Positioning Mastery

When This Skill Activates

Claude uses this skill when:

• Defining product positioning
• Writing value propositions
• Choosing market category
• Differentiating from competitors

Core Frameworks

1. April Dunford's Positioning Framework

The Five Components:

1. WHO is this best for?

• Specific segment, not "everyone"
• Define ideal customer profile

2. WHAT category does this fit in?

• Existing category or new?
• Sets expectations

3. WHAT alternatives exist?

• What do customers use now?
• Don't say "no competitors"

4. UNIQUE value you provide

• What's different?
• Why does that matter?

5. PROOF it's real

• Evidence/metrics
• Customer stories

Action Templates

Template: Positioning Canvas

# Positioning: [Product]

## 1. Best For (Target Customer)
**Ideal customer:**
- Industry: [specific]
- Role: [specific]
- Problem: [specific pain]
- **NOT for:** [who should avoid]

## 2. Category
**It's a:** [category name]
**Context:** [how customers understand it]

## 3. Alternatives
**Customers currently use:**
- [Alternative 1]
- [Alternative 2]
- [Alternative 3]

**Why they're insufficient:**
- [Reason]

## 4. Unique Value
**We're different because:**
- [Differentiator 1]
- [Differentiator 2]

**Why that matters to customers:**
- [Customer benefit 1]
- [Customer benefit 2]

## 5. Proof Points
- [Metric/case study]
- [Metric/case study]
- [Metric/case study]

## One-Sentence Positioning
"For [target customer] who [need/problem], [product] is a [category] that [unique value]. Unlike [alternatives], we [key differentiator]."

Quick Reference

🎯 Positioning Checklist

Clarity:

• Who it's for (specific)
• What category (clear)
• What alternatives (honest)
• Unique value (different)
• Proof (credible)

Testing:

• Customer understands it
• Sales team can pitch it
• Differentiation is clear

Key Quotes

April Dunford:

"Positioning is the first thing you need to get right. Everything else flows from it."

On Competitors:

"When you say 'we have no competitors,' customers hear 'there's no demand for what you do.'"