The 5-Step Positioning Matrix: Building a One-Page Positioning Doc
Objective: Build a complete, 5-component positioning document for a targeted enterprise product line using April Dunford's sequential framework, translating competitive alternatives and unique attributes into defensible customer value and category framing.
You are the Senior Product Marketing Manager at Slack (Salesforce), tasked with crafting the internal positioning doc for 'Slack Connect' (secure cross-company channel collaboration) to align sales, product, and marketing ahead of an enterprise push.
Work through Dunford's 5 steps in strict sequence. Do not skip to the market category or value until you have rigorously documented what buyers use today and what Slack Connect uniquely does that alternatives cannot.
Before you start
What you'll need
Free path (everything below is enough to finish)
Clean, collaborative, version-controlled documentation
The process
3 steps
Step 01 of 03
Dunford's Step 1 and Step 2 establish the foundation: competitive alternatives define what customers would do if you did not exist, and unique attributes list only the capabilities you have that those alternatives lack.
What do enterprise teams use today to collaborate with external vendors and partners, and what technical capabilities does Slack Connect possess that those methods lack?
Procedure
- List the top 3 alternatives external teams use today (e.g. shared email distribution lists, guest accounts on internal portals, weekly status sync calls).
- For each alternative, isolate its primary failure mode (e.g. email threads lose attachments, guest accounts create security and licensing sprawl).
- List Slack Connect's unique technical attributes (e.g. bi-directional encrypted channels between separate enterprise Slack workspaces, retention policy compliance for both orgs).
- Filter out table-stakes attributes that email or standard chat already offer (e.g. 'instant messaging', 'file sharing').
COMPETITIVE ALTERNATIVES: 1. Email chains with 15+ external CCs (unstructured, context lost, attachments version-clashed) 2. Multi-tenant Guest Accounts (expensive per-seat licensing, security blindspot for IT) 3. Ad-hoc Zoom status syncs (synchronous, time-zone friction) UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES (Strict Filter): 1. Direct federated channel linking two sovereign Enterprise Grid organizations 2. Each organization retains administrative sovereignty and DLP/eDiscovery compliance over its own data 3. Real-time multi-org workflows and bot automations operating natively across the boundary
Healthy
Unique attributes only contain features that external email chains and guest accounts literally cannot provide.
Unhealthy
Listing generic messaging features like 'rich text editing' or 'mobile push notifications' as unique attributes.
What this means
Uniqueness is relative only to what the customer would use instead. If email already does it, it is not a unique attribute.
So what do I do about it?
| Symptom | Action | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Unique attributes list features available in standard email or chat | Cross out any capability that exists in competitive alternatives until only defensible differentiators remain | 5 min |
Step 02 of 03
Step 3 maps each unique attribute directly to a commercial outcome the buyer cares about, converting 'what it is' into 'what it enables for the business'.
How does each unique federated security and workflow capability translate into tangible time, risk reduction, or deal velocity for enterprise leaders?
Procedure
- Take each unique attribute from Step 1 and ask: 'So what does this change for the VP of Sales or CISO?'
- Write the value statement in terms of speed, risk mitigation, or customer retention rather than software mechanisms.
- Ensure each value statement links directly to one unique attribute, avoiding ungrounded benefit claims.
ATTRIBUTE -> VALUE TRANSLATION: - Federated Grid Link -> Closes partner deals and resolves client escalations 4x faster by replacing 3-day email tag with real-time shared channel triage. - Sovereign DLP/Compliance -> CISO approves external partner collaboration in 24 hours instead of blocking guest account provisioning for 6 weeks. - Cross-Org Workflow Bots -> Automates shared ticketing and billing approvals between vendor and client without manual status reconciliation.
Healthy
Value claims describe business velocity and security clearance outcomes that matter to budget holders.
Unhealthy
Value claims merely restate the feature (e.g., 'allows two companies to chat in real-time').
What this means
Buyers purchase outcomes, not engineering. The value column is what equips sales reps to defend pricing.
So what do I do about it?
| Symptom | Action | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Value column describes software mechanics rather than buyer outcomes | Rewrite using the formula: 'Enables [buyer role] to [achieve outcome] in [timeframe] without [painful alternative]' | 5 min |
Step 03 of 03
Step 4 defines the target customer segment that feels this value most acutely, and Step 5 establishes the market category that sets the correct evaluation criteria in the buyer's mind.
Which exact enterprise segment suffers most from multi-company email chaos, and what category framing prevents them from viewing Slack Connect as merely an expensive chat add-on?
Procedure
- Define the Target Customer using specific firmographic and operational triggers (e.g. enterprise B2B companies managing 50+ strategic agency/vendor partners).
- Evaluate 3 candidate market categories: 'B2B Chat Plugin' vs. 'Enterprise Collaboration' vs. 'Secure Inter-Company Communications Platform'.
- Select the category that activates enterprise security evaluation criteria and premium budget pools.
- Synthesize all 5 components into a single-page internal reference brief.
TARGET CUSTOMER: - Profile: Enterprise SaaS and professional services firms ($50M+ ARR, 500+ employees) whose revenue depends on managing complex, multi-party client accounts and external vendor ecosystems. - Trigger: IT/Security audits failing due to unmanaged guest access and sensitive client data leaking across unencrypted email attachments. MARKET CATEGORY: - Chosen Frame: "Secure Inter-Company Communications Platform" - Why This Frame: Positions the product as enterprise infrastructure (funded from IT/CISO budget) rather than an optional internal chat perk (competing with internal messaging budgets).
Healthy
Target customer includes operational triggers and category activates enterprise IT budget lines.
Unhealthy
Target customer is 'all enterprise companies' and category is 'team chat'.
What this means
Category framing dictates which budget pool the purchase comes from and who the primary decision maker is.
So what do I do about it?
| Symptom | Action | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Category framing triggers comparisons with low-cost consumer chat apps | Refocus category frame around enterprise security, governance, and business-to-business infrastructure | 5 min |
Final deliverable
A completed 1-page internal positioning document for Slack Connect covering all 5 Dunford components with verified uniqueness filters and category justification.
See a reference example
Freshworks Freshservice Positioning Brief (Reference Sample) 1. Competitive Alternatives: Legacy enterprise ITSM (ServiceNow) and fragmented IT email inboxes. 2. Unique Attributes: - Out-of-the-box ITIL workflows deployed in under 14 days without third-party implementation consultants. - Unified service catalog spanning IT, HR, and Facilities on a single mid-market pricing tier. 3. Value Delivered: - Mid-market enterprises reduce ticket resolution time by 35% within 30 days of launch. - IT directors achieve 100% service visibility without the $250k consulting overhead of legacy platforms. 4. Target Customer: IT Directors and VP of Ops at mid-market companies (500-3,000 employees) experiencing rapid headcount growth with lean IT teams. 5. Market Category: Right-Sized Enterprise Service Management (ESM)
Success criteria
You're done when you can:
- Follows Dunford's 5 components in strict sequential order
- Filters out table-stakes chat features from the unique attributes list
- Defines target customer with concrete operational and trigger-based criteria
- Justifies market category choice based on buyer evaluation criteria