Positioning Statement
Draft sharp value-proposition and differentiation positioning statements before you commit messaging and roadmap scope.
Overview
positioning-statement is an agent skill most often used in Validate (also Idea, Launch) that helps you write specific value-proposition and differentiation positioning statements instead of generic SaaS blurbs.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/deanpeters/product-manager-skills --skill positioning-statementWhat is this skill?
- Structured value proposition template: For / that need / is a / that
- Matching differentiation statement: Unlike / provides
- Contrasts strong Slack-style specificity with generic “ProductX” anti-patterns
- Explicit failure modes: broad targets, outcome-only needs, vague categories
- Concrete rewrite guidance (e.g., narrow to B2B SaaS support teams)
- Includes worked Slack positioning example plus a full generic anti-pattern breakdown
Adoption & trust: 1.2k installs on skills.sh; 5k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
Your product pitch sounds like every other “modern productivity solution for businesses” and you cannot defend who it is for or why it wins.
Who is it for?
Solo builders validating B2B or SaaS ideas who need investor- and customer-legible positioning before heavy build spend.
Skip if: Teams with an already approved positioning doc and signed messaging hierarchy—skip re-brainstorming unless you are repositioning.
When should I use this skill?
Defining or rewriting product positioning, value proposition, and competitive differentiation before messaging or scope commits.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You leave with tight For/need/category/differentiation statements you can reuse on landing pages, pitches, and launch copy.
- Value proposition statement block
- Differentiation (Unlike/provides) statement block
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Positioning crystallizes during validation when you narrow who the product is for and what job it wins. Scope subphase is where fuzzy “for businesses” claims get replaced with a specific target, need, category, and unlike/competitive frame.
Where it fits
Turn a broad ‘small businesses’ hypothesis into a concrete team segment before competitor research.
Lock MVP scope copy so validation interviews test one clear need, not vague productivity.
Replace hero headline fluff with For/need/is-a/that structure on a waitlist page.
Reuse the Unlike/provides line in launch posts so channels echo the same wedge versus email or incumbents.
How it compares
Use for structured PM positioning templates instead of one-off marketing taglines from a generic copy prompt.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is positioning-statement for?
Founder-PMs and indie builders who own positioning without a marketing team and need a repeatable statement framework.
When should I use positioning-statement?
In Idea when defining audience hypotheses, in Validate when scoping MVP messaging, and in Launch when sharpening distribution copy—any time positioning is still generic.
Is positioning-statement safe to install?
It is editorial and example-driven with no runtime integrations; review the Security Audits panel on this page like any community skill before pasting confidential strategy into chats.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Positioning Statement
# Positioning Statement Examples ## Example 1: Slack (Early Positioning) **Value Proposition:** - **For** software development teams - **that need** to reduce email overload and improve real-time collaboration - Slack - **is a** team messaging platform - **that** centralizes communication, integrates with dev tools, and makes conversations searchable and organized **Differentiation Statement:** - **Unlike** email or Skype - Slack - **provides** persistent, searchable, organized conversations with deep tool integrations **Why this works:** - Target is specific (dev teams, not "all teams") - Need is visceral (email overload is a real pain) - Category is clear (messaging platform) - Differentiation is tangible (searchability + integrations) --- ## Example 2: Bad Positioning (Generic SaaS Product) **Value Proposition:** - **For** businesses - **that need** to improve productivity - ProductX - **is a** software solution - **that** helps teams work more efficiently **Differentiation Statement:** - **Unlike** traditional tools - ProductX - **provides** modern features and integrations **Why this fails:** - "Businesses" is not a target (too broad) - "Improve productivity" is not a need (it's an outcome without context) - "Software solution" is not a category (says nothing) - "Modern features" is not differentiation (vague, unverifiable) **How to fix it:** - Narrow target: "For customer support teams in B2B SaaS companies" - Sharpen need: "that need to reduce response time without increasing headcount" - Define category: "is a customer support automation platform" - Specify benefit: "that resolves 40% of tickets via AI-powered workflows" - Name competitor: "Unlike Zendesk or Intercom" - Prove differentiation: "provides AI resolution before human escalation, reducing median response time by 60%" --- name: positioning-statement description: Create a Geoffrey Moore-style positioning statement. Use when clarifying who you serve, what problem you solve, your category, and why you're different from alternatives. intent: >- Create a Geoffrey Moore-style positioning statement that clearly articulates who your product serves, what need it addresses, how it's categorized, what benefit it delivers, and how it differs from alternatives. Use this when you need to align stakeholders on product strategy, guide messaging, or test if your value proposition is crisp and defensible. type: component theme: strategy-positioning best_for: - "Defining your product's market position clearly for the first time" - "Differentiating from specific competitors in your messaging" - "Aligning your team on who you serve, what problem you solve, and why you're different" scenarios: - "I need to write a positioning statement for a new B2B SaaS product targeting mid-market HR teams" - "Our positioning feels generic and I need to sharpen it against two specific competitors" estimated_time: "10-15 min" --- ## Purpose Create a Geoffrey Moore-style positioning statement that clearly articulates who your product serves, what need it addresses, how it's categorized, what benefit it delivers, and how it differs from alternatives. Use this when you need to align stakeholders on product strategy, guide messaging, or test if your value proposition is crisp and defensible. This is not a tagline or elevator pitch—it's a strategic clarity tool that forces you to make hard choices about target, need, and differentiation. ## Key Concepts ### The Geoffrey Moore Framework From *Crossing the Chasm*, Moore's framework splits positioning into two parts: **Value Proposition:** - **For** [target customer] - **that need** [underserved need] - [product name] - **is a** [product category] - **that** [benefit statement] **Differentiation Statement:** - **Unlike** [primary competitor or competitive alternative] - [product name] - **provides** [unique differentiation] ### Why This Structure Works - **Forces specificity:** You can't say "for everyone" or "unlike all c