GTM Positioning Skill

A framework-based skill for B2B product positioning, GTM strategy selection, and website messaging. Based on the Fletch framework by Anthony Pierri.

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When to use which framework

User need	Go to section
”Help me position my product”	1. Positioning Strategy
”What’s my GTM?“	2. GTM Strategy Types
”Write my homepage / website copy”	3. Website Messaging Guide
”Write messaging for different buyers”	4. Persona-Based Messaging
”What content should I create?“	5. Marketing Assets by Awareness Stage
”Write ads / landing page copy”	6. Value Prop by Awareness Stage

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1. Positioning Strategy

Pick one of three before writing any copy.

Strategy 1: Position in a mature category

• Use when: The category already exists and has mind share (CRM, project management, video conferencing)
• Reference point: The category name itself
• Competitive alternative: Other vendors in the category
• Target customer: People already shopping for the category
• Advantage: No education needed; budget already exists
• Risk: You’re fighting established players directly
• Examples: Figma, Zoom, Salesforce, Workday, Snowflake

Strategy 2: Position in an immature/emerging category

• Use when: The category is forming but not dominant yet
• Reference point: The job-to-be-done of the emerging category
• Competitive alternative: The status quo way people do the JTBD — not a named vendor
• Target customer: People doing the JTBD who don’t know a category exists yet
• Advantage: Less direct vendor competition; growing categories attract VC/press attention
• Risk: You inherit the market’s opinion of the category; categories can fizzle
• Examples: DocuSign, Dropbox, Google, Uber, Tesla, Slack, 1Password

Strategy 3: Create a new category

• Use when: You’re solving a JTBD no one has named yet, or existing categories would limit your story
• Reference point: The JTBD of your choosing — you design it
• Competitive alternative: The status quo way people do your chosen JTBD
• Target customer: People doing the JTBD you selected
• Advantage: Design the category from scratch; distribution headstart before others join
• Risk: Picking the right JTBD is hard; first mover rarely wins the category long-term
• Examples: eBay, VMware, Red Bull, Xerox, Brex, Clay

Decision rule: Pick Strategy 1 if you have resources to compete head-to-head. Pick Strategy 2 if the category will grow and you can become a leader as it solidifies. Pick Strategy 3 only if you’re willing to play the long game and believe categorizing yourself in an existing bucket hurts more than it helps.

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2. GTM Strategy Types

Driven by how specific you’re willing to be on use case. This determines everything about your messaging and channel strategy.

Type	Definition	Examples
Vertical	Single use case, single segment	Fletch (“re-write SaaS founder homepages”)
Horizontal	Single use case, multiple segments	Calendly, Loom, Asana
Vertical Solution	Multiple use cases, single industry	Epic, Procore, Guidewire
Horizontal Suite	Multiple use cases, multiple segments	Google Workspace
Platform	Many use cases, many segments (configurable)	Airtable, Notion, Miro

Recommendation: Most early-stage startups should start Vertical. Nail one use case for one segment before expanding. The others are valid but require more GTM complexity and usually come after finding initial traction.

Important: The same product can have a completely different GTM. Positioning is not about changing the roadmap — it’s about choosing which segment and use case to lead with. Slack, Discord, and Teams have nearly identical features but completely different positioning (target ICP, alternatives, problem framing, benefit).

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3. Website Messaging Guide

Each page has one job. Get the front-door pages right first — they determine whether anyone ever sees the rest.

Front door pages — get these right first

Page	Role	Lead with	Goal	Good model
Home Page	The Front Door	Capability + Use Case	Get the ideal user to take the first step	Calendly — super clear on the problem and what the product is
Persona Page	The Personal Welcome	Capability + Use Case for that ICP	Get the ideal user to take the first step	Asana — very clear who the page is for
Use Case Page	VIP Entrance	The capability that addresses the use case	Get the ideal user to take the first step	Zapier — thousands of use case pages, each highly specific, high converting

Exploration pages — prospects go here after the front door works

Page	Role	Lead with	Goal	Good model
Product Page	The Feature Index	How it works	Get users to see all the features	Slack — navigational dropdown, each feature gets its own page
Pricing Page	The Value Exchange	Target Customer per tier	Convince buyers they’re on the right package	Airtable — clean with personalization by user type
About Page	The Big Vision	Your Vision	Convince investors and employees you’re on something big	Canva — clear mission with highlights, key stats, ambitions
Resource Pages	The Owner’s Manual	High Value Guides	Get users to value faster	Notion — incredible onboarding content depth

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4. Persona-Based Messaging

In B2B, multiple people touch a buying decision. Each needs their own message.

