Positioning Messaging

---
name: positioning-messaging
version: 2.4.1
description: >
  Builds or audits positioning statements, messaging hierarchies, homepage
  copy, and persona cards using April Dunford's Obviously Awesome
  framework across five modes (build, audit, fletch, sales-enablement,
  homepage). Refuses to generate without a named primary persona and 3+
  alternatives including status quo, and blocks output until a 7-point
  verification gate passes.

metadata:
  author: Stefanos Karakasis
  context: brain-dependentContext keys
  quality_gate: true
last_updated: 2026-09-25
---

# positioning-messaging

Built on Dunford's Obviously Awesome framework. Delivers sharp, defensible
positioning through a 6-phase discovery and stress-test process.

---

## Onboarding

> Run this block once at the start of every new session. No output until
> complete. One question at a time. This is the Settings screen — not discovery.

**Step 1 — Check brain:**

````
Does /foundation/brain.md exist?
  YES → Load silently. Note ICP, alternatives, market context, voice guide, energy state. Proceed.
  NO  → Surface once: "No brain found. You can still run this skill, but output will be less precise. Run product-marketing-context first for sharper results. Continuing."
````

If Section 5 (Market Context) or Section 4 (Voice & Tone) is missing or
thin, note it silently — don't block, but flag once: "Section 5/4 is thin
— running market-context / brand-voice first would sharpen this output,
but continuing without it."

**Step 2 — Select mode:**

Ask: `"What are you trying to accomplish today?"`

Present options (let user pick one — no typing required):

- `[BUILD]` — New positioning from scratch
- `[AUDIT]` — Review and score existing messaging
- `[FLETCH]` — Internal positioning deck (6 slides)
- `[SALES-ENABLEMENT]` — Persona cards + competitive playbook
- `[HOMEPAGE]` — Production-ready hero, pillars, and CTAs

**Step 3 — Confirm persona focus:**

Ask: `"Which persona are we positioning for today?"`

- If a `buyer-personas` session ran recently and named a primary persona:
  surface it — `"Based on your last committee map: [primary persona]. Use this?"`
- Else if brain has ICP: surface it — `"Based on your brain: [ICP]. Is this correct?"`
- If neither: ask for title, company type, and triggering situation

**Step 4 — Confirm alternatives:**

Ask: `"What are buyers comparing you against?"`

- Minimum 3 required (direct, status quo, do-nothing)
- If brain has alternatives: surface and confirm

**Step 5 — Surface any attached images:**

Parse all attached images before reading user text. Extract claims, flags, and
implied category. Report as: `"Your current materials say: [findings]"`

> After Steps 1–5: state the session setup back to the user in one paragraph.
> Await confirmation. Then proceed to Phase 1.

---

## Trigger

- **When:** Positioning, messaging, value prop, sales copy, competitive messaging,
  homepage copy, messaging audit, or any request involving how a product should
  be described to buyers

- **Not for:** Product specification → use `prd`. Building the ICP itself
  — demographics, behaviors, JTBD, needs — before positioning work
  → `ideal-customer-profile`, run first if Section 2 is still
  firmographic-only. Mapping the buying committee or building persona
  cards → `buyer-personas`, run first for a real primary-persona pick
  instead of guessing. The "why now" narrative → `market-context`, run
  first if Section 5 is thin. How the brand should sound → `brand-voice`,
  run first if Section 4 is thin.

- **Example prompts:**
  - "Build positioning for [product]"
  - "Our messaging sounds like everyone else"
  - "Help me position against [competitor]"
  - "Write our homepage headline and pillars"
  - "Audit this messaging for coherence"
  - "We can't explain what we do to sales"
  - "Is this positioning working?"

---

## Inputs

- **Args:** Product/market context, target persona (required), alternatives (3+
  minimum, must include status quo + do-nothing), customer evidence or win/loss
  signals

- **Defaults:** If no persona named, surface from brain or ask. If fewer than 3
  alternatives, block and ask before proceeding.

- **Context keys:**
  - `/foundation/brain.md` — preferred. Sections 1 (product), 2 (ICP), 3 (alternatives), 4 (voice) if available; 6 (proof points) for SALES-ENABLEMENT mode's proof and "never say" components — see Pre-flight.

---

## Connectors (Optional)

| Connector | What it adds |
|---|---|
| `~~call recordings` | Buyer language to ground the positioning |
| `~~CRM` | Win/loss reasons |
| `~~market data` | Competitor and market signals |
| `~~knowledge base` | Existing positioning docs |
| `~~cloud storage` | Existing decks and messaging in Drive |

> **No connectors?** Paste the material and I'll work from that. The output has the same shape.
> Pulled facts are drafts: each is tagged with category, tool and date, and nothing is written until you confirm.

