Gartner ThinkCast Gartner ThinkCast 121: Tech Provider Success Requires Strong Positioning
Feb 22, 2018
Hank Barnes, Gartner Research VP and distinguished analyst who advises tech providers on storytelling and go-to-market strategy, breaks down what positioning really is versus messaging. He discusses why enterprise-level clarity beats role-by-role confusion. He calls out common positioning mistakes and explains how strong positioning fuels corporate storytelling.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Positioning Is A Strategic Declaration
- Positioning is a strategic declaration that defines target customers, their needs, and the competitive alternative.
- Differentiation requires an explicit comparison to that alternative to make the claim meaningful.
Target The Enterprise, Not Individual Roles
- Confusing positioning with messaging creates internal conflict when multiple buying roles meet.
- Treat the enterprise as the target customer to create a consistent guiding North Star.
Avoid Persona-Only Positioning
- Avoid positioning to a single buying role for B2B products and focus on the organization spending the money.
- Do not attack the competitive alternative; instead, establish it and then differentiate from it respectfully.