Strategy

Positioning statement: write a claim your sales team can prove

Define the buyer, buying situation, alternative and credible difference. Build an internal positioning statement with a proof table and a fictional example.

Vladlens Kecko · 2026-11-07 · 6 min read

A positioning statement is an internal decision about who you serve, what you help them do and why they should consider you. It gives the team a shared basis for messages. It is not a slogan, a guarantee or proof that customers already perceive the business as intended.

Harvard Business School Online's positioning guide discusses differentiation and reasons to believe. Our worksheet adds a practical constraint: every proposed claim needs an evidence owner before it reaches an ad or a service page.

1. Choose one buying situation

“We help businesses grow” leaves too much undecided. Name a customer group and the situation in which it needs help. Use the market segmentation worksheet if the team cannot agree on that group.

For a fictional equipment-maintenance company, the starting situation might be: an operations manager preparing planned maintenance across several sites. Emergency repairs are a different situation with different requirements. Choosing one does not mean the company must abandon every other customer; it makes this particular message assessable.

2. Describe the real alternative

Ask what the buyer would do without your service: coordinate separate contractors, use an internal team, postpone the work or choose another provider. Do not assume the only alternative is the competitor your sales team mentions most.

The competitor-analysis worksheet records public evidence about alternatives. This worksheet makes the next decision: which supported difference belongs in your own message? Avoid claiming an alternative is slow or unreliable without evidence.

3. Replace adjectives with an evidence table

Words such as “best”, “innovative” and “reliable” are not an explanation on their own. Describe an observable way of working, then check whether the business actually does it.

The table is fictional. It illustrates how to reject a tempting claim rather than manufacture proof. A sample process document can support how you work; it does not establish that every customer gets a particular financial outcome.

4. Draft an internal statement

Use this original working format: “For [buyer in a situation], we provide [service] that helps them [task], through [supported way of working], rather than relying on [relevant alternative].” Do not force an “only provider” claim unless it is supportable.

A fictional draft could read: “For operations managers coordinating planned maintenance across several sites, we provide a shared maintenance plan with a named coordinator, helping the team organise the work rather than manage disconnected requests.” Every operational element still needs verification before a real company uses it.

Shorten the statement until sales and delivery understand it the same way. Keep a separate note about exclusions, such as emergency coverage or geography. An internal statement can be longer than the public headline it informs.

5. Check understanding before testing performance

Ask colleagues from sales and delivery to explain the intended buyer, task and difference without reading your worksheet. If their answers conflict, fix the decision before asking a designer for a new homepage.

Then show a supported public message to a small, relevant group and ask what they believe is being offered. Do not treat compliments as purchase intent. A comprehension check tests understanding; it does not establish market demand or conversion lift.

Your output: a statement and a claim register

Save one internal statement, the evidence table, exclusions and an owner for review. Pass the verified message into the marketing brief. Request a free 30-minute founder-led growth review for a short written plan with three priorities and no obligation to hire CPCInsider.