| name | marketing-strategy-pmm |
| description | Product marketing skill for positioning, GTM strategy, competitive intelligence, and product launches. Covers April Dunford positioning, ICP definition, competitive battlecards, launch playbooks, and international market entry.
|
| license | MIT + Commons Clause |
| metadata | {"version":"1.0.0","author":"borghei","category":"marketing","domain":"product-marketing","updated":"2026-03-31T00:00:00.000Z","tags":["product-marketing","positioning","gtm","competitive-intel","launches"]} |
Marketing Strategy & PMM
Product marketing patterns for positioning, GTM strategy, and competitive intelligence.
Table of Contents
ICP Definition Workflow
Define ideal customer profile for targeting:
- Analyze existing customers (top 20% by LTV)
- Identify common firmographics (size, industry, revenue)
- Map technographics (tools, maturity, integrations)
- Document psychographics (pain level, motivation, risk tolerance)
- Define 3-5 buyer personas (economic, technical, user)
- Validate against sales cycle and churn data
- Score prospects A/B/C/D based on ICP fit
- Validation: A-fit customers have lowest churn and fastest close
Firmographics Template
| Dimension | Target Range | Rationale |
|---|
| Employees | 50-5000 | Series A sweet spot |
| Revenue | $5M-$500M | Budget available |
| Industry | SaaS, Tech, Services | Product fit |
| Geography | US, UK, DACH | Market priority |
| Funding | Seed to Growth | Willing to adopt |
Buyer Personas
Economic Buyer (signs contract):
- Title: VP, Director, Head of [Department]
- Goals: ROI, team productivity, cost reduction
- Messaging: Business outcomes, ROI, case studies
Technical Buyer (evaluates product):
- Title: Engineer, Architect, Tech Lead
- Goals: Technical fit, easy integration
- Messaging: Architecture, security, documentation
User/Champion (advocates internally):
- Title: Manager, Team Lead, Power User
- Goals: Makes job easier, quick wins
- Messaging: UX, ease of use, time savings
ICP Validation Checklist
Positioning Development
Develop positioning using April Dunford methodology:
- List competitive alternatives (direct, adjacent, status quo)
- Isolate unique attributes (features only you have)
- Map attributes to customer value (why it matters)
- Define best-fit customers (who cares most)
- Choose market category (head-to-head, niche, new category)
- Layer on relevant trends (timing justification)
- Test with 10+ customer interviews
- Validation: 7+ customers describe value unprompted
Positioning Statement Template
FOR [target customer]
WHO [statement of need]
THE [product] IS A [category]
THAT [key benefit]
UNLIKE [competitive alternative]
OUR PRODUCT [primary differentiation]
Value Proposition Formula
Template: [Product] helps [Target Customer] [Achieve Goal] by [Unique Approach]
Example: "Acme helps mid-market SaaS teams ship 2x faster by automating project workflows with AI"
Messaging Hierarchy
| Level | Content | Example |
|---|
| Headline | 5-7 words | "Ship faster with AI automation" |
| Subhead | 1 sentence | "Automate workflows so teams focus on what matters" |
| Benefits | 3-4 bullets | Speed, quality, collaboration, cost |
| Features | Supporting evidence | AI automation → 10 hrs/week saved |
| Proof | Social proof | Customer logos, stats, case studies |
Competitive Intelligence
Build competitive knowledge base:
- Identify tier 1 (direct), tier 2 (adjacent), tier 3 (status quo)
- Sign up for competitor products (hands-on evaluation)
- Monitor competitor websites, pricing, messaging
- Analyze sales call recordings for competitor mentions
- Read G2/Capterra reviews (pros and cons)
- Track competitor job postings (roadmap signals)
- Update battlecards monthly
- Validation: Sales team uses battlecards in 80%+ competitive deals
Competitive Tier Structure
| Tier | Definition | Examples |
|---|
| 1 | Direct competitor, same category | [Competitor A, B] |
| 2 | Adjacent solution, overlapping use case | [Alt Solution C, D] |
| 3 | Status quo (what they do today) | Spreadsheets, manual, in-house |
Battlecard Template
COMPETITOR: [Name]
OVERVIEW: Founded [year], Funding [stage], Size [employees]
POSITIONING:
- They say: "[Their claim]"
- Reality: [Your assessment]
STRENGTHS:
1. [What they do well]
2. [What they do well]
WEAKNESSES:
1. [Where they fall short]
2. [Where they fall short]
OUR ADVANTAGES:
1. [Your advantage + evidence]
2. [Your advantage + evidence]
WHEN WE WIN:
- [Scenario where you win]
WHEN WE LOSE:
- [Scenario where they win]
TALK TRACK:
Objection: "[Common objection]"
Response: "[Your response]"
Win/Loss Analysis
Track monthly:
- Win rate by competitor
