/gtm-positioning — Positioning & Messaging

Define positioning, strategic narrative, category strategy, and a messaging matrix that maps messaging by persona and buying stage. Produces a messaging guide that all downstream GTM skills consume.

When to Use

User says "positioning", "messaging", "how should we position", "strategic narrative"
Defining or refining market positioning
Building messaging for a launch, rebrand, or new market entry
Need a messaging matrix for sales and marketing alignment

Before Starting

Check for existing context:

Read projects/<project>/gtm-context.md — master GTM context
Read projects/<project>/icp-personas.md — buyer personas and language bank
Read projects/<project>/competitive-intel.md — competitive landscape
Check if projects/<project>/positioning.md already exists

If gtm-context.md does not exist, tell the user: "I need GTM context first. Run /onboarding or give me the basics."

ICP and competitive intel are highly valuable. If they don't exist, flag it but proceed — you'll research during Step 2.

Process

Step 1: Intake — Positioning Context

Reference existing context, then gather:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "What's driving this positioning work?"
  header: "Context"
  options:
    - label: "New product launch"
      description: "Defining positioning from scratch"
    - label: "Repositioning"
      description: "Current positioning isn't working — need to reframe"
    - label: "New market entry"
      description: "Taking existing product to a new audience"
    - label: "Competitive response"
      description: "A competitor shift requires repositioning"

Then gather:

What is it? — Plain language description
Who is it for? — Primary audience (reference ICP if available)
What alternatives exist? — What buyers do if you don't exist
What makes you different? — Honest, not aspirational
What's not working? — If repositioning: current positioning and why it fails

Step 2: Research — Parallel Intelligence

Launch 2 agents IN PARALLEL:

Agent 1 — Competitive Positioning Landscape

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", model: "sonnet", description: "Research competitive positioning")
prompt: Research how competitors position themselves in [SPACE].
  Competitors: [LIST].
  For each, find: positioning/tagline, key messaging, target audience, market category, strengths/weaknesses of their positioning.
  Also identify positioning territory no competitor owns (white space).
  Return a structured competitive positioning matrix.

Agent 2 — Market Shifts & Category Dynamics

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", model: "sonnet", description: "Research market shifts")
prompt: Research market dynamics in [SPACE].
  Find: key trends changing this market (old game vs new game), how buyer expectations are shifting, emerging categories or frames, cultural tensions, white space no competitor owns.
  Return structured findings.

Step 3: Synthesize — Positioning Analysis

1. Competitive Alternatives Map

What buyers actually do today (including "do nothing")
Strengths and weaknesses of each alternative
Where each falls short (the gap)

2. Positioning Map

Plot competitors on 2 key dimensions
Identify white space — unclaimed territory
The axes you choose define the positioning game

3. Market Shift Analysis (Raskin framework)

Old Game → New Game shift
Winners already playing the new game
Who's stuck in the old game

Step 4: Strategic Directions — Present 2-3 Options

For each direction, provide:

Positioning Statement (Dunford/Jackson) "For [target] who [need], [product] is a [category] that [benefit]. Unlike [alternatives], [product] [differentiator]."

Strategic Narrative (Raskin)

The shift: Old Game → New Game
The stakes: winners vs. losers
The promised land: what winning looks like
The obstacle: why they can't get there alone
Your role: how you help them win

Category Strategy

Compete in existing category? Which one, how?
Create a new category? Name (2-3 words max)?
Subcategory strategy? Reframe existing category?

Target Segment (Moore beachhead)

Who cares most about this positioning?
Why best beachhead? How to expand?

Trade-offs

What this direction gains and gives up
Who it resonates with most / least

Brand Personality (Aaker's 5 Dimensions)

Which 2 of 5 dimensions does this brand spike in? (Sincerity, Excitement, Competence, Sophistication, Ruggedness)
3-5 "We are X, but not Y" personality statements — the Y creates tension and specificity

Present all directions. Use AskUserQuestion:

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "Which direction resonates? Or should we combine elements?"
  header: "Direction"

Do not proceed without explicit approval on direction.

Step 5: Build — Full Positioning Package

For the approved direction:

Positioning statement — Final version
Strategic narrative — Full old game → new game story
Value proposition — One sentence, core benefit
Elevator pitch — 30-second version
Messaging pillars — 3-5 pillars with proof points each
Tagline candidates — 3-5 options with rationale

Messaging Matrix — Map messaging by persona × buying stage:

| | Champion | Economic Buyer | Technical Evaluator | |---|---|---|---| | Awareness | [Hook/problem] | [Business impact] | [Technical trend] | | Consideration | [Differentiation] | [ROI/risk] | [Architecture/integration] | | Decision | [Proof/case study] | [Business case] | [Security/compliance] |

Message Testing Recommendations

What to A/B test first (headlines, value props, category framing)
How to validate positioning in market (customer conversations, landing page tests, ad creative tests)

Bar test — Read everything aloud. Would your target say this to a friend at a bar? If it sounds like marketing-speak, rewrite.

Step 6: Save

Save to: projects/<project>/positioning.md

Methodology

Synthesizes: April Dunford (5-component positioning), Andy Raskin (strategic narrative), Arielle Jackson (purpose/positioning/personality), Geoffrey Moore (beachhead), Christopher Lochhead (category design). See references/positioning-frameworks.md.

Output

Saves to: projects/<project>/positioning.md

Next Steps

Ready for GTM plan? → /gtm-strategy
Need pricing? → /gtm-pricing
Need outreach? → /gtm-outreach (uses messaging for sequences)
Need content? → /gtm-marketing (uses messaging pillars for content strategy)