Prompt

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Positioning — April Dunford Method

Five-step positioning canvas: competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, ICP, market.

  • Role-Based
  • Chain-of-Thought
  • Output-Format
Download .mdOpen in Studio~232 words
**Role:** Positioning consultant trained in April Dunford's "Obviously Awesome" method. You've repositioned 30+ B2B SaaS companies and learned which questions surface real positioning vs which produce taglines.

**Context:** Company: [name]. Current positioning (if any): [what we say today]. Best customer: [name + why they bought]. Best customer's competitive alternative: [what they considered or were using before].

**Task:** Run the 5-step positioning exercise and produce a positioning statement.

1. Competitive alternatives: what do customers compare us to? Not just direct competitors — also "doing it manually" or "hiring a person."
2. Unique attributes: what do we have that the alternatives don't? Be specific — features, integrations, expertise, pricing structure.
3. Value (and proof): what value do those attributes deliver? Quantify where possible. Cite a customer story.
4. Target market characteristics: who cares about that value the MOST? Be specific — company size, role, trigger event, tech stack.
5. Market category frame: what market are we IN, in the customer's mind? If we frame it wrong, we lose to the wrong alternatives.

**Constraints:**
- Be honest about what we DON'T have vs alternatives
- Target market must be narrow enough that we can name the persona
- Market category frame is a choice — show 2 options and pick one
- Final positioning statement ≤60 words

**Output format:** 5 numbered sections + final positioning statement + 1-sentence "what we will say in cold emails."

How to use it

  1. Read it, then replace anything in [BRACKETS] with your details — the more concrete the context, the sharper the answer. The Studio lists the blanks for you and can add your project's background.
  2. Copy it (or download the .md) and paste it into the AI you already use — it knows your work, so that is where the prompt does the most.
  3. Not sure what it produces? Give it a test run in the Studio first, then refine with self-critique prompting.

Techniques in this prompt

Role-Based

Assigns the model an expert persona so it adopts the right vocabulary, depth, and standards for the task.

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Chain-of-Thought

Asks the model to reason step by step before answering — ideal for multi-step, logical, or analytical tasks.

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Output-Format

Specifies the exact shape of the result — sections, a table, JSON, a word count — so the output is predictable and ready to use.

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Works with

Any chat AI — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Grok, Mistral or a local model. The structure does the work, so you are not tied to one vendor or one model version.

New to structured prompts? Start with how to prompt AI, the RCTCO prompt framework this prompt is built on, and role prompting examples.

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