- Top win reasons (product fit, ease of use, price)
- Top loss reasons (missing feature, price, relationship)
- Action items for product, sales, marketing
Product Launch Planning
Plan launches by tier:
| Tier | Scope | Prep Time | Budget |
|---|
| 1 | New product, major feature | 6-8 weeks | $50-100k |
| 2 | Significant feature, integration | 3-4 weeks | $10-25k |
| 3 | Small improvement | 1 week | <$5k |
Tier 1 Launch Workflow
Execute major product launch:
- Kickoff meeting with Product, Marketing, Sales, CS
- Define goals (pipeline $, MQLs, press coverage)
- Develop positioning and messaging
- Create sales enablement (deck, demo, battlecard)
- Build campaign assets (landing page, emails, ads)
- Train sales and CS teams
- Execute launch day (press, email, ads, outbound)
- Monitor and optimize for 30 days
- Validation: Pipeline on track to goal by week 2
Launch Day Checklist
Launch Metrics
| Metric | Leading (Daily) | Lagging (Weekly) |
|---|
| Traffic | Landing page visitors | - |
| Engagement | Demo requests, signups | Feature adoption % |
| Pipeline | MQLs generated | SQLs, pipeline $ |
| Revenue | - | Deals closed, revenue |
Sales Enablement
Equip sales team with PMM assets:
- Create sales deck (15-20 slides, visual-first)
- Build one-pagers (product, competitive, case study)
- Develop demo script (30-45 min with discovery)
- Write email templates (outreach, follow-up, closing)
- Create ROI calculator (input costs, output savings)
- Conduct monthly enablement calls
- Deliver quarterly training (positioning, competitive)
- Validation: Sales uses assets in 80%+ of opportunities
Sales Deck Structure
| Slide | Content |
|---|
| 1-2 | Title, agenda |
| 3-4 | Company intro, problem statement |
| 5-7 | Solution, key benefits, demo |
| 8-10 | Differentiation, case study, pricing |
| 11-12 | Implementation, support, next steps |
Demo Flow
1. Intro (2 min): Who we are, agenda
2. Discovery (5 min): Their needs, pain points
3. Demo (20 min): Product focused on their use case
4. Q&A (10 min): Objection handling
5. Next steps (3 min): Trial, POC, proposal
Sales-Marketing Handoff
| Handoff | Frequency | Content |
|---|
| Weekly sync | 30 min | Win/loss, competitive, new assets |
| Monthly enablement | 60 min | Product updates, training |
| Quarterly review | Half-day | Results, strategy, planning |
International Expansion
Enter new markets systematically:
- Validate market demand (inbound leads, TAM analysis)
- Localize website, pricing, legal
- Establish sales coverage (hire or agency)
- Adapt messaging for cultural fit
- Build local partnerships and references
- Launch localized campaigns
- Monitor CAC and conversion by market
- Validation: 3+ paying customers from market in first 90 days
Market Priority (Series A)
| Market | Timeline | Budget % | Target ARR |
|---|
| US | Months 1-6 | 50% | $1M |
| UK | Months 4-9 | 20% | $500k |
| DACH | Months 7-12 | 15% | $300k |
| France | Months 10-15 | 10% | $200k |
| Canada | Months 7-12 | 5% | $100k |
Localization Checklist
Reference Documentation
Positioning Frameworks
references/positioning-frameworks.md contains:
- April Dunford 5-step positioning process
- Geoffrey Moore positioning statement template
- Positioning validation interview protocol
- Competitive positioning map construction
Launch Checklists
references/launch-checklists.md contains:
- Tier 1/2/3 launch checklists
- Week-by-week launch timeline
- Launch day runbook
- Post-launch metrics dashboard
International GTM
references/international-gtm.md contains:
- US, UK, DACH, France, Canada playbooks
- Market-specific channel mix and messaging
- Localization requirements per market
- Entry timeline and budget allocation
Messaging Templates
references/messaging-templates.md contains:
- Value proposition formulas
- Persona-specific messaging
- Competitive response scripts
- Objection handling templates
- Channel-specific copy (landing pages, emails, ads)
PMM KPIs
| Metric | Target | Measurement |
|---|
| Product adoption | >40% in 90 days | Feature usage after launch |
| Win rate | >30% competitive | Deals won vs. competitors |
| Sales velocity | -20% YoY | Days from SQL to close |
| Deal size | +25% YoY | Average contract value |
| Launch pipeline | 3:1 ROMI | Pipeline $ : marketing spend |
Quick Reference
PMM Monthly Rhythm
| Week | Focus |
|---|
| 1 | Review metrics, update battlecards |
| 2 | Create assets, publish content |
| 3 | Support launches, optimize campaigns |
| 4 | Monthly report, plan next month |
Proactive Triggers
- No documented positioning -- Without clear positioning, all marketing is guesswork. Start with April Dunford framework.
