Make the case
Positioning statement
Also called Elevator pitch template
Who it's for, the need, what it is, the key benefit, and how it differs from the alternative, in two sentences.
- Time30 to 45 minutes
- People2 to 8 people
- Steps3
What it's for
A positioning statement isn't marketing copy. It's an internal agreement on who the product is for and why they'd choose it over the alternative. Teams that can't fill it in the same way are building different products.
Fill each slot separately, then read it as a sentence.
How to run it
Fill the slots15 min
Everyone adds notes to each slot. Disagreement is the useful part.
Vote5 min7 votes each
Vote for the best note in each slot.
Read it aloud5 min
Read the winning notes as one statement. Does anyone wince?
Tips
- "Unlike" should name what customers actually use today, including spreadsheets or doing nothing.
- If the benefit could describe any product, it isn't a benefit yet.
Where it comes from
From Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm (1991), where it appears as a test of whether a product's positioning is clear enough to say in an elevator ride.
Pairs well with
Monroe's motivated sequence
Five steps for a speech that moves people to act: attention, need, satisfaction, visualisation and action.
Point of view statement
A one-sentence problem statement built from a user, a need and an insight, so the team agrees what it is solving before solving it.
And, but, therefore
Context joined with "and", a problem introduced with "but", and a consequence with "therefore": a story in one sentence.