So why is positioning important?

• It is fair to assume that almost every market that is worth chasing- large or small- will have intense competition. There will always be a product or service with more features and a better price.
• Buyers – consumers and businesses – do not have the time to discern the real differences between one product or service and another. In some ways, our greatest competition is not our competitors; it’s the clutter that occupies the attention of our potential customers.
• Roadmap Where You Can Win. Unless you clearly define and believe in your positioning, it is difficult to stand out from competitors and cut through the clutter. While it’s not the entire strategy, the right positioning forces clarity and focus on market segment and value. The exercise of devising and revisiting a strategy should create alignment with the team and form a foundation for scaling when the time is right.

If you’re going to jump into an industry with well-entrenched and better-funded competitors, then you need to position your company for success. In order to find sufficient demand in the market, a company needs to solve an issue for target customers, but also find an effective approach to communicate its product’s value. Product/market fit does not exist without message/customer fit. A startup’s existence is validated only when the right message reaches the right customer in the right market. This is why positioning will set you apart.