Positioning · scored in ten minutes
Competitive positioning: how to stand apart from rivals your customers already know
Competitive positioning is where your business sits in a customer’s mind compared with the alternatives. Get it clear and every ad, sales call and referral has less to explain. This guide shows how, and the $67 audit scores yours.
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What competitive positioning is
Positioning is the idea, made popular by Al Ries and Jack Trout in 1981, that what matters is the place a product holds in the buyer’s mind. Competitive positioning adds the comparison: where you stand against the other ways your customer could solve the same problem.
Most owners describe what they do. Customers decide by comparing. If your message does not say why you rather than the alternative, the customer fills in their own answer, and that answer is often price.
A weak position caps growth. Better ads or a new website only send more people to a message that does not do its job.
A simple method
Four steps to position your business
This follows the approach April Dunford describes in her book on positioning: start from the alternatives, not from your features.
01
List the real alternatives
Rival businesses, yes, but also doing it in-house, using a spreadsheet, or doing nothing.
02
Find what only you do well
Look for the things you do better, or that rivals do not do at all.
03
Pick who values it most
The customers who care most about that difference are the ones to aim at.
04
Choose the frame
Decide what category you want to be compared in, then say it in one sentence.
A competitive positioning map
A positioning map shows you and your rivals on two axes that matter to customers. Pick the axes from what buyers say, such as price, speed, specialty or size. Do not pick them from your own feature list.
In this example the specialist, mid-price corner is empty. That gap is a candidate position, but only if customers in that corner exist and care. Ask five of them before you commit.
Positioning statement examples
Geoffrey Moore’s template, from Crossing the Chasm, is still the easiest to fill in: For [target customer] who [need], [your business] is a [category] that [main benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [difference].
Three examples, written for illustration. They are not real companies.
| Business | Positioning statement |
|---|---|
| A bookkeeper | For owner-run trade businesses that dread tax season, [Firm] is a bookkeeping service that keeps your books current every week. Unlike a once-a-year accountant, we show you your numbers while you can still act on them. |
| An emergency plumber | For homeowners with a burst pipe, [Company] is a call-out service that arrives within 90 minutes. Unlike a firm that books next-day slots, we treat every call as an emergency. |
| A software tool | For small agencies that juggle client work, [Tool] is a project board that shows what each client owes you this week. Unlike a general to-do app, it is built around client billing. |
Signs your positioning is weak
- Customers ask only about price.
- You lose to whoever is cheapest.
- A new prospect cannot repeat what you do after a call.
- Your website, ads and sales calls tell three different stories.
- You sound like your competitors. Here is how to test that.
Two or three of these are enough to be worth an hour of work before you spend more on marketing.
The audit
Score your USP and positioning in ten minutes
The Blind Spot USP & Positioning audit is 20 questions that score four areas, then name the one fix worth making first.
Clarity of your USP
Proof & differentiation
Competitive awareness
Consistency in the market
Questions
Common questions
What is competitive positioning?
The place your business holds in a customer’s mind compared with the alternatives. It decides whether a buyer sees you as a distinct choice or as one more option on the list.
What is a competitive positioning map?
A two-axis chart that plots you and your rivals on the two things customers care about most, such as price and specialization. The empty areas show where nobody stands yet.
How do I write a positioning statement?
Fill in one sentence: for [target customer] who [need], [your business] is a [category] that [main benefit]. Unlike [alternative], we [difference]. Then test it by asking five customers whether it is true.
What is the difference between positioning and a USP?
Positioning is where you stand relative to the alternatives. A USP is the single promise that expresses that stand. A clear position makes the USP easier to write.
How often should I revisit my positioning?
Once a year, and whenever a new competitor, product or customer segment changes the list of alternatives your customers compare you with.
How long does the positioning audit take?
About ten minutes. It is 20 questions, and your score appears the moment you finish.
Make the choice obvious
One audit, $67, a 14-day money-back guarantee and $93 of bonuses.