A Product Positioning Exercise

Dunford argues that companies struggle to make their strengths clear because they stay in the market where the product began. She rejects the standard positioning statement and offers a five-step process: let go of the original idea, list unique attributes, translate them into customer value, find who cares most, and choose a market frame that makes the value obvious. An early startup that repositioned from database to business intelligence tool runs through the piece as an example.

• Customers often miss a product's value because the company keeps a default position rooted in its history.
• The fill-in-the-blank positioning statement assumes there is only one possible position and is rarely used again.
• Positioning begins by listing what is unique about an offering and then the value those traits create.
• Focusing on the customers who care most about that value makes selling faster and cheaper for startups.
• Choosing the right market frame of reference sets customer expectations about competitors, value, and pricing.
• A change of positioning reshapes the whole business, so it should be documented, tested, and revisited.

Dunford writes practical, direct how-to prose with numbered steps, plain business language, and a recurring case study from her own career. Retyping her teaches clear instructional structure, confident short claims, and how to anchor abstract advice in one concrete example.

These excerpts are short quotations for practice and commentary. All rights stay with the author; read the whole essay at the original source.