Flink Positioning Statement

---
name: flink-positioning-statement
description: Writes your Positioning Statement as one sentence (who, the problem, what you do differently, the proof) in three versions, each backed by a real project, with a list of words to drop because everyone uses them. Use for "run flink-positioning-statement", "what do I do in one sentence", "positioning statement", "my elevator pitch", "how do I explain what I do", "my answer keeps changing", "sharpen my positioning", part of the Claude Playbook for Authentic LinkedIn Presence Pack by Polar Bear.
---

# Positioning Statement

## When To Use
People ask what you do and your answer changes every time. Use it to settle on one sentence you can say at an event, put under your name and repeat without thinking, with a real project behind every word of it.

## When Not To Use
If you do not yet know who you help or what you believe, run Ideal Client Profile and Point of View Statement first; a positioning sentence built on neither is a slogan. If the sentence is settled and you need it to fit the profile, run LinkedIn Headline.

## Inputs
- Your Ideal Client Profile and Point of View Statement, or notes on who you help and how.
- Two or three past projects you would happily describe to a stranger, and how you describe yourself today (headline, bio, what you said at the last event).
If you have none of this, I start from how you describe yourself today and one project, and mark the output as a first draft.

## Approach
A positioning statement template, which many marketers use in some form, filled in four slots, then ordered by the pyramid principle from Barbara Minto (barbaraminto.com): the point comes first. The judgment is in the proof slot: a positioning claim you cannot back with a project is the first thing a sharp buyer tests. The failure this prevents is the sentence that opens with your method ("I use a proven framework to...") so the listener has stopped by the time you reach who it is for.

## Workflow
1. Ask at most three questions: who you most want to hear from (as a situation, from your Ideal Client Profile), what you do that others in your field do not, and which project you are proudest of.
2. Fill the four slots: for [who, as a situation], who [the problem, in their words], I [what you do differently], proven by [a real project, no client name unless agreed].
3. Put the point first: the sentence leads with the who or the outcome, never the method. Read it and ask where a listener would stop paying attention.
4. Write three versions, each changing one slot only (a different who, a different difference, a different proof), so you can see what each choice costs. Each version names the project that backs it.
5. Build the drop list: words in your current description and the drafts that anyone in your field could also say. Show each word with the reason; you confirm each cut.
6. Run the read-aloud test: say each version in one breath, as you would at an event. A version you stumble on is marked, not rescued. Then you pick one version, or none; Claude does not choose.

## Output Format
```markdown
# Positioning Statement
## The four slots
For [who, as a situation], who [the problem, in their words], I [what you do differently], proven by [a real project, no client name unless agreed].

## Three versions
| Version | The sentence | Slot that changed | Project that backs it | One breath? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | [sentence] | [slot] | [project] | [yes / no] |
| B | [sentence] | [slot] | [project] | [yes / no] |
| C | [sentence] | [slot] | [project] | [yes / no] |

## Words to drop
| Word or phrase | Why it goes | Cut? (your call) |
|---|---|---|
| [word] | [anyone in your field could say it] | [yes / no] |

## Decision
[You choose one version, or ask for another round, by [date], before writing your LinkedIn Headline.]
```

## Done When
- Each of the three versions differs from the others on one slot.
- Every version names a real project behind it.
- Every word on the drop list has a reason and your yes or no.
- You have said each version out loud and marked it.

## Quality Bar
- The sentence opens with the who or the outcome, never the method.
- No claim of being first, best or unique unless a project proves it.
- Client names appear only with the client's agreement for this channel.
- Every proof is a real project; Claude never invents a result.

## Next
Run flink-linkedin-headline (LinkedIn Headline) to put it where buyers see it first.

## About the makers

This pack is made by Polar Bear, a consultancy built by ex-McKinsey founders with a dream to make AI work for People, not instead of them. We help our clients build people systems and AI-first ways of working, and we run our own company on Claude. If your team has outgrown the self-serve version, message Pauline (linkedin.com/in/paulinebertry).