Run a positioning workshop that surfaces target customer, unmet need, category, benefits, and differentiation. Use when your product messaging feels fuzzy, generic, or misaligned.

Purpose Guide product managers through discovering and articulating product positioning by asking adaptive questions about target customers, unmet needs, product category, benefits, and competitive differentiation. Use this to align stakeholders on strategic positioning before writing PRDs, launch plans, or marketing materials—ensuring you've made deliberate choices about who you serve, what need you address, and how you differ from alternatives. This is not a brainstorming session—it's a structured discovery process that outputs a Geoffrey Moore positioning statement backed by evidence and strategic choices. Input Works best with: The product (or feature) whose positioning feels fuzzy. Also useful: Current messaging, who you think the customer is, competitors, and where positioning breaks down today (sales calls, website, launch). Anything supplied with the invocation itself — text after the skill name, a pasted context dump, or an appended ARGUMENTS: line — counts as answers already given. Use it and skip whatever it covers; don't re ask. Arriving empty handed? That works too. The workshop opens by asking about your target customer and proceeds one question at a time. Example invocation: Run a positioning workshop for our API monitoring tool — we keep getting compared to Datadog and losing. Key Concepts The Positioning Workshop Flow An interactive discovery process that: 1. Gathers product context (marketing materials, competitor intel) 2. Identifies target customer segment through questioning 3. Uncovers underserved needs via Jobs to be Done lens 4. Defines product category and benefits 5. Establishes competitive differentiation 6. Outputs a complete positioning statement (uses positioning statement.md ) Why This Works Structured discovery: Prevents "positioning by committee" (too vague) Evidence based: Uses real marketing materials, customer feedback, competitive intel Adaptive: Questions adjust based on B2B vs. B2C, new product vs. repositioning, etc. Actionable output: Generates a Geoffrey Moore positioning statement ready for stakeholder review Anti Patterns (What This Is NOT) Not a tagline generator: Positioning ≠ marketing copy Not feature first: Starts with customer problems, not product capabilities Not consensus driven: Forces hard choices (can't be "for everyone") When to Use This Defining positioning for a new product Repositioning an existing product (pivot, market shift) Aligning stakeholders on product strategy Preparing for launch or major release Before writing positioning dependent artifacts (PRD, press release, sales deck) When NOT to Use This Before customer research (positioning requires validated insights) For internal tools with captive users (no market positioning needed) When positioning is already clear and validated Facilitation Source of Truth Use [ workshop facilitation ](../workshop facilitation/SKILL.md) as the default interaction protocol for this skill. It defines: session heads up + entry mode (Guided, Context dump, Best guess) one question turns with plain language prompts progress labels (for example, Context Qx/8 and Scoring Qx/5) interruption handling and pause/resume behavior numbered recommendations at decision points quick select numbered response options for regular questions (include Other (specify) when useful) This file defines the domain specific assessment content. If there is a conflict, follow this file's domain logic. Application This interactive skill asks up to 5 adaptive questions , offering 3 4 enumerated context aware options at each step. Interaction pattern: Pair with skills/workshop facilitation/SKILL.md when you want a one step at a time flow with numbered recommendations at decision points and quick select options for regular questions. If the user asks for a single shot output, skip the multi turn facilitation. Step 0: Gather Context (Before Questions) Agent suggests: Before we begin, let's gather product context to ground our positioning work: For Your Own Product: Current website copy (homepage, product pages, value prop) Existing positioning statements or messaging docs Customer testimonials or case studies Sales objections or competitive win/loss analysis Product descriptions or feature lists For Repositioning an Existing Product: Current positioning (what are you saying today?) Customer feedback or support tickets (what problems do they report?) Competitive intel (how do competitors position themselves?) If You Don't Have a Product Yet (or Want to Benchmark): Find 2 3 competitor or analog products Copy their website homepage, positioning statements, or value props We'll use these as reference points You can paste this content directly, or we can proceed with a brief description. Question 1: Target Customer Segment Agent asks: "Based on the context provided, who is the primary customer segment you're serving?" Offer 4 enumerated options (adapted based on product context): 1. B2B: SMB decision makers — E.g., "Small business owners (10 50 employees) managing operations" (like Gusto, QuickBooks) 2. B2B: Enterprise buyers — E.g., "IT/Product leaders at companies with 500+ employees" (like Salesforce, Workday) 3. B2C: Mass market consumers — E.g., "Gen Z users (18 25) seeking budgeting tools" (like Mint, Venmo) 4. B2C: Niche enthusiasts — E.g., "Fitness enthusiasts tracking macros and workouts" (like MyFitnessPal, Strava) Or describe your own target customer segment (be specific: demographics, role, company size, behaviors). Adaptation tip: If marketing materials mention "enterprises," "SMBs," "consumers," or specific personas, suggest those. User response: [Selection or custom] Question 2: Underserved Need (Jobs to be Done) Agent