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:

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.'"

positioning-craft