Most execs think they know what positioning is.
But they actually just know words associated with it.

And that’s the reason so many internal positioning exercises fail.

When the positioning conversation hits the c-suite it sounds like this:

→ "We should position as an innovator in our space."
→ "Our positioning needs to appeal to the C-suite."
→ "We’re the naughty disruptor of our industry."
→ "We need to position as the future of XYZ."
→ "We should position for the enterprise."
→ "We should lead a new category."

🙄 🙄 🙄

Sound familiar?

(yes, I’ve actually heard all of these in real life)

Most PMMs don't say it, so let me say it for you.

👉 That’s. Not. Positioning.

When you start to talk about ACTUAL positioning, everything derails.

Why?

For most execs, positioning stays exciting as long as it stays vague and full of aspirational buzzwords.

The second it turns into the actual job of positioning.

I.e. Making tough choices about...

→ What you are
→ Who you’re for
→ What you’re solving
→ What you do as a business...

A lot of that excitement disappears...

And the conversation goes from bad to worse.

🤡 “We can do anything. Our platform has endless possibilities.”
🤡 “We take our customers on a transformation journey.”
🤡 “Innovation is our brand, it’s in our company DNA.”
🤡 “We’re building a movement, not just a product.”
🤡 “We’re shaping the future of our industry.”
🤡 “We don’t want to pigeonhole ourselves.”
🤡 “We’re industry- and use case agnostic."
🤡 “We’re the gold standard in our space.”
🤡 “We’re redefining what’s possible.”

(again, yes, I’ve heard ALL of these in real life)

I get it.

Positioning is hard!
It’s not an inspirational, visionary exercise.

→ It’s a process where you make a series of tough choices about your business in a high-risk, low-data environment.

→ You need to evaluate which choices are most likely to make your venture successful, compared to the alternative strategies available.

→ You need to stand behind those choices, and you need to document those choices.

So if you actually want your positioning exercise to go beyond jargon and buzzwords, start by defining the key components that actually give you a POSITION in the market, and force you to put your stake in the ground.

Check out my quick guide for B2B startup execs on how to move from buzzwords to actual positioning 👇