Strategy is central to the success of the business, yet most CEO and founders don't make time for structured discussions about strategy with their team. This post provides some guidelines and resources. 

1. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Competitive Positioning
Workshop
Worcester Area Founder and CEO Meetup
June 13, 2017

2. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Timeline of the night
Time Topic
7-7:15 Meet and Greet, Introductions
7:15-8 Competitive Positioning Talk
8-8:15 Break
8:15-9 Workshop
9-:9:15 Wrap-up

3. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Reasons Why Startups Fail
CB Insights
• 20 Reasons Why Startups Fail (PDF)
• 20 Reasons Why Startups Fail (Infographic)
Quora
• 5 Reasons Why Startups Fail
for Entrepreneurs - David Skok
• 5 Reasons Why Startups Fail

4. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Positioning == Strategy
Strategy Operations People
No Market Need (1) Out of Cash (2) Not Right Team (3)
Poor Product (6) Pricing/Cost Issues (5) Ignore Customers (9)
Business Model (7) Out-competed (4) Disharmony (12)
Product Mis-timed (10) Poor Marketing (8) Lack Passion (14)
Lose Focus (11) Poor Location (15) Dont take advice (18)
No Investor Interest (16) Legal Challenges (17) Burnout (19)
No Pivot (20) Bad Pivot (13)

5. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Positioning == Strategy
Strategy Operations People
No Market Need (1) Out of Cash (2) Not Right Team (3)
Poor Product (6) Pricing/Cost Issues (5) Ignore Customers (9)
Business Model (7) Out-competed (4) Disharmony (12)
Product Mis-timed (10) Poor Marketing (8) Lack Passion (14)
Lose Focus (11) Poor Location (15) Dont take advice (18)
No Investor Interest (16) Legal Challenges (17) Burnout (19)
No Pivot (20) Bad Pivot (13)
Fix These To Fix These

6. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Mapping Your Competitive Position
“Whenever I’ve asked senior executives to map
the positions of their company’s brands and
those of key rivals, we end up confused and
dismayed.”
- Richard D’aveni (2007, Harvard Business Review)

7. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
What is Positioning?
Not to be confused with:
• Brand (image)
• Elevator Pitch (words)
“Positioning is not what you do to a product.
Positioning is what you do to the mind of the
prospect...What matters is how potential buyers
see the product...expressed relative to the
position of competitors”
- Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, Jack Trout / Al
Ries (1969)

8. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Components of Positioning
For target buyer
Who Need relief from pain
Our Product Is A category
That Provides major value claim
Unlike competing alternative
Our offering major claim of
differentiation
See seminal book on selling to enterprise and consumer markets: Crossing the Chasm

9. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Toolbox: Playing Field
• Communication requires understanding the landscape
• Concepts must be pre-existing and familiar
• Customers and partners use “guideposts” to frame new
offerings
• By defining our playing field, we can help our prospects
understand us
• “Name and Frame” new categories of products and
services

10. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Toolbox: What are you best at?
• What lives at the intersection of your Passion and
Talent, and has an economic model?
• How can you constrain your offering to claim
world-class status?
• Geographic - “best in world in Worcester county”
• Platform - “best available on raspberry pi”
• Demographic - “Facebook for grand-parents”
“its not what you want, its what your competition will allow you to do” -
Jack Trout on Positioning

11. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Toolbox:

12. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Toolbox: GAP Analysis
• Industry Gaps
• Customer Gaps
• Competitor Gaps

13. Copyright Incite Advisors - 2017
Workshop: Create a Positioning
Statement
1. Break into two groups - odd/even
2. Choose a product:
a. From someone in the group, or
b. a new, patented mobile phone technology that can detect when
someone is texting while driving