biz-dev-practitioner-positioning

name	biz-dev-practitioner-positioning
description	Use when Practitioner Positioning is needed to produce a positioning statement and proof architecture for social-media or digital-marketing work; use `biz-dev-positioning` when its narrower outcome is requested.
metadata	{"portable":true,"compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]}

Practitioner Positioning

Use When

• Use this skill when the requested outcome is specifically a positioning statement and proof architecture and the supplied brief falls within practitioner positioning.

Do Not Use When

• Use biz-dev-positioning when its narrower output is the real deliverable; do not use this skill as a generic substitute.
• Do not use it to publish, send, spend, alter a live account, or make unsupported legal, platform, performance, or certification claims.

Required Inputs

Artefact	Source/provider	Required?	If absent
Commercial brief, target buyer, offer, proof and requested next step	Requester or approved brief	Yes	Stop and request the missing decision context.
Brand voice, offer facts, constraints and approvals	Client source pack or authorised owner	Conditional	State assumptions; do not invent names, prices, results or approvals.
Performance, platform or research evidence used for claims	Traceable export, URL, document or named source	Conditional	Issue a qualified finding and identify the evidence needed.

Capability and Permission Boundaries

Default to read-only: inspect supplied material and report findings. Editing, publishing, contacting people, spending, or changing live systems requires separate explicit authority. Minimum capabilities are read access to supplied files and search across the authorised evidence set. Use only the files, tools, accounts and evidence made available for the engagement, expose every unassessed check, and obtain explicit authority before any mutation.

Degraded Mode

Fallback: if files, network access, platform data, language review or production tools are unavailable, return the narrowest useful qualified positioning statement and proof architecture; mark unavailable checks not assessed and never convert them into a pass.

Decision Rules

Choice	Action	Failure or risk avoided
Buyer problem, proof strength and commercial objective align	Choose the offer and proof sequence that supports the requested buying decision.	A generic sales asset with unsupported claims or the wrong ask.
A required fact or approval is missing	Stop that claim or action; request it or use an explicit placeholder.	Fabricated facts, implied consent or unauthorised publication.
Evidence is partial but a useful draft is possible	Deliver a qualified draft with gaps and the next verification step.	Treating an unassessed requirement as passed.

Workflow

1. Confirm the exact positioning statement and proof architecture, consumer, market, channel and approval boundary; route to biz-dev-positioning if it is the closer match.
2. Inventory supplied facts, source provenance, constraints and missing inputs; stop if the objective, audience or authority is unknowable.
3. Select the domain method and record the material decision behind it before drafting.
4. Produce the smallest complete positioning statement and proof architecture; keep facts traceable and placeholders visibly unresolved.
5. Test the result against the decision table, domain quality criteria and anti-slop gate; recover by narrowing or qualifying unsupported portions.
6. Deliver the artefact with evidence, assumptions, unassessed checks and the next approval or verification step.

Outputs

Artefact	Consumer	Observable acceptance condition
Positioning statement and proof architecture	Requester, client reviewer or delivery team	The positioning statement and proof architecture addresses the named audience and objective, records assumptions, and passes the skill's domain checks without invented facts.
Decision and gap note	Approver or next workflow	Names the chosen route, evidence used, unresolved inputs and any action requiring authority.

Evidence Produced

Evidence	Format	Acceptance condition
Finding-to-source register and unassessed-check list	Inline table, checklist or linked source note	Every material claim, decision and unavailable check is traceable.

Quality Standards

• Preserve the domain guidance and East African market context below; replace it only when the requester names another market.
• Use British English unless the target language or market requires otherwise, and verify names, figures, quotations and platform rules before use.
• Make the key choice visible, cover failure and edge cases, and keep the result ready for its named consumer.
• Run the repository's anti-ai-slop ship gate; a blocking factual, cultural, safety or permission defect stops release.

Anti-Patterns

• Writing before the objective and audience are known. Fix: stop and obtain the missing brief fields.
• Reusing a neighbouring skill's template because the headings look similar. Fix: route by the requested positioning statement and proof architecture, not vocabulary overlap.
• Adding a price, result, quotation, platform limit or cultural claim without a traceable source. Fix: verify it or qualify/remove it.
• Treating missing access, evidence or native-language review as approval. Fix: mark the check not assessed and narrow the result.
• Publishing, sending, spending or changing a live account from drafting authority alone. Fix: obtain explicit action-specific authority and retain the approval record.

References

• biz-dev-positioning is the nearest routing comparison for this skill.
• Repository agent guide defines the engine-wide market, safety and anti-slop gates.

Purpose

In Uganda and East Africa, professional services are won through relationships and reputation. A consultant who cannot clearly answer "why you?" loses to a more connected or better-positioned competitor.