---

## Pre-flight

- Load `/foundation/brain.md` if it exists. Extract Section 1 (Product Context),
     Section 2 (ICP), and Section 3 (Alternatives & Positioning) silently.

- If mode is `SALES-ENABLEMENT`: also extract Section 6 (Proof Points Registry)
     silently. Use only entries with a confirmed source for the persona cards'
     "proof" field and the competitive playbook's claims — never cite a
     `[NEEDS PROOF]` or `[NEEDS APPROVAL]` entry as if it were approved. Populate
     the "never say" column from Section 6's Forbidden Claims list, each with its
     stated reason. If Section 6 is empty, thin, or every relevant entry is still
     flagged: note it once — "Proof points registry is thin or unsourced. Persona
     cards will ship without a proof field / competitive playbook will ship without
     a 'never say' column until `proof-points` sources these claims." — and proceed
     without blocking; SALES-ENABLEMENT is still useful without proof, just weaker.

- If `/context/meta-patterns.md` exists in the user's workspace: if a pattern
  has actually fired 2+ times in prior positioning runs logged there, surface
  it now. If it doesn't exist, skip this step silently.

- If brain exists but Section 3 (Alternatives) is empty or marked 🔴 Placeholder:
   block and surface: `"⚠️ Your alternatives map is incomplete. Run
  alternatives-map to build it from real win/loss data — or, for a quick
  manual pass, complete Section 3 (Alternatives & Positioning) via
  product-marketing-context

- If fewer than 3 alternatives provided by user and not found in brain: block intake
  and ask for status quo + do-nothing before proceeding. Hard stop.

- If no brain found: surface once, non-blocking. Continue.

---

## Steps

> All modes run all 6 phases unless noted. Shortcuts produce weak output.

### Phase 1: Discovery

Run as a conversation. One question at a time. Never generate on the first message.

**Hard floor — all four required before Phase 2:**

- [ ] Product: what it does today (not roadmap)
- [ ] Buyer: one primary (title, company type, triggering situation)
- [ ] Alternatives: 3+ including status quo and do-nothing
- [ ] Outcome: single most important buyer result in one sentence

**Ideal additions:** T1 customer quotes · win/loss transcripts ·
sales objections · win reasons · pricing model · company stage

**Evidence tier on input:**

- Verbatim quotes, win/loss transcripts, NPS verbatims → **T1** (anchor a pillar)
- Usage data, churn rates, win rates, A/B results → **T2** (support a pillar claim)
- Product descriptions, PMM assertions, founder hypotheses → **T3** (must carry
  `[T3 — NEEDS VALIDATION]`; cannot headline a pillar)

**Exit:** Summarise all four hard-floor items back to user. Await confirmation.

---

### Phase 2A: Market Energy Check

Identify primary segment energy state before mapping competitors.

| State | Buyer situation | Messaging job |
|---|---|---|
| **M1 — Potential** | No solution; desire blocked by barriers | Remove barriers; unlock demand |
| **M2 — Kinetic** | Doing it badly (spreadsheets, manual) | Redirect effort to the better path |
| **M3 — Captured** | Already using a solution of this type | Win share on one specific dimension |

Confirm with user. Primary positioning serves one state only. Multiple states
require separate tracks — never mix in primary messaging.

---

### Phase 2B: Competitive Mapping

Map all five alternative types honestly:

1. Direct competitors (same category)
2. Adjacent competitors (overlapping use case)
3. Status quo (spreadsheets, legacy tools, manual process)
4. Build in-house
5. Do nothing

For each: what it does well / what it fails / what the buyer must believe to choose it.

**Find the gap** — intersection of: buyer cares deeply + product does well today +
no alternative addresses it.

**Exit — cannot proceed without completing this sentence:**

> "For buyers who need [outcome], alternatives fail because [gap], and we address
> this with [specific capability today]."

If you cannot complete it: the product has a positioning problem messaging cannot
fix. Stop and surface this to the user.

---

### Phase 2C: Options-First

Generate 3–4 distinct positioning bets before committing to one direction.

Each bet: the claim · target segment + energy state · primary risk ·
what it forces you to stop saying.

Present to user. Await selection. Do not proceed to Phase 3 without a chosen direction.

---

### Phase 3: Positioning Development

Follow the Dunford sequence:

1. Competitive alternatives (from Phase 2B)
2. Unique attributes — specific only ("3-click onboarding" not "better UX")
3. Value translation — "So what?" × 3 levels; Level 3 belongs in messaging
4. Who cares most — narrow to trigger-event segment, not demographic
5. Market category — frame that makes strengths obvious, not odd
6. Positioning statement × 3 versions:
   > "For [segment] who [situation], [product] is the [category] that
   > [differentiator], unlike [alternative] which [limitation]."

Pick sharpest version. **Exit:** Statement cannot be said honestly by any
named competitor. If it can, rewrite.

