Customer differentiation for messaging and positioning

Quote: Robin Williams

I would like to share a recent framework and process that came into being as part of a customer differentiation program to answer the million dollar question:

So, why do our customers choose us over the competition?

I had joined a new team as the sole Product Marketing and as part of my 100 day discovery, I set out to interview key stakeholders across product, sales and customer success. We didn’t have a marketing team yet, it was supported by marketing agencies.

100 day discovery questions

I came across these assessment questions early on in my career and this has helped me in understanding the company dynamics and landscape. This is a good litmus test to understand cross-functional alignment across key stakeholders.

[embed]100 day discovery: Product marketing assessment

My priority for the quarter was understanding our customer differentiation. I had set out to refine our messaging and positioning. After evaluating positioning expert April Dunford’s positioning canvas and my own combined messaging and positioning document, I needed an interview baseline to establish credibility with customers.

[embed]Messaging and Positioning framework

Customer interview questionnaire

I needed a starting point as I was new to the company(1month+), I didn’t have the breadth and depth of knowledge that is needed for me to conduct a positioning and messaging exercise. So, I created a three-step plan:

• Step 1: Understand the market — read the analyst reports, and gather data points that will help guide where the market is going
• Step 2: Understand the customer — I created an interview guide to ask the right questions to our most valued customers. And validate by asking these questions to internal stakeholders from sales to customer success, to the executive leadership team.
• Step 3: Understand the competition — This is where it’s important to not just know where the market’s going and what our customer needs are, but also understand where the competition is headed in this ever changing market. Is this industry disrupted by external forces like Covid-19 pandemic or in the process of disruption? Competition and market intelligence is key to get the right pulse and temperature check.

Step 3 is not as much to mimic or copy what the competition is doing, but it’s for setting the company and product portfolio apart and having clarity of how to differentiate from the competition. And to help customers understand our true value, our unique differentiation.

When I interviewed my first customer with the questionnaire, the first reaction I got was this is great. Can I share this with my husband whose in sales.

I thought maybe there is something in this document that I didn’t see beyond this being an interview guide. So, I would love to share this with all of you in the product marketing community, in hopes that it can be a guide in your messaging and positioning journey.

[embed]Messaging and Positioning: Customer Differentiation

Timeline and Expectations

Another key aspect is timeline. If you are looking to get this completed in a quarter, make sure you have the plan ready and signed off by the leadership team before the quarter starts. Ideally, this process could take starting from six to nine months. Because there are iterations and it’s not a one and done thing.

Once you’ve crafted the unique differentiation then draft the plan for rollout:

• update sales pitch deck or customer presentation: Find your internal champions to pilot and test the new message with customers. Include sales and customer success in the process from the beginning to get buyin.
• update website messaging and testing: Wynter.io has provided initial feedback on how the website messaging is perceived by our target audience.
• Inform the analysts of the new message: Get a pulse check on the market perspective and gather feedback. engage with analyst quarterly if feasible.
• Create buzz with media about the new direction or reinforce the current direction with the new messaging.
• Establish a trusted customer advisory council: Share a preview with your most valued customers as they are your external champions and advocates.

Hope these steps help you in your customer journey. Feel free to reach out anytime. Good luck on charting the path for customer differentiation!