Positioning is not a website exercise. It is how you describe yourself in a WhatsApp message, on a discovery call, and in a proposal introduction. This skill builds that position systematically.

Sources: Sobia Publication, Powerful Social Media Marketing for Beginners (2022); Johnson, J., How to Become a Social Media Manager (2023).

Required Input

Ask for all of the following before generating any output:

1. Consultant's name and years of experience in social media or digital marketing
2. Current services offered — list all services currently provided or intended
3. Industries with the most experience and best results — name specific sectors
4. Current client base — approximate number of clients, their size, and type
5. Biggest business development challenge — select one: too few leads / wrong clients / price competition / unclear positioning / other (describe)
6. LinkedIn presence status — active (posting regularly) / inactive (profile exists, no posts) / no account

Do not proceed until all six inputs are provided.

Section 1: Niche Selection

The most common mistake consultants make is trying to serve everyone. The most effective EA consultants specialise. A narrow niche builds faster credibility, commands higher fees, and generates stronger referrals.

Niche Dimensions

Select one primary niche and, at most, one secondary. Niches can be defined by sector, service type, or audience size.

By sector:

• Financial services (SACCOs, MFIs, banks, mobile money)
• Healthcare and wellness
• NGO and donor-funded organisations
• Hospitality (hotels, restaurants, lodges)
• Retail and FMCG
• Education (schools, universities, training institutions)
• Real estate and construction
• Professional services (law firms, accounting firms)
• Government and public sector

By service type:

• Social media management (content and community)
• Strategy and training only (no execution)
• Instagram growth specialist
• WhatsApp marketing and automation
• Paid advertising
• Creator and influencer management
• Content production (video, photography, writing)

By audience size:

• Solo founders and personal brands
• SMEs (5–50 staff)
• Corporate (50+ staff)
• NGOs and INGOs

Niche Selection Test

Apply this three-question test using the consultant's inputs:

1. In which sector, service type, or audience size do you have the most experience?
2. In which sector, service type, or audience size do you produce the best results?
3. Which clients pay the best and respect your expertise the most?

The correct niche is the overlap of all three answers. Where the answers diverge, prioritise question 3 — payment quality and client respect determine whether the work is sustainable.

Generate a one-paragraph niche statement that names the primary niche, explains why it is the right choice based on the consultant's inputs, and identifies the secondary niche (if any).

Section 2: USP Articulation

The USP (Unique Selling Proposition) is the one thing that makes this consultant different from every other social media consultant in their market. It must be specific enough to be testable and narrow enough to be memorable.

USP Formula

Apply this structure:

"I help [specific client type] achieve [specific result] through [specific approach], faster/better/cheaper than [alternative]."

EA USP examples:

• "I help Ugandan SACCOs grow their member base using WhatsApp marketing campaigns that cost less than a Facebook boost."
• "I help EA hospitality brands produce hotel-quality content using smartphones — no photography budget required."
• "I train NGO communications teams to produce donor-quality social media content in-house, so they don't need an agency."

Generating the USP

Using the consultant's niche, experience, and challenge inputs, draft three USP candidates. Present all three, explain the strengths of each, and recommend one as the primary USP.

USP Testing Instruction

Include this instruction in the output:

Say the USP to five prospective clients. If three or more respond with "yes, that is exactly what I need" — it is working. If they look confused or say "interesting" — revise. Report back and this skill will help you iterate.

Section 3: Social Proof Strategy

In EA professional markets, social proof is the most powerful sales tool. No amount of portfolio polishing beats a referral from a trusted contact.

Social Proof Types

Build in this order:

1. Client testimonials — ask every client at Month 3 and at contract renewal. Use a WhatsApp message: "We've been working together for 3 months. Would you be willing to share a sentence or two about what's been most valuable? I'd like to share it on LinkedIn."

2. Case studies — for every significant result (follower growth, lead generation campaign, viral post), produce a one-page case study. Use the biz-dev-case-study skill.

3. Results screenshots — engagement spikes, follower milestones, positive mentions: screenshot and, with client permission, share on your own social channels.

4. LinkedIn recommendations — ask every satisfied client to write a LinkedIn recommendation. The request is low-friction; most will comply if asked directly after a win.

5. Speaking and training — being invited to speak at a business event, media training session, or university is the highest-credibility signal in EA professional markets. Pursue actively.

Social Proof Collection Schedule

Apply this named schedule as a standard operating procedure:

Trigger	Action
Month 1	Request one results screenshot for the portfolio
Month 3	Request a written testimonial via WhatsApp
Contract end	Request a LinkedIn recommendation and case study consent
Any major win	Document immediately; request permission to share within 48 hours

Generate a personalised version of this schedule based on the consultant's current client base and LinkedIn status. If LinkedIn is inactive or absent, include a note on why the recommendation request is still worth prioritising and what to do first.

