Value Themes — What value do those attributes enable?
4. Target Segments — Who cares most about that value?
5. Market Category — What frame of reference makes your value obvious?
6. Validation — Does it pass the "so what?" test?

Facilitation Protocol

Use skills/communication/workshop-facilitation/SKILL.md as the interaction protocol.

Application

Turn 1: Competitive Alternatives

Agent asks: "If your product didn't exist, what would your best customers do instead?"

Options:

1. Use a direct competitor — Name them
2. Use a general-purpose tool — Spreadsheets, email, etc.
3. Hire someone — Consultant, contractor, intern
4. Do nothing — Live with the problem
5. Build it themselves — Internal tool
6. Other (describe)

Follow-up: "What specifically falls short about that alternative?"

Turn 2: Unique Attributes

Agent asks: "What does your product have or do that those alternatives cannot match?"

Prompts:

• "Think about features, capabilities, expertise, data, network..."
• "Be specific — not 'better UX' but 'onboarding in under 5 minutes without SQL'"

Turn 3: Value Themes

Agent asks: "For each unique attribute, what value does it create for the customer?"

Agent maps: Attribute → Value

Agent clusters: Values into 2-3 themes

Turn 4: Target Segments

Agent asks: "Which customer segments care most about these value themes?"

Prompts:

• "Who gets the most desperate about the problem you solve?"
• "Who has budget, authority, and urgency?"
• "Who would be devastated if you disappeared?"

Turn 5: Market Category

Agent asks: "If you overheard someone describing your product, what would they say you ARE?"

Options:

1. Existing category — "It's a [known category]" (e.g., "CRM")
2. Subcategory — "It's a [known category] but for [specific use]" (e.g., "CRM for agencies")
3. New category — "There's nothing quite like it" (risky but potentially powerful)

Turn 6: Assemble & Validate

Agent assembles the positioning statement and asks:

Agent asks: "Here's your positioning. Does this pass the 'so what?' test?"

For [target segment]
who [need],
[product] is a [category]
that [value theme].
Unlike [competitive alternative],
our product [unique attribute → value].

Validation questions:

• "Would a sales rep remember this tomorrow?"
• "Would a customer nod and say 'yes, exactly!'?"
• "Does this differentiate you from the top competitor?"

Quality Rubric

References

Related Skills

• skills/strategy/positioning-statement/SKILL.md — The component this workshop produces
• skills/discovery/proto-persona/SKILL.md — Input for target segment
• skills/discovery/competitive-battle-card/SKILL.md — Competitive context

External Frameworks

• April Dunford, Obviously Awesome (2019)
• Geoffrey Moore, Crossing the Chasm (1991)

Skill type: Interactive Domain: Strategy & Vision