AMA: Vanta VP of Product and Corporate Marketing, Sarah Scharf on Competitive Positioning

Congratulations on getting tapped to write a positioning doc! Before diving in, I'd do your research: -Do you already have company-wide or product-wide positioning? If so, do you have hypotheses on how this segment will differ? -Do you have customers in this segment already? If so, put together a short list of reps, CSMs, and customers you want to interview to validate or disprove these hypotheses Once you've done this, you can start diving into a doc. I would worry less about the template versus ensuring you can clearly articulate the answers for a few key questions: * Who is this segment? Not just in relation to your product...what do they really care about? What are they motivated by? What does success look like for them? * What are their core blockers? What stops them from achieving their goals? * How are the unique value props your product offers? Be honest about which blockers it can help tackle, and which it cannot. No one likes marketing that says "we do everything for everyone!" Then, layer in a competitive element - who are all your competitors (direct, indirect, "doing nothing", etc). How is your solution different than everything else in the market? Once you've documented this, try going back to as many internal and external experts as you can - is it landing? Positioning is a living and breathing document, so as you roll it out (in emails, ads etc) make sure you are tracking results and setting a regular cadence (say, quarterly) to revisit and revise it.

Short answer: however works! Longer answer: Work with your Sales Enablement team (if you have one) and Sales leadership to come up with a plan. There are a few nuances that I think make roll outs more effective: 1. Interactive group exercises: Positioning isn't meant to be read off a screen, it needs to come alive in context. Make sure any trainings you run include lots of group exercises, role play, situational awareness, etc. 2. DIY (really): build credibility with sales counterparts (and conviction in your positioning!) by delivering the positioning yourself on customer or prospect calls. 3. Celebrate others: Shine the spotlight on reps who are successful. Have them evangelize the positioning and materials on your behalf - it will go much, much farther.

Waves / MQs etc are a long pull, and if you are early on in your AR journey they should be far from your mind. Approach initial inquiries and conversations with analysts from a place of curiosity and humility - What are they interested in? How does your company relate? What adjacencies do they see between your company and areas they cover? Over time, you can use their feedback and input to shape your own positioning and category definition. Who knows, in a few years you may create a totally new MQ!

A common mistake I see is immediately going from "positioning" to "features." What your product does is far less important than what it helps your customers do, and chances are not every button and knob make your customer feels like they have superpowers! Instead, I try to use the Google product marketing adage when crafting positioning: Know the user. Know the magic. Connect the two. First, know your user. Then, describe how your product is magic for them - not just what it does different that competitors. If you focus on that, then you don't need to get down in the weeds of every single feature.