Establish a Common Positioning Vocabulary

Before a team can effectively work on positioning, it's essential to establish a common vocabulary and a shared understanding of the core concepts. This ensures that everyone is speaking the same language and working towards the same goals.

At a minimum, the team should be aligned on:

What positioning is: A shared definition of positioning and its importance to the business.
The components of positioning: A clear understanding of the The Five Components of Effective Positioning and how they relate to each other.
The goal of the exercise: A consensus on what the team is trying to achieve with the positioning process.

Without this common foundation, the positioning discussion can easily get sidetracked by debates about definitions and semantics, rather than focusing on the strategic work of finding the best position for the product.

Taking the time to establish a common vocabulary at the beginning of the process will lead to a more productive and efficient discussion, and a better outcome.

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