Who This Helps
You're a Junior Analyst. You just finished a deep dive. Now you need to ship it so someone actually acts on it. This is for you if you've ever sent a report and heard crickets.
Mini Case
Zaid, a Junior Analyst at a SaaS company, ran a competitor claim audit. He found that 12% of competitor claims were pure narrative noise. He built a positioning grid with three criteria: evidence strength, market share, and customer pain. His stakeholder approved the execution in one meeting. No rework. No confusion.
Do This Now (5 Steps)
- Pick one ICP wedge. Use the ICP Wedge Choice mission from the Market Intelligence & Positioning course. Justify it with one piece of evidence.
- Build a positioning grid. List your top three competitors. Score them on evidence-backed claims vs narrative noise. Keep it to three criteria.
- Write one clear recommendation. Start with "We should..." and end with a specific action. Example: "We should target mid-market healthcare firms because their pain score is 8/10."
- Add a one-sentence win. What does success look like by Friday? "Approved positioning statement."
- Send it with a subject line that says the outcome. "Positioning grid ready for approval."
Avoid These Traps
- Don't bury the recommendation. Put it first. Stakeholders scan.
- Don't use jargon. "Leverage" and "synergy" make eyes glaze over.
- Don't skip the evidence. A claim without a number is just an opinion.
- Don't over-explain. Three criteria max. One recommendation. One win.
Your Win by Friday
By Friday, you'll have a one-page positioning artifact that your stakeholder approves. No more crickets. Just a clean analysis and a clear "yes." And maybe a high-five from your manager.