---

### Phase 4: Messaging Hierarchy

Build top-down. Layer 3 claims must trace to Layer 1. Cannot trace → remove.

**Layer 1 — Strategic Narrative** (150–250 words)

Old world → Shift → New world → Your role. Product appears after the problem
is fully established.

**Layer 2 — Core Positioning**

Tagline 5–8 words · One-liner 15–25 · Elevator pitch 50–75 · Boilerplate 75–100

**Layer 3 — Key Message Pillars** (exactly 3–4, MECE)

Each: headline claim + 2–3 sentence explanation + 2–3 proof points

**Layer 4 — Persona Cards** (1–3 max)

Each: pain in their language · promise tied to their metric · 3 proof points ·
one objection pre-handled verbatim · stage-appropriate CTA

**Exit:** All layers complete. Persona CTAs match actual sales motion.

---

### Phase 5: Differentiation Stress-Test

4-question test per differentiator. YES or NO only:

1. **TRUE?** — Provable with evidence a skeptical buyer accepts
2. **RELEVANT?** — Buyer cares enough to switch or pay more
3. **UNIQUE?** — 2+ competitors cannot honestly claim the same
4. **SUSTAINABLE?** — Still true in 12–18 months

Scoring (no exceptions):

- 4/4 → Layer 3 pillar headline
- 3/4 → supporting proof point only
- ≤ 2/4 → removed entirely

---

### Phase 6: Output Packaging

**Self-Verification Gate** — binary pass/fail, 7 checks. Re-enter named phase on
any failure. Do not deliver with a caveat instead of a fix.

| Check | Pass condition | Fail → |
|---|---|---|
| Proof coverage | Every claim has T1/T2 or carries `[T3]` flag | Phase 4 |
| Narrative coherence | Layers 1→4 read as one story | Phase 4 |
| Competitor specificity | Statement cannot be said by any named competitor | Phase 3 |
| Stress-test integrity | All pillar headlines 4/4 | Phase 5 |
| Persona count | ≤ 3 | Phase 4 |
| Jargon | Zero: leverage, seamless, best-in-class, robust, turnkey, holistic, enterprise-grade, disruptive, synergy, game-changing, "powered by AI" as standalone claim | Fix inline |
| Vision flags | All `[VISION FLAG]` items addressed or documented as rejected | Positioning Traps section |

Before delivering, state: `"Self-verification passed. [N]/7 checks clear."`

**Mode outputs:**

`BUILD` — All 4 layers + stress-test table + approved/forbidden language +
channel usage guide + positioning traps rejected + validation plan

`AUDIT` — 5-dimension score (specificity / differentiation / coherence / proof /
buyer language) + P1/P2/P3 rewrite queue + before/after for P1 items

`FLETCH` — 6 slides: segment + trigger · alternatives map · gap ·
positioning statement · pillars + proof · homepage wireframe with copy

`SALES-ENABLEMENT` — Persona cards (pain / promise / proof / objection / CTA) + competitive playbook with "never say" column. Proof field sourced from brain Section 6 (approved claims only); "never say" column sourced from Section 6's Forbidden Claims list. If Section 6 is thin, both ship with a flagged gap instead of an invented or unsourced claim.

`HOMEPAGE` — Hero headline <8 words · subhead <20 words · 3 pillar headlines
+ 1-sentence descriptions · primary + secondary CTA · 2 proof strip options.
No placeholders.

**All modes include:** Approved language · Forbidden language + reason ·
Version + review date · Next steps

---

### Phase 7: Learning Close

End every completed session by appending one entry to `/context/skill-sessions.md`,
in the format defined in `product-marketing-context/.claude-plugin/skill-sessions-format.md`
(Type A — execution session):

````yaml
type: execution
skill: positioning-messaging
session_date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
pattern: [one falsifiable statement about what happened this session, or "none"]
source: [surprised / wrong / missing / n.v.t.]
````

Write this row directly — do not ask the user for permission. This is an
observational log entry, separate from the mode output above, which still
requires the user's go-ahead on where to save it. If nothing notable
happened this session, still write the row with `pattern: none`.

---

## Outputs

- **Files written:** `/context/skill-sessions.md` — one appended row per
  session, per Phase 7. Mode output itself is delivered in chat only; if the
  user wants that saved anywhere, ask where — this skill doesn't write mode
  output to any file on its own.
- **Chat output format:** Mode-specific (BUILD / AUDIT / FLETCH / SALES-ENABLEMENT
  / HOMEPAGE). All modes include approved/forbidden language list, version, review
  date, and next steps
- **External side effects:** n.v.t.
- **Next skill:** After BUILD or FLETCH mode delivers output, check `next-skill-map.md`
  for "After positioning-messaging (BUILD or FLETCH mode)" and surface that prompt.
  AUDIT mode does not trigger a next-skill suggestion — it's a checkpoint, not a chain step.

