Positioning and Messaging: Explain Why Customers Should Choose You

What are positioning and messaging?

Positioning establishes the context in which a particular customer should understand and evaluate your offering. Messaging expresses that value in the words and evidence used in a page, conversation, or presentation.

Positioning connects the customer, alternatives, meaningful differences, and value. It informs the message. April Dunford explains these components and distinguishes positioning from slogans and messaging.

Element	Practical question
Customer	Who cares enough about the outcome to act?
Alternatives	What would they actually use or do otherwise?
Difference	What can you deliver that matters in that comparison?
Value	What customer outcome follows from that capability?
Context	What category makes the offer understandable?
Proof	What can you substantiate today?

Why it matters

A feature list may leave buyers unsure whether the product is for them. A vague promise can attract people you cannot serve. Clear positioning helps you choose which comparison and outcome to explain, while consistent messaging helps the team make the same offer.

A slogan does not resolve an uncertain strategy. Investigate customers and alternatives before polishing copy.

Worked example: from generic claim to specific offer

This scenario is invented for teaching. You sell scheduling software to small grooming shops with several staff members. Buyers currently coordinate through a shared calendar and messages.

Weak starting point	More useful direction
“The ultimate AI-powered business platform”	Name the scheduling workflow and intended shop
“Manage everything effortlessly”	Explain which coordination problem you address
“Save hours every day”	Use measured results or a narrower factual claim

An illustrative message is:

Shared appointment scheduling for independent grooming shops. See staff availability and reassign bookings in one place. Book a walkthrough using your team's current workflow.

This describes a customer, capability, and next step. It does not claim an unmeasured time saving. If a pilot later supports a result, describe the sample, period, and assistance provided before turning it into a broader promise.

Investigate the real alternatives

Ask recent buyers what they considered and what happened in deals you lost. Include manual work and remaining with the current process. Dunford's competition guidance explains why the customer's actual alternatives matter.

Focus on the alternatives in the buyer's actual decision.

Copyable positioning evidence worksheet

Complete one worksheet for a defined offer and segment. These are research prompts, not blanks that automatically produce a correct strategy.

Field	Fill in
Offer and target segment	[Enter]
Purchase trigger and painful job	[Enter; recent example]
Alternatives actually considered	[Enter; include status quo]
Difference relative to each alternative	[Enter; verify factual claims]
Customer outcome from that difference	[Enter]
Customers who care most, and exclusions	[Enter]
Candidate category and likely expectations	[Enter]
Evidence available now	[Enter; source, date, limitations]
Claims needing proof	[Enter]
Next test and review date	[Enter]

Check whether the category implies capabilities you cannot deliver.

Copyable messaging template

Use this original template after reviewing the evidence. Draft alternatives and test comprehension.

• Audience: [Specific buyer and situation]
• Headline: [Clear outcome or offering; avoid unsupported superlatives]
• Explanation: [What the product does and how it helps]
• Capability → value: [Capability] enables [customer outcome].
• Proof: [Actual result or demonstration, with context and permission]
• Objection: [Main concern] → [Accurate answer or next step]
• Call to action: [Specific action and what happens afterward]
• Boundary: [Important scope limit or customer fit requirement]

Show decision-relevant scope limits, such as one location per account.

Test comprehension before conversion

Ask qualified people to read the message and explain, in their own words, who it serves, what it does, why they might choose it, and what the next step means. Their paraphrase can reveal confusion that a preference survey misses.

Then test the offer in a relevant channel. Track qualified interest, purchase progress, and customer fit. If conversion changes, check traffic source, price, and audience before concluding the wording caused it.

Finding	Next investigation
Readers misunderstand the product	Category, terms, and explanation
They understand but do not care	Segment, urgency, and value
Interest comes from unsuitable buyers	Audience and scope boundaries
Buyers hesitate at the next step	Trust, commitment, and buying process

What investors are looking for

Explain whom you serve, why they choose you over actual alternatives, and what evidence supports the difference. Connect the offer to a reachable segment and a repeatable sales process.

A customer message should describe what can be delivered today. An investor discussion can include future ambition, provided current capabilities, plans, and assumptions remain clear.

Common mistakes

• Using a slogan as the positioning strategy.
• Describing every possible customer and feature.
• Comparing against alternatives buyers never consider.
• Claiming leadership, savings, or outcomes without evidence.
• Hiding limitations until after the customer commits.
• Changing copy without tracking which hypothesis changed.

Founder checklist

Name the buyer, job, alternatives, meaningful difference, category, and proof. Complete the worksheet and draft a message with one clear next step. Check comprehension with qualified readers.

Your next action: replace one vague claim with a specific capability and supporting evidence.

Sources and further reading

• April Dunford: Introduction to Positioning
• April Dunford: Positioning and Competition

References checked November 10, 2026. The worksheet, template, and scenario are original illustrative teaching material.