Startup Positioning
If your customers cannot explain what you do, your positioning is broken
Positioning strategy that gives your startup a clear, defensible place in the market. Who you serve, why you win, and what you say.
April Dunford’s ‘Obviously Awesome’ has sold over 100,000 copies and is used by executives at Google, IBM, and Postman. The framework works through five layers: competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, target market, and market category. Most startups skip this work and go straight to marketing tactics. The result: a homepage that says nothing specific, a sales deck that could belong to any competitor, and a pricing page that does not communicate value. When positioning is right, everything downstream gets easier. When it is wrong, no amount of marketing spend fixes it.
The positioning framework
We use a modified version of April Dunford’s positioning methodology from ‘Obviously Awesome.’ It works through five layers: competitive alternatives (what exists without you), unique attributes (what you have that they do not), value themes (why those attributes matter), target customer segments (who cares the most), and market category (where you compete).
The output is not a tagline. It is a strategic document that informs every decision your company makes: what features to build, which customers to pursue, how to price, what to say on the homepage, and how to train your sales team.
Signs your positioning needs work
Your sales team describes the product differently depending on who they are talking to. Your homepage reads like every competitor’s. Prospects compare you to companies you do not actually compete with. Your ACV is declining because you cannot articulate premium value. Feature requests come in that contradict your strategy because customers misunderstand what you are.
These are positioning symptoms, not marketing problems. No rebrand, no ad campaign, and no content strategy fixes them. The positioning needs to be right first.
- Sales team describes the product inconsistently
- Homepage could belong to any of your competitors
- Prospects compare you to the wrong alternatives
- ACV declining because value is unclear
- Feature requests contradict your roadmap direction
FAQ
Fair questions.
Ask us directlyHow is this different from branding?
Branding is how you look and sound. Positioning is what you are and who you are for. Positioning comes first. A brand refresh without positioning clarity is lipstick on a pig.
How long does positioning work take?
The diagnostic phase is 2 weeks. Full positioning with messaging hierarchy and go-to-market integration runs 6 to 12 weeks. You see the impact in sales conversations and win rates within the first quarter.
Do you do the messaging and copywriting too?
Yes. Positioning informs messaging hierarchy, which informs website copy, sales decks, and outbound sequences. We deliver the full stack from strategy to words on the page.
Related: Go-to-Market Strategy · AI Strategy Consulting