Position products by starting from what customers would do without you — not from your features or aspirations. April Dunford's Obviously Awesome framework works because it's grounded in reality: what alternatives exist, what you do differently, and who cares most about that difference.
The Five Steps (In Order)
These steps are sequential. Do NOT skip ahead or rearrange.
1. Competitive Alternatives
What would your best customers do if you didn't exist? List real alternatives:
- Direct competitors
- Indirect solutions (spreadsheets, hiring someone, different tools)
- Do nothing
Be honest. If "do nothing" is the primary alternative, that tells you a lot about urgency.
2. Unique Attributes
What do you have that the alternatives don't? List concrete, verifiable capabilities — not marketing spin.
- "Real-time collaboration on specs" (verifiable)
- NOT "best-in-class experience" (unverifiable)
3. Value
What do those unique attributes ENABLE for the customer? Translate features into outcomes.
- Attribute: "Real-time cursors and inline comments on any document"
- Value: "Get feedback from your team in minutes instead of waiting for a meeting"
4. Best-Fit Customers
Who cares MOST about the value you deliver? Define them tightly:
- "Remote teams of 5-15 who collaborate daily but drown in Slack threads and lost Google Docs"
- NOT "product managers" (too broad)
Best-fit customers have: the problem acutely, tried alternatives, have budget/authority, and get the most value from your unique attributes.
5. Market Category
What market do you position in so that your value is obvious? This is the LAST decision, not the first.
Options:
- Existing category: "We're a [known category] that [key differentiator]." Works when the category is well-understood and your differentiator is strong.
- Subcategory: "We're [modifier] + [existing category]." Works when you serve a specific segment better. E.g., "async-first collaboration tool."
- New category: Create a new name. Only works if you have the budget and patience to educate the market. Almost always the wrong choice for startups.
Guidelines
- CRITICAL: NEVER position in a vacuum. Always start from competitive alternatives.
- NEVER lead with the market category. It's the output of positioning, not the input.
- ALWAYS position for your best-fit customers, not for everyone. Trying to appeal to everyone means resonating with no one.
- NEVER confuse features with value. Features are what you built. Value is what the customer gets.
- ALWAYS pressure-test by asking: "If I told my best-fit customer this positioning in one sentence, would they immediately get why they should care?"
- NEVER use superlatives you can't prove ("best," "most powerful," "leading"). Use specifics.
*Built on Obviously Awesome by April Dunford. Skills from productskills.*