• by Michael Baer , Yesterday

When growth slows, most companies do not say, “We have a positioning problem.” 

They say the pipeline is declining. Sales cycles are elongating. Activity is not creating enough momentum.

But usually, those are symptoms.

Most companies that think they have a demand problem have more of a clarity problem, a relevance problem, a differentiation problem. In other words, a positioning problem.

Far too many companies think positioning is just a marketing concept. But it is much more than a mere marketing exercise. When done right, positioning is the business story that connects what you do to why your buyer should care, trust you, and take action. Because it shapes how sales teams communicate your value and how marketing creates demand, positioning is fundamentally connected to growth.

McKinsey found that companies that put marketing at the core of their growth strategy outperform competitors, and Forrester found companies with strong strategic alignment across functions see materially higher revenue and profitability growth.

Getting positioning wrong matters because it weakens the foundation underneath the company’s growth efforts. So identifying where your story is breaking down is important.

Here are four ways your positioning can go off-track:

It’s not clear who you are really for. Strong positioning starts with a clear, intentional target. Not everyone who could conceivably use the product, but the customer with the most urgent need, the strongest fit, and the greatest likelihood to act.

When that customer is not clear, everything ends up soft. The website sounds generic. Sales has to constantly adjust the story. Marketing produces bland content.

Specificity gives positioning its power. If your message speaks to everyone, it's likely to be magnetic to no one.

The problem you solve is not clear enough. Too often, companies talk about the product and its features instead of the problem the product is meant to solve. They are so focused on what they built they lose sight of the product’s purpose: helping a specific customer address a specific need.

If the problem is not clear, sharp, and real, the solution will not feel urgent. The buyer may understand what you do, but not why it matters.

The story stops at what the product does. Strong positioning goes beyond function. It starts with what you do, but must connect that to a larger customer outcome.

This is the “so that” test: your product or service does X so that the customer can achieve Y. This value chain connects your rational benefit to a larger outcome that you enable.

Without the "so that" connection, companies end up competing on rational category benefits and miss out on the chance to own a bigger, more powerful promise.

There is no clear belief or point of view. Positioning should reflect a belief about the customer, their problem, or a better way forward.

That belief does not need to be worthy, virtuous or contrarian. But it does need to be clear and pointed. It should communicate the belief that leads to your unique approach or solution. 

This point of view gives your business story its edge.

The best companies know that positioning is actually a growth foundation. A powerful positioning unifies a team, gives marketing a sharper platform for activation, and gives sales a more compelling way to create relevance, urgency, and confidence with buyers.

So when growth feels harder than it should, don’t knee-jerk to simply add more activity. It may be time to strengthen the story underpinning it all.