For each persona, map: Context → Problem → Capability → Benefit

Buyer Role	What they care about	Frame your message around
User (e.g., Sales Rep, PM, Designer)	Their daily workflow	How it removes friction from their actual job
Champion (e.g., Dir. Sales Enablement, Product Lead)	Making the team work better	Visibility, performance tracking, optimization
Decision Maker (e.g., CRO, VP Product)	Revenue, pipeline velocity, outcomes	Enabling the team to move faster and show results
Financial Buyer (e.g., CFO)	ROI, cost justification	Defending spend to the board
Technical Influencer (e.g., Head of IT/Security)	Risk, compliance, stability	Security, encryption, reliability

How to fill in the matrix

For each persona:

1. Context: What is their daily reality? What are they always trying to do?
2. Problem: What specific friction or failure does your product address for them?
3. Capability: What can they now do that they couldn’t before?
4. Benefit: What outcome does that capability deliver that they actually care about?

This matrix powers your persona pages, sales decks, outbound sequences, and ad copy.

Bottom-up vs top-down motion

Bottom-up (PLG): Lead with the User persona. Win the person doing the work first. They pull the product up to their lead. Your homepage hero talks to the daily pain, your CTA is low-commitment (try free, not book a demo).

Top-down (enterprise sales): Lead with the Decision Maker. Win the person who controls budget. Your homepage hero talks to org-level outcomes, your CTA is a conversation (book a demo, talk to us).

Pick one motion and commit. Trying to do both on one homepage dilutes both messages.

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5. Marketing Assets by Awareness Stage

Match the content to where the buyer actually is. The wrong content at the wrong stage gets ignored.

Awareness Stage	Who they are	Content approach	Asset types
Problem Unaware (Out of Market)	Don’t know they have the problem yet	Educate on trends and the problem	White papers, industry reports, trend analysis
Problem Aware (Actual TAM)	Know the problem, not shopping yet	Educate on how to approach the problem	Frameworks, guides, breakdowns
Solution Aware	Know solutions exist, comparing options	Show success stories, highlight capabilities	Case studies, ROI calculators, buying guides
Product Aware	Know your product, considering it	Pull them into value-creating steps	Free trials, consults, value adds

Key insight: Your actual TAM is only the Problem Aware layer — not everyone with the problem. The Problem Unaware layer is much larger but they’re not in market. You’re playing a long game with them through content, not ads.

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6. Value Prop Variations by Awareness Stage

The same product needs different messaging depending on where the buyer is. One homepage is a trap.

Awareness Stage	Mode	Lead with	Earn trust by	To convince them
Problem Unaware	Creating demand	The alternative — how they do it today	Showing you understand their situation	They have a problem
Problem Aware	Creating demand	The problem	Showing you understand their problem	They’re missing a key capability
Solution Aware	Capturing demand	The capability	Showing you understand their desired capability	Your feature unlocks it
Product Aware	Capturing demand	The feature	Connecting the feature to an outcome	Your solution delivers the benefit

How to use this in practice

For ads and cold outbound: Lead with the alternative or the problem. Don’t open with your product name.

For landing pages from branded search: Lead with capability or feature. They already know you.

For persona pages: Match the awareness stage of that segment. Enterprise buyers are often more problem aware; power users are often product aware.

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Output format

When applying this skill:

1. Identify first: What’s the product? Which positioning strategy? Which GTM type? Bottom-up or top-down?
2. Map the ICP: Who is the primary buyer? What awareness stage are they likely at?
3. Draft the message: Use the right framework for the channel or page type
4. Check the copy: Does it lead with the right thing for the awareness stage? Does each persona get their own message?

Produce output as structured copy blocks with clear labels, not paragraphs of prose. Make it easy to drop into a page or doc.

Homepage copy block structure

HERO
Headline: [Capability + Use Case — short, punchy, no product name required]
Subhead: [Who it's for + the problem it solves — 1 sentence]
CTA primary: [Action verb + specific outcome — not "Learn More"]
CTA secondary: [Low-friction alternative — "See how it works"]
Note: [Remove friction — "No credit card needed", "Takes 15 minutes"]

PROBLEM SECTION
[Name the daily pain in the customer's language — validate before selling]
[2-3 specific scenarios that make them feel seen]
[End with empathy, not blame]

CAPABILITY SECTION
[What they can now do — one block per capability, short]
[Input → Action → Output for each]

BENEFIT SECTION
[Emotional payoff — what this actually means for their work and career]
[2-3 specific outcomes they care about]

SOCIAL PROOF
[Peer quotes from the same role, not executives]
[One stat if you have a real one]
[Format: quote + role + company stage]

FINAL CTA
[Urgency from a real scenario, not artificial pressure]
[Repeat primary CTA + friction remover]

Once you have the copy structure, run it through the Righter skill to tighten the writing — active voice, grade 5 reading level, no weakeners, no em dashes.