“What are examples of the best positioning”?

“What SaaS product has the best positioning?

“What does good positioning look like?”

I get versions of these questions 10 times a week.

But here’s the rub:

🙉 There is no such thing as universally “good” or universaly “bad”positioning.

It’s all relative to the market.

(and the conviction of the founders)

Take Donut Taco Palace for example.

I just walked by this place the other day.

I could argue that the name alone is fantastic positioning from a clarity standpoint.

I know exactly what I will get.

But I could also argue it’s terrible positioning.

Because most people don’t seek out a place to eat a taco and a donut at the same time.

I know I don’t.

(even though I F***ing love tacos and am also a fan of donuts)

———

So even though there are no “best in class examples”, here is how we think about good and bad positioning:

We believe there are 3 levels of “good.”

Level 1 → Being clear about what you do

This is a requirement.

But 90% of B2B startups don’t reach this level.

Instead, they tout vague outcomes, label themselves in a category that doesn’t exist, and reach for flashy brand phrases that don’t really say anything at all.

Level 2 → Being different than the alternatives

This isn’t actually a requirement to acquire customers.

(though it is required if you are trying to truly dominate an entire market segment)

When we started Fletch, we didn’t have any differentiation.

Just two guys offering a positioning service like the other 1000 consultants.

Our clarity alone won us our first 100 customers.

Level 3 → Being uniquely valuable versus the alternatives.

At this level, we are talking more about product than we are marketing.

Your product has to be significantly better than others out there, in a way that your market can feel the difference.

I’d argue we’ve made progress in reaching some part of level 3.

Our process is truly 10x better than other positioning consultants.

Clients rave about how fast and effective the experience can be.

Our proven frameworks used with over 500 companies is something our competitors don’t have.

Clients are consistently wowed by the framework, and how we use it to cut through chaos to make important positioning decisions.

And because we’ve worked with so many companies, we know where startup teams get stuck — and more importantly, we know how to get them un-stuck.

But even with this 3 level framework.

Good is still relative.

And at the end of the day, your market will decide if your positioning is good or bad.