---

name: positioning-development description: | Strategic positioning skill for developing differentiated market position, positioning statements, and competitive framing.

trigger: |

• New product positioning needed
• Repositioning existing product
• User requests "positioning" or "differentiation"

skip_when: |

• Market analysis not done → complete market-analysis first
• Pure messaging work → use messaging-creation
• Competitive analysis only → use competitive-intelligence

---

Positioning Development

Strategic positioning to establish differentiated market position and competitive framing.

Purpose

Positioning defines HOW you want the market to perceive your product:

• What category you compete in
• How you're different from alternatives
• Why customers should choose you
• What makes you credible

HARD GATE: Market analysis MUST be completed before positioning development.

Process

Phase 1: Category Strategy

Define your competitive frame:

## Category Strategy

### Current Category Landscape
**Existing Categories:**
| Category | Leaders | Positioning |
|----------|---------|-------------|
| [Category 1] | [Top 3 players] | [How they position] |
| [Category 2] | [Top 3 players] | [How they position] |

### Category Decision

**Option A: Compete in Existing Category**
- Category: [Name]
- Rationale: [Why this category]
- Risk: Established competition
- Benefit: Market education not required

**Option B: Create New Category**
- Category Name: [Proposed name]
- Definition: [What this category is]
- Rationale: [Why create vs compete]
- Risk: Market education required
- Benefit: No direct comparison

**RECOMMENDATION:** [Option A or B with reasoning]

Phase 2: Competitive Alternatives

Map what customers would do without you:

## Competitive Alternatives

### Direct Competitors
| Competitor | Positioning | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|------------|-------------|-----------|------------|
| [Competitor 1] | [Their claim] | [Top 3] | [Top 3] |
| [Competitor 2] | ... | ... | ... |

### Indirect Alternatives
| Alternative | When Chosen | Why Chosen |
|-------------|-------------|------------|
| DIY/Build | [Scenario] | [Reason] |
| Status Quo | [Scenario] | [Reason] |
| [Other solution] | [Scenario] | [Reason] |

### Competitive Battleground
**Where we win:**
- [Scenario 1]: [Why we win here]
- [Scenario 2]: [Why we win here]

**Where we lose:**
- [Scenario 1]: [Why we lose here]
- [Scenario 2]: [Why we lose here]

**Toss-ups:**
- [Scenario 1]: [What determines winner]

Phase 3: Differentiation

Identify defensible differentiators:

## Differentiation Analysis

### Potential Differentiators
| Differentiator | Unique? | Valuable? | Defensible? | Score |
|----------------|---------|-----------|-------------|-------|
| [Feature/Capability 1] | YES/NO | HIGH/MED/LOW | YES/NO | X/10 |
| [Feature/Capability 2] | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| [Approach 1] | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| [Team/Background] | ... | ... | ... | ... |

### Differentiation Hierarchy
**Must-Have Differentiators (to compete):**
- [Differentiator 1]: Why it's table stakes

**Nice-to-Have Differentiators (to win):**
- [Differentiator 2]: Why it creates preference

**Unique Differentiators (to dominate):**
- [Differentiator 3]: Why it's defensible

### Primary Differentiation Theme
**Selected Theme:** [One overarching theme]
**Rationale:** [Why this theme]
**Supporting Evidence:**
1. [Proof point 1]
2. [Proof point 2]
3. [Proof point 3]

Phase 4: Positioning Statement

Create the positioning framework:

## Positioning Statement

### Classic Positioning Template
FOR [target customer]
WHO [statement of need or opportunity]
[Product name] IS A [product category]
THAT [key benefit]
UNLIKE [competitive alternative]
[Product name] [primary differentiation]

### Completed Statement
FOR [specific ICP from market analysis]
WHO [specific pain point]
[Product name] IS A [category decision]
THAT [primary benefit]
UNLIKE [main competitor/alternative]
[Product name] [unique differentiator]

### Positioning Pillars
| Pillar | Claim | Evidence |
|--------|-------|----------|
| [Pillar 1] | [What we claim] | [How we prove it] |
| [Pillar 2] | [What we claim] | [How we prove it] |
| [Pillar 3] | [What we claim] | [How we prove it] |

Phase 5: Positioning Validation

Test positioning viability:

## Positioning Validation

### Internal Validation
| Criterion | Status | Notes |
|-----------|--------|-------|
| Authentic (we can deliver) | PASS/FAIL | [Evidence] |
| Unique (competitors can't claim) | PASS/FAIL | [Evidence] |
| Valuable (customers care) | PASS/FAIL | [Evidence] |
| Defensible (sustainable advantage) | PASS/FAIL | [Evidence] |

### Market Validation Recommendations
- [ ] Customer interviews (N=X)
- [ ] Win/loss analysis
- [ ] Competitive testing
- [ ] Message testing

### Risks and Mitigations
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|------------|--------|------------|
| [Risk 1] | HIGH/MED/LOW | HIGH/MED/LOW | [How to address] |
| [Risk 2] | ... | ... | ... |

Output Format

# Positioning: [Product/Feature]

## Executive Summary
- **Category:** [Category decision]
- **Primary Differentiation:** [One sentence]
- **Target Segment:** [From market analysis]
- **Positioning Confidence:** HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW

## Category Strategy
[Phase 1 output]

## Competitive Analysis
[Phase 2 output]

## Differentiation
[Phase 3 output]

## Positioning Statement
[Phase 4 output]

## Validation
[Phase 5 output]

## Next Steps
1. **Messaging Development:** Use messaging-creation
2. **Validation Activities:** [Recommended validation]
3. **Stakeholder Alignment:** [Who needs to approve]

## Dependencies
- Market Analysis: [Link to market-analysis.md]
- Competitive Intel: [Link to competitive-intel.md if available]

Blocker Criteria

Blocker	Action
No market analysis	STOP. Complete market-analysis first.
Conflicting stakeholder visions	STOP. Facilitate alignment before proceeding.
No clear differentiator	STOP. Cannot position without differentiation.
Differentiation not defensible	STOP. Identify alternative differentiators.

Anti-Rationalization Table

See shared-patterns/anti-rationalization.md for universal anti-rationalizations.

Gate-Specific Anti-Rationalizations

Rationalization	Why It's WRONG	Required Action
"Our differentiation is obvious"	Obvious to you ≠ obvious to market	Document and validate
"We're better at everything"	No product wins everywhere. Find specific battlegrounds.	Identify specific win scenarios
"Category doesn't matter"	Category determines competitive set and expectations	Make explicit category decision
"Positioning is just words"	Positioning guides all GTM decisions	Treat as strategic foundation

Pressure Resistance

See shared-patterns/pressure-resistance.md for universal pressure scenarios.

Gate-Specific Pressures

Pressure Type	Request	Agent Response
"Position against all competitors"	"We beat everyone at everything"	"Claiming everything dilutes positioning. Focusing on defensible differentiation."
"Use competitor's positioning"	"Just say we're like X but better"	"Derivative positioning cedes thought leadership. Creating unique position."
"Skip validation"	"We know this resonates"	"Unvalidated positioning risks GTM failure. Recommending validation approach."

Execution Report

Base metrics per shared-patterns/execution-report.md:

Metric	Value
Duration	Xm Ys
Iterations	N
Result	PASS/FAIL/PARTIAL

Gate-Specific Details

• alternatives_analyzed: N
• differentiators_identified: N
• positioning_statements: N
• validation_criteria_passed: X/Y
• confidence_level: HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW