re:position
A monthly newsletter and community round-up, shining light on the art and science of powerful market positioning.
Latest Feature Story from our most recent newsletter.
(link to full newsletter after article)
Why no one ever asks for positioning first
People are funny.
Few customers start by asking to just update their positioning. They know it’s the thing that I do unusually well, and they’ve called me, but for some reason it’s very rarely the headline topic of our first conversation.
That honour, almost always, goes to the topic of sales.
Sales is the measurable pain point
Although my ego may protest, market positioning can never be the highest order problem that a business leader faces. It’s an abstract planning construct, not a commercial KPI, an input, not a measurable output.
So I guess it’s understandable that customers knock on my door with the biggest problem that they can measure and in turn will be measured against.
“Andy” they say, “my numbers are off, what can we do?”
And I’m ok with this.
Positioning only matters when it delivers something
We all know that Market Positioning is the foundation of every business strategy. Equally, we also all know that positioning must be implemented fully to have any real world impact.
So is it fair to propose that nobody is really interested in positioning, but only ever in what it will deliver for them?
Although flippant (and a further dent in my ego), I find this a hugely reassuring way to explain the phenomenon. I’ve always been uncomfortable with people stating that their market positioning is their proverbial magic bullet. Rather, tightening your proposition or updating your product-market fit is just the start line, it’s where the real work begins.
We all need a reminder that businesses are a complex system where sales performance is an outcome of what you purposefully build and operate. No one thing can ever make enough difference on performance, but many small things, implemented well across the business, most certainly will.
Why I never practise positioning in isolation
Which is precisely why I don’t practice positioning in isolation any more. On paper, positioning can only have abstract value, hence I’m usually found working in the company of great turnaround agents like global sales lead Chris Boys and commercial legend Alex Ball. Positioning, sales and finance in equilibrium, it truly takes a multi skilled team to ensure that implementation happens.
The real challenge: keeping momentum when the excitement fades
As we end the year, I’ve been reflecting on just how hard it can be, even for a multi disciplinary team, to get full commitment to change. To bake in the benefits of a new market position, any business has to adopt new practices, processes and develop new relationships. It sounds so banal, yet keeping the momentum of change after the first excitement really is challenging.
I’m sure many of you can relate to this frustration.
How do you convince your own business to remedy soggy product-market fit, when you’re being pushed to just get it into your next market? You’ll be told that stepping back to update your market fit while building a Go-to market plan can feel like the ultimate momentum killer, but you know the cost of not doing it will be felt for months to come.
Three ways to make change stick
1. Get everyone to agree there’s a real problem
Firstly, it’s important to get everybody to agree that there is a problem worth addressing. I always repeat the most common symptoms of poor positioning, too hard to explain, too slow to convert, too similar to competitors. Ask your team across the business for evidence of these, then reframe it for them.
2. Make positioning a cross functional process
Secondly, make positioning work cross functional and a reason to bring the whole business together. Give everybody a role in the process, from customer insight, to product roadmap, to pricing and commercials.
3. Turn change into a learning process
Then finally, make learning the reason you commit to keep implementing change. Test and learn on every change you make, committing to action in manageable 100 day chunks. When you make teams accountable for gathering evidence about what is changing, then bring it back to share and feel part of something bigger than their own roles.
Making implementation of a new market position a “Learning” process, rather than a “Change” process, takes the emotion out and puts the excitement back in. Breaking the future into 100 day sprints gives everybody a goal to achieve and subconsciously makes change feel less arduous.
Psychology eh! It always comes back to this, but when your numbers are down, and you have a business to turn around, every little trick matters.
Article from the November 2025 re:position
Do it til it’s done - and an invite to December drinks! Celebrate the year's end with us on December 6th! 🎉 READ THE FULL NEWSLETTER HERE and SIGN UP HERE if you’d like to receive this in your inbox next time.
Browse our past issues of re:position, and sign up at the bottom of the page if you’d like to get it in your inbox.
October 2025 re:position
The question every board should be asking. Who really owns your positioning? Read here
September 2025 re:position
The most valuable asset in your business. A simple exercise to reset positioning and performance around reality . Read here
August 2025 re:position
Value is the villain. Most businesses kill their positioning by talking about “our value” instead of the outcomes their customers actually care about. Read here
July 2025 re:position
In praise of Plan B. Rethinking the back‑up plan: why 2025 might call for a Plan B renaissance. Read here
June 2025 re:position
Is export the wrong problem to solve? Forget “build it and they will come.” It’s time to rethink how we scale. Read here
May 2025 re:position
A little south of Huntly. Inspired by a flight home from a recent workshop, I found myself connecting the dots of light below, which made me think about how our words work in similar ways - guiding decisions and perceptions. Read here
April 2025 re:position
Change is inevitable. 2025 has been a bumpy ride so far, and it’s not slowing down. Find out why focusing on what you can control is essential for your strategy. Read here
March 2025 re:position
Scared of similar? Marketers are obsessed with originality, but maybe it’s time to stand up for being more alike. Here’s why. Read here
February 2025 re:position
A productivity challenge for 2025. Execution is where strategy comes to life. Why do we get stuck, and how do we move faster? Read here
January 2025 re:position
2025, we made it. So what now? The truth about January. It’s tempting to let the month slip by in a summer haze, but January could be your most strategic month yet. Read here
December 2024 re:position
Wrapping up 2024 with gratitude and a special invitation. A quick thank you, a sneak peek at 2025, and a fun chance to kick off the year with an 'Ask Me Anything' clinic. Enjoy your holidays, and see you in the new year! Read here
November 2024 re:position
Embrace sales! It's time to grow 📈 Let’s address sales investment phobias and the impact this has on growth. Read here
October 2024 re:position
Don't let ghost value haunt your strategy - Ghost value can creep in unnoticed - let's explore how meaningful differentiation can keep your strategy sharp and scare off sameness. Read here
