Sarah Scharf

Yes, it's important to run a different playbook for major launches versus minor ones. Rather than thinking just around "product" vs "feature", I'd recommend developing a common definition for different tiers of launches. These are roughly the tiers we use: Tier 1: Expands capabilities with a distinct, new product offering. New product SKU. Significant competitive differentiation. Tier 2: New, incremental functionality/capability that extends your offering its current target market. Competitive d ...Read More

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: 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. DIY (really): build credibility with sales counterparts (and conviction ...Read More

Every organization thinks about this differently, and I’ve worked across the spectrum from a single, annual release (Android OS) to continuous release (B2C startup). So what cadence is right? If you pressed me for a single answer, I would say a quarterly release (I didn’t make this up, I just happen to agree with this post by David Sacks: https://medium.com/craft-ventures/the-cadence-how-to-operate-a-saas-startup-436aa8099e8). Quarterly tends to be long enough to bundle together several meaningf ...Read More

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 versu ...Read More

Maybe a cop out answer but - I think it has to be both! Prior to Vanta, I worked at Google where the adage for good marketing was: "Know the user, know the magic, connect the two." I use this line of thinking all the time in my messaging work: Know the user: what are their challenges (really, not just in general terms like "they are busy!")? What are their ambitions and goals? What would motivate them to evaluate a solution in your space? Know the magic: What are the key capabilities that your o ...Read More

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 ...Read More

Naming and pricing are always the two most controversial decisions! Everyone comes to naming with their own strong preferences, and it can sometimes be an emotionally charged discussion. There are a few different axes you can consider for naming strategy: Fanciful versus descriptive? Most features don't even need names (I know, boo). You can describe the functionality it provides without giving it a formal name. If you are going with a name, especially a fanciful one, you'll need to devote signi ...Read More

Positioning is the framing of the house - it defines the structure and heavily influences the overall style (for instance, low and long like a midcentury modern or up and down like a townhome) Messaging is the design choices you make once the structure is built. If your messaging feels very discordant from your positioning, it will be confusing. But, you can make certain unexpected choices in messaging that are not purely defined by your positioning. I'm not sure this analogy fully works for the ...Read More

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 ...Read More

I personally feel like too much is made of the distinction between B2B and B2C. Heads of IT are people too! In either case, the messaging is paramount. As I said above, commit to “Know the user. Know the magic. Connect the two.” And be able to express that in short / shorter / shortest lines of messaging As for placement, I have found B2B a bit easier than B2C. There are many more digital channels to reach people when they are staring at a screen from 9-5. That said, one of our most successful m ...Read More