- Messaging differs across channels -- Inconsistent story confuses buyers. Align messaging hierarchy across all touchpoints.
- No ICP defined -- Selling to everyone means selling to no one. Define ICP before any campaign spend.
- Competitor repositioning -- Market shift detected. Review your positioning and update battlecards.
Output Artifacts
| When you ask for... | You get... |
|---|
| "Position my product" | Positioning framework (April Dunford method) with completed output |
| "GTM strategy" | Go-to-market plan with channels, messaging, and timeline |
| "Competitive positioning" | Positioning map with competitive gaps and opportunities |
| "Sales enablement" | Sales deck structure, battlecards, and demo flow |
Communication
All output passes quality verification:
- Self-verify: source attribution, assumption audit, confidence scoring
- Output format: Bottom Line first, then What (with confidence), Why, How to Act
- Every finding tagged with confidence level: verified, medium confidence, or assumed
Related Skills
- marketing-demand-acquisition: For executing acquisition campaigns planned by PMM.
- campaign-analytics: For measuring launch and campaign effectiveness.
- content-creator: For creating content assets defined in PMM strategy.
- social-media-analyzer: For tracking social media performance of PMM campaigns.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Resolution |
|---|
| Positioning resonates internally but customers do not repeat it | Positioning built from company perspective, not customer language | Rerun April Dunford methodology starting from competitive alternatives, not from product features |
| Win rate against specific competitor below 25% | Battlecard outdated or sales team not using it | Run win_loss_analyzer.py to identify loss patterns; update battlecard monthly; validate 80%+ sales usage |
| GTM motion producing high MQLs but low pipeline conversion | Wrong GTM motion for ACV and buyer type; marketing-led when should be sales-led | Reassess motion using gtm_planner.py; for ACV >$25K, shift to sales-led or hybrid PLG+sales |
| Sales enablement assets gathering dust | Assets created without sales input; format does not match how sales actually works | Co-create assets with sales; survey sales on what they need; track asset usage in deal cycles |
| International expansion burning cash with zero pipeline | Market entered without validating demand (inbound signal, TAM) | Validate 3+ paying customers from market in first 90 days; if not, pause and reassess market priority |
| Competitive intelligence always reactive to lost deals | No proactive monitoring system; battlecards only updated post-loss | Set up monthly competitor monitoring (website, pricing, job postings, G2 reviews); update battlecards proactively |
| Messaging differs across website, sales deck, and ads | No messaging hierarchy documented; each team creates independently | Build messaging hierarchy (headline > subhead > benefits > features > proof) and enforce across all touchpoints |
Success Criteria
- Positioning validated with 10+ customer interviews; 7+ describe value unprompted
- Win rate above 30% in competitive deals, measured and tracked monthly
- Sales velocity improves 20%+ YoY (days from SQL to close decreasing)
- Sales team uses battlecards in 80%+ of competitive opportunities
- Product adoption exceeds 40% within 90 days of launch
- GTM plan generates 3:1 pipeline-to-marketing-spend ROMI
- Messaging hierarchy consistent across all customer-facing touchpoints
Scope & Limitations
In Scope: Product positioning (April Dunford methodology), ICP definition and validation, competitive intelligence and battlecards, GTM strategy and motion selection (PLG, sales-led, marketing-led, community-led), product launch planning, sales enablement, win/loss analysis, international expansion planning, messaging hierarchy, PMM KPIs.
Out of Scope: Brand identity and visual design (see brand-guidelines skill), demand generation execution (see marketing-demand-acquisition skill), content creation (see content-creator skill), pricing strategy optimization, sales process design.
Limitations: Positioning frameworks require real customer input to be effective — internally generated positioning is unreliable. Win/loss analysis requires honest deal outcome data from sales; incomplete data produces misleading patterns. GTM motion recommendations are based on ACV and buyer type heuristics; edge cases may require hybrid approaches. International expansion timelines assume US-first model and may not apply to non-US companies.
Scripts
| Script | Purpose | Usage |
|---|
scripts/gtm_planner.py | Generate GTM plans with motion selection, channel strategy, and timeline | python scripts/gtm_planner.py config.json --demo |
scripts/win_loss_analyzer.py | Analyze deal outcomes by competitor, segment, and reason | python scripts/win_loss_analyzer.py deals.json --demo |
scripts/battlecard_generator.py | Generate competitive battlecards with feature comparison and objection handling | python scripts/battlecard_generator.py competitor.json --demo |
