CMOs: “We need one clear story.”

VP of Sales: “Cool, I’ve got 17 of them.”

👆This is why positioning decisions rarely get made when both these people are in the room

(and also why sales and marketing secretly hate each other)

We see it all the time in our positioning work with B2B startups.

Here is how it goes:

👉 Sales leaders are actually mini geniuses when it comes to “creating” positioning strategies.

(maybe we shouldn't tell them this, it's going to go right to their heads)

They can frame a customer’s problem on the fly and craft arguments that make the product irresistible.

But this is where it falls apart:

👎 They never stick to one story.

Instead, they:..

…dodge…

…dip…

…dive…

…duck…

…and dodge again.

Reshaping the pitch for every single prospect.

That’s sales. And it’s valuable.

But it’s not marketing.

Marketing doesn’t get a back-and-forth.

(ie. they cant' dip and dodge)

It’s one way messaging — and it requires a single compelling narrative thread.

This divergence is where the CMO vs. VP of Sales tension lives.

—

This is why, as positioning consultant, I have a love/hate relationship with CROs and VPs of sales.

I love them because they surface the best arguments.

I hate them because they block alignment, preferring to hold on to all their unique narratives.

If you are CRO or VP of Sales involved in a positioning project, hear this:

→ Marketing isn’t trying to kill your bag of tricks.

→ They’re trying to uncover a story powerful enough to open more doors.

And when they nail it?

Your bag of dynamic positioning tricks will work even better when those qualified leads hit your desk.