---

## Verification

- Positioning statement cannot be said by any named competitor
- All pillar headlines scored 4/4 on stress-test (true, relevant, unique, sustainable)
- Self-verification gate passed all 7 checks before delivery
- Mode-specific output matches expected format
- Evidence tier respected: T1/T2 claims anchor content; T3 claims flagged
- Onboarding confirmed mode, persona, and alternatives before Phase 1 started

---

## Do Not Use For

- **ideal-customer-profile** — when the task is building the ICP itself
  (demographics, behaviors, JTBD, needs) rather than producing positioning
  output. Run that skill first, then this one.

- **product-marketing-context** — when the task is the full brain build
  from zero.

- **alternatives-map** — when the task is mapping competitive alternatives
  (Section 3) itself, from real research, rather than producing
  positioning output. Run that skill first, then this one.

- **buyer-personas** — when the task is mapping the buying committee or
  building persona cards, not producing the positioning statement or
  messaging hierarchy itself. Run that skill first, then this one.

- **market-context** — when the task is building the "why now" narrative
     itself, not the positioning statement it feeds. Run that skill first if
     Section 5 is thin, then this one.

- **brand-voice** — when the task is building the voice and tone guide
     itself, not applying it to a positioning statement. Run that skill
     first if Section 4 is thin, then this one.

- **proof-points** — when the task is sourcing, verifying, or auditing a claim
     itself, not applying already-approved claims to persona cards or a
     competitive playbook. Run that skill first (Add, Extract, or Audit mode) if
     Section 6 is thin or unsourced, then run SALES-ENABLEMENT mode here.

- **value-prop-statements** (pmm-growth) — when the task is fast,
  segment- or channel-specific copy variants of a positioning that's
  already set, not building or revising the canonical positioning
  statement itself. Send the user there once this skill's output is
  confirmed.

- **experiment-doc** — when testing messaging assumptions; this skill
  builds messaging, not validates it experimentally

- **product-messaging-playbook** — when the task is assembling a single
  Sales/CS-facing handoff document (problem framing, story, named
  competitor, discovery/objection script) rather than producing the
  underlying positioning statement or SALES-ENABLEMENT persona cards
  themselves. Run SALES-ENABLEMENT mode here first, then hand its output
  to that skill.

---

## Commands

### /build [product name or context]
Run full BUILD mode: Onboarding → all 6 phases → 4-layer messaging document.

### /audit [existing copy or landing page]
Run AUDIT mode: score existing messaging + rewrite queue.

### /fletch [product name]
Run FLETCH mode: 6-slide internal deck + homepage wireframe.

### /sales [product name]
Run SALES-ENABLEMENT mode: persona cards + competitive playbook.

### /homepage [product name]
Run HOMEPAGE mode: production-ready hero + subhead + pillars + CTA.

### /settings
Re-run the Onboarding block. Use to change mode, persona, or alternatives
mid-session without losing prior work.

---

## Operating Rules

1. **Run Onboarding before everything.** Mode, persona, and alternatives must be
   confirmed before Phase 1 starts. No exceptions.

2. **Load brain first.** Context changes which energy state (M1/M2/M3) applies.

3. **Parse attached images before asking discovery questions.** Every explicit
   claim and visual signal tells you something.

4. **No positioning without 3+ alternatives — status quo mandatory.** If you can't
   name it, you don't understand the choice.

5. **Never skip phases.** All 6 phases run for every mode. Shortcuts produce
   weak output.

6. **Primary persona must be ranked.** Ask: who has this problem worst, right now?

7. **Stress-test all pillars before delivery.** 4/4 or remove. No exceptions.

8. **Layer 3 claims must trace to Layer 1.** Cannot trace = doesn't belong.

9. **Evidence tier is binding.** T3 claims must be flagged. Don't hide assumptions.

10. **`/settings` resets Onboarding only.** Prior session work is preserved.

---

## Quality Gate

Runs after output generation, before delivery. Surface failures — do not deliver
incomplete output.

| Check | Standard | Pass = |
|---|---|---|
| Onboarding complete | Mode, persona, alternatives confirmed | Yes |
| Proof coverage | Every claim has T1/T2 or carries `[T3]` flag | Yes |
| Narrative coherence | Layers 1→4 read as one story | Yes |
| Competitor specificity | Statement cannot be said by any named competitor | Yes |
| Stress-test integrity | All pillar headlines 4/4 | Yes |
| Persona count | ≤ 3 | Yes |
| Jargon free | Zero forbidden terms | Yes |
| Vision flags resolved | All `[VISION FLAG]` items addressed or rejected | Yes |
| Mode format correct | Output matches expected format for selected mode | Yes |
| Learning Close ran | `/context/skill-sessions.md` has a new row for this session | Yes |