A Simple Positioning Framework to Give Your B2B Company a Clear Story
One of the most asked questions I get across B2B healthcare and tech is, “What does your process look like around positioning?”
It’s important because you can’t just fill in the boxes, wave a magic wand, and everything becomes crystal clear.
The hardest thing about positioning is sticking with what you’re good at. The stuff you know your customers love. And to avoid chasing the shiny pennies that distract every B2B company.
To stay focused, you need to follow a process that I give B2B healthcare companies to help them stand out. It helps them craft a story, find the core value, and empower their organization with the right frame of mind.
Voice of Market Mapping
The voice of your market is exactly what it sounds like. You’re finding out what your best customers say and think about you.
This is where I’d talk to product, marketing, and sales. I want to know why customers not only pick your company, but also what phrases and words they use to describe you as the solution. I also want to know how they describe competitors and what they lack.
You have to obsess over your best customers.
Know where else they go when they don’t understand you. Know what “aha” moment they have before choosing you.
Map it out and find out.
Why You (Signature Superpowers)
Your features are unique. They matter to your audience, but they don’t have the power to explain why they matter.
Your team needs to come together and figure out why your best customers want your company’s features. What value does it deliver? Why does it matter? Ask the so what question.
Your product’s unique attributes are like a superhero’s signature superpowers. You don’t just want to know them, you want to know how they are different from other superheroes.
How Will It Save Me?
Superpowers are cool. I mean, Superman has some of the coolest powers. But they are even cooler when we see them in action.
When I advise B2B companies, I’m telling them that their audience doesn’t just want to know about their powers. They want to know how it’s going to save them from their problem.
How do your unique B2B features deliver value that’s different from other B2B companies? Who benefits the most? What personas get the most value?
The question your audience is asking is, “Will this save me?”
Choose the Story for Your Hero
The worst thing about making your customer the hero is that they don’t know what story they are in. They are confused.
Your hero needs context. You can give them all the value they want, but they need to know how to apply it and in what way. April Dunford calls this knowing your market category.
You’re not necessarily trying to create a new market category. Your goal is to find the story / category that empowers your hero the most. You’re choosing a category that allows your feature and value to blossom.
For example, instead of choosing a “healthcare IT software” provider, the company chooses the specific market category of “AI-driven diagnostic support tools for radiology departments.”
Make it super clear what story your hero is in.
What questions do you have about positioning?