Section 4: LinkedIn Thought Leadership

LinkedIn is the primary professional networking platform in EA urban centres. A consistent LinkedIn presence generates referrals and inbound enquiries for consultants. It is not optional for a consultant who wants to be taken seriously by corporate or NGO clients.

Content Strategy for the Consultant's Own Account

Posting frequency:

• 2 posts per week minimum for maintenance
• 4 posts per week for active growth

Content types — rotate across all four:

• Insight posts: "What I have learned managing social media for [industry] clients in Uganda" — specific, credible, shareable among peers. Ground every insight in a real client situation (anonymised if necessary).

• Results posts: "We grew [client type]'s WhatsApp list from 200 to 1,200 subscribers in 90 days — here is what worked." Client permission is required before naming or identifying any client.

• Contrarian takes: Challenge a received wisdom in the industry. Reference the audacious content approach in playbook-audacious-content. Example: "Why posting every day on Instagram is damaging Ugandan SME brands."

• EA market observations: Commentary on a local business or marketing trend specific to Uganda or East Africa — platform shifts, brand launches, campaign failures, or emerging client behaviours.

Engagement Discipline

• Comment meaningfully on 5 posts per day by potential clients, peers, and sector influencers
• Respond to every comment on your own posts within 24 hours
• Send every new connection a one-line human message on connection — not a pitch, not a link, not a service offer

Generate a 4-week LinkedIn content plan based on the consultant's niche, including one post idea per content type per week, with suggested hooks for each.

If the consultant has no LinkedIn account, include a step-by-step profile setup checklist before the content plan.

Section 5: Referral System Design

Referrals are the primary business development channel for EA consultants. The goal is a system, not a hope. Most consultants wait for referrals; effective ones engineer them.

Step 1: Identify Referral Partners

These are professionals who work with the consultant's ideal clients and are not competitors. Approach each category:

• Accountants and bookkeepers — they work with every SME in the country
• Lawyers (corporate and commercial practices)
• Business coaches and trainers
• Printers and graphic designers
• Event organisers and venues
• Web developers
• Bank relationship managers

Approach script: "I refer clients who need [their service] to you. Would you be comfortable referring clients who need social media help to me?"

Generate a shortlist of 5–8 specific referral partner categories based on the consultant's niche.

Step 2: Make Referrals Easy

Produce the following two assets as part of the skill output:

1. WhatsApp referral message — a short text referral partners can forward on the consultant's behalf:

   "I work with [Name], a social media consultant who specialises in [niche]. She/He has helped brands like [example] get real results. Happy to connect you."

2. Referral acknowledgement approach — a public LinkedIn shoutout or a thank-you message goes a long way in EA relationship culture. Offer this to every partner who sends a referral. Do not promise commission unless separately agreed and documented.

Step 3: Track and Reciprocate

• Log every referral received and every referral made in a spreadsheet with columns: Date / Source / Client Name / Outcome / Thank-you Sent
• Prioritise referring clients to referral partners — reciprocity drives referrals in EA professional networks
• Follow up on every referral within 24 hours with a WhatsApp thank-you to the referrer, regardless of whether the lead converts

Generate a referral tracking spreadsheet template as part of the output.

Output Structure

Produce the following sections in order:

1. Niche Statement — one paragraph
2. USP (three candidates + recommended primary)
3. USP Testing Instruction
4. Social Proof Collection Schedule — personalised table
5. LinkedIn Content Plan — 4-week plan by content type
6. Referral Partner Shortlist — 5–8 categories with brief rationale
7. WhatsApp Referral Message — ready to send
8. Referral Tracking Template — simple table format

Cross-References

• biz-dev-credentials — use when the positioning work is complete and a credentials document is needed for proposals
• biz-dev-case-study — use to document client results as social proof assets
• strategy-personal-brand — use for a deeper personal brand strategy beyond LinkedIn, including speaking, publishing, and media positioning
• platform-linkedin — use for LinkedIn platform-specific optimisation and algorithm guidance
• playbook-audacious-content — use for the contrarian content pillar in the LinkedIn thought leadership plan

Quality Criteria

• Niche selection is guided by the three-question test (experience / results / payment quality) and produces a specific, named niche — not a broad category
• USP formula produces a specific, testable one-sentence position statement that names a client type, a result, and an approach
• Social proof collection system is a named schedule with explicit triggers (Month 1 / Month 3 / contract end / major win)
• LinkedIn content strategy specifies content types and weekly frequency, with concrete post ideas grounded in the consultant's actual niche
• Referral system includes at least five named referral partner categories with rationale relevant to the consultant's niche
• All advice is specific to the EA professional services context — not generic business development applicable anywhere in the world
• Output is actionable in Week 1 without additional budget, tools, or resources
• WhatsApp referral message and referral tracking template are delivered as ready-to-use assets, not as descriptions of what to create