Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It (Summary)
Imagine you've built a great new database, but you're being crushed by a market giant like Microsoft. Do you give up? April Dunford's team faced this exact problem. Their product was seen as a weak competitor to Microsoft Access. But then they realized their database had a secret superpower: it was embeddable. By simply repositioning from a 'database' to an 'embeddable database for mobile devices,' they created an entirely new market category they could own, turning a near-failure into a massive success.
Your Market Category is the Foundation of Positioning
Before customers can decide if your product is good, they need to know what it is. The market category you choose frames the entire conversation, sets expectations, and defines your competition.
A company called Janna Systems sold a CRM product. They were lost in the crowded CRM market until they repositioned as 'CRM for Investment Bankers.' This niche category immediately communicated their specific value to a high-value audience, shutting out generic competitors and allowing them to dominate that segment.
Your Happiest Customers Hold the Key
The secret to great positioning isn't in a brainstorming session; it's hidden in your happiest customers. They already understand your true value. Your job is to listen to them and bottle that magic.
A project management tool's team might think their key feature is Gantt charts. But after interviewing their most loyal customers—all small creative agencies—they discover the real 'magic' is the client-facing portal that simplifies feedback. They can then reposition the product around 'client collaboration for creative agencies' instead of 'project management.'
Positioning is a System, Not a Slogan
Great positioning isn't just a clever tagline. It’s a deliberate process made of five interconnected components: Competitive Alternatives, Unique Attributes, Value, Target Market, and Market Category.
A vegan cheese company uses the system: its competitive alternative is dairy cheese. Its unique attribute is being plant-based and cholesterol-free. The value is guilt-free indulgence. The target market is health-conscious foodies and the lactose-intolerant. This naturally leads to choosing the market category of 'Artisanal Vegan Cheese,' not 'cheese substitute,' which frames it as a premium product.
Connect Your Features to a 'So What?' Value
Customers don't care about your features; they care about what those features can do for them. Every unique feature must be translated into a tangible benefit or value proposition that solves a customer's problem.
A car has 'run-flat tires' (a feature). The value is not the tire itself, but the fact that 'you can safely drive to a garage instead of being stranded on the highway in the rain' (the 'so what?'). Positioning must always bridge this gap from feature to value.
