The two best SaaS positioners in the game are April Dunford & Anthony Pierri. Here's their entire philosophy distilled into 10 actionable steps. Positioning will become the most important early differentiator for SaaS cos. Here is everything you need to know about their philosophies in 10 chronological bullets with clear action steps and “did I do it right?” gut checks if you read this, imo, you will know everything they have to teach about positioning: Surface the real alternatives: Action → Ask five recent buyers: “If we didn’t exist, what would you use?” List every answer (including DIY hacks and ‘do nothing’). Gut check → Your list contains at least one spreadsheet/workaround and one direct competitor. Isolate your unique attributes: Action → Circle the features or capabilities no alternative offers together the way you do. Gut check → You can count these on one hand and explain each in a single sentence. Translate attributes into value: Action → For each unique attribute, finish the sentence: “Which means the customer can now ___, and that’s worth ___.” Gut check → The blank is an outcome a CFO would care about (revenue up, cost down, risk removed). Spot the customers who feel that value hardest: Action → Rank segments by (pain intensity × willingness to pay). Pick the top one. Gut check → You can name your ICP in 12 words or fewer: “Seed–Series A PLG SaaS, 10–50 headcount, no in-house RevOps.” Choose the market frame that flatters you: Action → Decide whether you win as a new category, a sub-segment, or the best-of-breed alternative; write one headline for each and pick the clearest. Gut check → A stranger can read the chosen headline and immediately name your closest competitor set. Craft the one-line positioning statement: Action → Fill the template: “[Product] is a [category] for [ICP] that [main value] by [unique mechanism].” Gut check → It fits in a tweet without jargon and your team can recite it verbatim. Write a hero section that passes the “what/for-whom” test: Action → First line states what it is; second line states who it’s for and why they care. Gut check → Show the page (no scrolling) to someone outside tech; they can explain your product back to you in 15 seconds. Back the claim with proof, not hype: Action → Add one killer metric (“cuts onboarding time 43 %“) or social-proof logo inside the first viewport. Gut check → You quoted an actual number or recognizable brand—no adjectives needed. Align every feature and piece of copy to this position: Action → Review roadmap and marketing assets; kill or rewrite anything that doesn’t reinforce the statement from Step 6. Gut check → You can draw a straight line from each feature to the ICP’s top pain. Re-validate quarterly: Action → Repeat the “alternatives” interviews every 90 days; if answers shift, loop back to Step 2. Gut check → You’ve updated (or reaffirmed) your positioning at least twice in the last 12 months.
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