Positioning: Finding the Mix That Is Yours
Purpose answers why you exist. Positioning answers where you stand.
If purpose is the root, positioning is the plot of land. Same plant. Different soil. Get the soil wrong and even a true purpose grows into something that looks like everyone else on the shelf.
I think of positioning as the mix you choose on purpose. Not “we’re better.” Better at what, for whom, against which options people already know.
Positioning is a map, not a boast
Customers don’t compare you to your deck. They compare you to what they already buy, almost buy, or wish existed.
So I ask: what are the real options in the room? What do those options own? What’s left open that we can own without lying?
A strong position is a clear mix. A weak position is a pile of features that never become a place in someone’s head.
Quip and the market quadrant
With Quip, we didn’t start by saying “better sports drink.” We mapped the competitive space people actually live in.
Think of a simple quadrant of drink worlds:
Energy drinks
Protein drinks
Soda
Alt soda
Quip could have chased energy. Loud. Familiar. Crowded. It could have chased classic protein. Functional. Often boring. It could have tried to be soda with a health story. Or it could go after alt soda — with protein in the mix, not probiotic as the hero claim.
That choice mattered. Alt soda with protein said: pleasure first, performance close behind. Not a chalky shake in a party can. Not a sugar rush dressed as wellness. A drink that belonged in the fun lane and still delivered something real.
That is positioning as strategy. You pick a neighborhood. Then you build a house that fits the block without blending into it.
Credence and threading the needle
Credence Genomics needed a different kind of position.
They were established in pathogen detection across Southeast Asia, India, Singapore, and Nepal. The ask was a US and Western Europe identity refresh. The tech was advanced DNA sequencing that could detect all pathogens at once.
The trap was easy to see: position as “your old tests are outdated.” That would insult the doctors they wanted to serve.
So we positioned Credence as a high-performance alternative to slow, single-target testing. Not a scolding. An upgrade path. Faster clarity. Broader view. Respect for the craft already in the room.
That needle-thread is positioning too. You’re not only choosing a market gap. You’re choosing a tone of difference. How you stand apart without pushing your people away.
Before and after: a simple statement shape
I like to force a before/after statement early.
Before: We make advanced genomic testing for pathogens.
After: We give doctors a high-performance alternative when single-target testing is too slow or too narrow.
Before: We’re a healthier sports drink.
After: We’re the alt-soda lane with protein — built for people who work hard and play hard, and refuse boring fuel.
Notice what changed. The after versions name the context. They name the trade. They make a place in the mind.
If your positioning statement only lists what you sell, it isn’t positioning yet. It’s a product description.
How to find your mix
Here’s a practical way I walk teams through it.
1. List the real rivals.
Include the awkward ones. The free workaround. The “do nothing.” The brand people love even if you don’t respect it.
2. Name what each rival owns.
Speed. Trust. Price. Status. Comfort. Taste. Safety. Be honest.
3. Circle the open mix.
Where can you be first or clearest without inventing a fantasy customer?
4. Write the position in one breath.
For [who], we are the [category/mix] that [distinct promise], unlike [common alternative].
5. Stress-test it.
Would sales still say it on a bad day? Would product build toward it for a year?
If the sentence only works when everyone is excited, it isn’t ready.
Positioning mistakes I see a lot
Trying to own every quadrant at once.
Calling yourself “premium” with no proof in the mix.
Differentiating on features that customers never use to choose.
Copying a rival’s position and hoping design hides it.
Design can’t hide a fuzzy position. It can only dress it up.
Mini-worksheet
Fill these blanks in plain words:
People compare us to: ________
Those options win on: ________
We will win on: ________
We will not try to win on: ________
Our mix in one line: ________
Then ask a friend outside your company to repeat your line back. If they can’t, your position is still inside youre head.
Why this layer sits on purpose
Purpose without positioning can feel noble and still be lost. Positioning without purpose can feel clever and still be hollow. Together they give you a reason and a place.
With Quip, purpose (taste incredible, look as good as it tastes) made the alt-soda-with-protein choice feel natural. With Credence, purpose (better pathogen detection) made the “high-performance alternative” stance feel respectful instead of harsh.
Get this right, and teh next question gets sharper: who is this for — on the outside and the inside?
Next: People — customers, talent, and why your brand is also a magnet for the right team.
