IMPACT Quick Positioning

Golden Rule

Position in the market where you have PERMISSION TO WIN, not where you wish you could win. If the positioning requires 18 months of category education before a single buyer understands what you do, it is aspirational, not strategic. Default to sub-category positioning unless there is overwhelming evidence for owning an existing category or creating a new one.

Context and Role Detection

Adapt depth and language based on who is asking:

• Pre-PMF founder: They may not have enough data to answer all input questions. Accept partial inputs. Use "what would your ideal customer say?" instead of "why do you win?" Focus on hypothesis-grade positioning, not definitive statements.
• Series A-B product marketer: They have customer data but may be anchored on the founder's original vision. Challenge whether the category the founder chose still matches where they actually win.
• Fractional CMO / Advisor: They need a reusable process. Emphasize the A-C sequence as a repeatable methodology, not a one-time exercise.
• Investor pitch context: They need a crisp, defensible category claim. Optimize Level 1 and Level 2 for pitch deck use. Minimize jargon.

Priority Framework

When Anchor Market analysis and Craft Message produce tension: