competitive-positioning

name	competitive-positioning
description	Use when a strategy, offer, pitch, or account plan needs sharper differentiation. Use when applying the Competitive Positioning consulting method and when a user asks for Competitive Positioning, method execution, structured diagnosis, or action planning.
license	Apache-2.0

Competitive Positioning

Use this skill to run Competitive Positioning as a practical consulting method, not as a generic framework explanation.

Method Notes

• Compare against direct competitors, substitutes, and the status quo.
• A differentiator must matter to the buyer and be credible to prove.

Required Inputs

Collect or infer these inputs before execution:

• offering
• target customer
• competitors or alternatives
• proof points

If an input is missing, do not block automatically. Mark it as missing, state the assumption used, and add a validation action.

When Not To Use

Do not use without a target segment, relevant alternatives, buying criteria, and evidence of why customers choose. Positioning is a defensible choice, not a slogan or feature inventory.

Adjacent Methods

• pestel-analysis: macro environment.
• porter-five-forces: industry economics.

Step-by-Step Execution

Step	Required input	How to execute	Output
Define target buyer	Segment, buying trigger, use case, decision criteria.	State whose choice you are trying to win and against what alternatives.	Positioning frame.
Map alternatives	Direct competitors, substitutes, status quo.	List alternatives and the buyer reason to choose each.	Competitive alternative map.
Compare value dimensions	Customer criteria, proof, features, outcomes, price, risk.	Compare each option on buyer-relevant dimensions.	Positioning comparison.
Test differentiators	Comparison and evidence.	Keep only differentiators that matter, are credible, and are hard to dismiss.	Defensible differentiators.
Write position and proof	Differentiators, objections, sales/channel context.	Create positioning statement, proof points, and objection responses.	Positioning package.

Output Template

### 1. Buyer And Choice Frame
Target buyer:
Decision situation:
Alternatives considered:
Evidence base:

### 2. Comparison
| Buyer criterion | Us | Alternative | Evidence | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |  |

### 3. Defensible Differentiation
| Differentiator | Why buyer cares | Proof | Competitor response risk |
|---|---|---|---|
|  |  |  |  |

### 4. Position And Validation
Positioning statement:
Proof needed next:
Buyer test:
Decision threshold:

### Evidence And Next Decision
- Confirmed facts:
- Assumptions:
- Missing evidence:
- Next action, owner, and timing:
- Expected signal and decision threshold:

Quality Gate

• Produce the method-specific outputs for Buyer And Choice Frame, Comparison, Defensible Differentiation; do not substitute a generic framework summary.
• Tie every material score, causal claim, or stakeholder judgment to evidence or label it as an assumption.
• Include at least one disconfirming check, sensitivity, alternative explanation, or failure condition appropriate to the method.
• Convert the result into a named action or decision with an owner or stakeholder, timing, and observable signal.
• State missing inputs and the smallest validation action instead of inventing precision.
• Keep wording professional and plain enough that a smart non-specialist can use the output directly.