Who This Helps
You're a junior analyst who just finished a deep dive. Now you need to present it so stakeholders actually act. This is for anyone in the Market Intelligence & Positioning course who wants their work to lead to real decisions.
Mini Case
Zaid, a junior analyst at a SaaS company, spent two weeks on a competitor claim audit. He found that 40% of competitor claims were narrative noise, not evidence-backed. His first presentation got a shrug. After using the Positioning Grid from the course, he reframed his findings into three clear tradeoffs. His VP approved the new positioning in one meeting.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Start with the decision. Before you write a single slide, ask: what is the one choice my stakeholder needs to make? Write that at the top.
- Cut the noise. In your competitor audit, separate evidence-backed claims from narrative noise. Aim for a 60/40 split in your final deck.
- Use the Positioning Grid. List your top three competitors. Score them on two criteria: market share and customer satisfaction. Show where your company wins.
- Write one recommendation. Not three. Not five. One clear bet. For example: "Focus on the mid-market segment where we have a 20% satisfaction lead."
- Add a guardrail. What should the team not do? State it plainly. Like: "Do not chase enterprise deals until we fix onboarding."
Avoid These Traps
- The data dump. Don't show every number. Pick three that matter.
- The vague ask. Never say "we should explore." Say "ship this by Friday."
- The hidden tradeoff. If you recommend one path, name what you're giving up.
- The passive voice. "It was found that..." is a snooze. Say "We found."
- The perfect deck. Done is better than perfect. Send a draft, get feedback, iterate.
Your Win by Friday
By end of week, you'll have a one-page positioning artifact that your boss can approve in 10 minutes. No more analysis paralysis. Just a clean recommendation with a clear bet and a guardrail. That's the win.