asks: "What underserved need or pain point does your target customer experience that your product addresses?" Offer 4 enumerated options (adapted based on Question 1): Example (if Q1 = B2B SMB decision makers): 1. Time consuming manual work — E.g., "Spend 10+ hours/week on tasks that should be automated" (invoice processing, payroll, reporting) 2. Lack of visibility or control — E.g., "Can't see real time status of projects, causing missed deadlines" (project tracking, dashboards) 3. Compliance or risk burden — E.g., "Fear of tax penalties or legal issues due to manual errors" (accounting, HR compliance) 4. Costly inefficiency — E.g., "Losing revenue due to slow processes or customer friction" (sales ops, customer onboarding) Or describe the specific pain point/unmet need based on customer research, support tickets, or competitive gaps. Adaptation tip: Use language from customer testimonials or case studies in the provided materials. User response: [Selection or custom] Question 3: Product Category Agent asks: "What product category does your solution fit into? (This anchors how buyers evaluate you.)" Offer 4 enumerated options (adapted based on Q1 + Q2): Example (if Q1 = B2B SMB, Q2 = Time consuming manual work): 1. Workflow automation platform — E.g., "Automates repetitive tasks across apps" (like Zapier, Integromat) 2. Business management software — E.g., "All in one platform for operations (invoicing, payroll, CRM)" (like HubSpot, Zoho) 3. Vertical SaaS — E.g., "Purpose built for a specific industry (e.g., HVAC, legal, dental)" (like Jobber, Clio) 4. AI powered assistant — E.g., "AI tool that automates workflows via natural language" (like Notion AI, Jasper) Or define your own category. Note: Creating a new category is risky—pick an existing one unless you have strong rationale. Adaptation tip: If competitors are in a clear category, default to that unless you're deliberately creating a new one. User response: [Selection or custom] Question 4: Key Benefit (Outcome, Not Features) Agent asks: "What's the primary benefit or outcome your product delivers? (Focus on what the customer gets , not what the product has .)" Offer 3 enumerated options (adapted based on Q2 need): Example (if Q2 = Time consuming manual work): 1. Time savings — E.g., "Reduces manual work from 10 hours/week to 1 hour" (measurable efficiency) 2. Error reduction — E.g., "Eliminates 95% of manual data entry errors" (accuracy/risk mitigation) 3. Cost savings — E.g., "Saves $500/month in labor costs by automating invoicing" (direct ROI) Or describe the specific, measurable outcome your product delivers. Quality check: Avoid features ("has AI," "includes dashboards"). Focus on outcomes ("makes decisions 3x faster," "prevents compliance violations"). User response: [Selection or custom] Question 5: Competitive Differentiation Agent asks: "What's your primary competitor or competitive alternative, and how do you differ?" Offer 4 enumerated options (adapted based on Q3 category): Example (if Q3 = Workflow automation platform): 1. Incumbent SaaS leader — E.g., "Unlike Zapier (which requires technical setup), we offer no code visual workflows accessible to non technical users" 2. Spreadsheets/manual processes — E.g., "Unlike Excel (which requires manual updates), we provide real time automated sync across tools" 3. Vertical competitor — E.g., "Unlike generic automation tools, we're pre built for [industry] with templates and compliance features" 4. Enterprise only solutions — E.g., "Unlike enterprise tools (complex, expensive), we're designed for SMBs with simple pricing and 10 minute setup" Or describe your primary competitive alternative and your unique differentiation (focus on outcomes, not features). Adaptation tip: Use competitive intel from provided materials (win/loss analysis, sales objections). User response: [Selection or custom] Output: Generate Positioning Statement After collecting responses, the agent generates a positioning statement using the positioning statement.md format: Examples Example 1: Good Positioning Workshop (B2B SaaS Automation) Step 0 Context Provided: User shares current website copy: "Acme Workflows helps small businesses automate repetitive tasks. Connect your apps and save time." Question 1 Response: "B2B: SMB decision makers — Small business owners (10 50 employees) managing operations" Question 2 Response: "Time consuming manual work — Spend 10+ hours/week on invoice processing, data entry, reporting" Question 3 Response: "Workflow automation platform — Automates repetitive tasks across apps" Question 4 Response: "Time savings — Reduces manual work from 10 hours/week to 1 hour" Question 5 Response: "Incumbent SaaS leader — Unlike Zapier (which requires technical setup), we offer no code visual workflows accessible to non technical users" Generated Positioning Statement: Why this works: Target is specific (SMB owners, 10 50 employees, operations focus) Need is measurable (10+ hours/week on manual tasks) Category is clear (workflow automation) Benefit is outcome focused (10 hours → 1 hour) Differentiation is defensible (no code vs. technical setup) Example 2: Bad Positioning Workshop (Vague) Question 1 Response: "Businesses" Question 2 Response: "Need better tools" Question 3 Response: "Software" Question 4 Response: "Productivity" Question 5 Response: "We're better than competitors" Generated Positioning Statement: Why this fails: Target is too broad ("businesses" = everyone) Need is vague ("better tools" = meaningless) Category is not specific ("software" says nothing) Benefit is unmeasurable ("productivity" = how much?) Differentiation is empty ("better features" = unverifiable) How to fix: Go back and answer with specificity. Use customer research, not guesses. Common Pitfalls Pitfall 1: "For Everyone" Symptom: Target is "all businesses" or "anyone who w

positioning-workshop