Marketing Strategy & PMM

Product marketing patterns for positioning, GTM strategy, and competitive intelligence.

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Table of Contents

• ICP Definition Workflow
• Positioning Development
• Competitive Intelligence
• Product Launch Planning
• Sales Enablement
• International Expansion
• Reference Documentation

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Clarify First

Before building the PMM artifact, settle the inputs below. When one is missing or vague and would change the result, ask about it; when it wouldn't, use a sensible default and say which one you used.

• Deliverable type: positioning statement, GTM plan, battlecard, or sales enablement (determines which workflow runs).
• Target customer / ICP: best-fit segment, ideally top 20% by LTV (drives the FOR clause and targeting).
• Competitive alternatives: direct, adjacent, and status-quo options (drives the UNLIKE clause and battlecards).
• Unique differentiation: what only you do and why it matters (drives the positioning differentiator and value prop).

Ask about the two or three inputs that matter most for this request, not the whole list. If the user wants a result straight away, produce it and state your assumptions at the top.

ICP Definition Workflow

Define ideal customer profile for targeting:

1. Analyze existing customers (top 20% by LTV)
2. Identify common firmographics (size, industry, revenue)
3. Map technographics (tools, maturity, integrations)
4. Document psychographics (pain level, motivation, risk tolerance)
5. Define 3-5 buyer personas (economic, technical, user)
6. Validate against sales cycle and churn data
7. Score prospects A/B/C/D based on ICP fit
8. Validation: A-fit customers have lowest churn and fastest close

Firmographics Template

Dimension	Target Range	Rationale
Employees	50-5000	Series A sweet spot
Revenue	$5M-$500M	Budget available
Industry	SaaS, Tech, Services	Product fit
Geography	US, UK, DACH	Market priority
Funding	Seed to Growth	Willing to adopt

Buyer Personas

Economic Buyer (signs contract):

• Title: VP, Director, Head of [Department]
• Goals: ROI, team productivity, cost reduction
• Messaging: Business outcomes, ROI, case studies

Technical Buyer (evaluates product):

• Title: Engineer, Architect, Tech Lead
• Goals: Technical fit, easy integration
• Messaging: Architecture, security, documentation

User/Champion (advocates internally):

• Title: Manager, Team Lead, Power User
• Goals: Makes job easier, quick wins
• Messaging: UX, ease of use, time savings

ICP Validation Checklist

• 5+ paying customers match this profile
• Fastest sales cycles (< median)
• Highest LTV (> median)
• Lowest churn (< 5% annual)
• Strong product engagement
• Willing to do case studies

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Positioning Development

Develop positioning using April Dunford methodology:

1. List competitive alternatives (direct, adjacent, status quo)
2. Isolate unique attributes (features only you have)
3. Map attributes to customer value (why it matters)
4. Define best-fit customers (who cares most)
5. Choose market category (head-to-head, niche, new category)
6. Layer on relevant trends (timing justification)
7. Test with 10+ customer interviews
8. Validation: 7+ customers describe value unprompted

Positioning Statement Template

FOR [target customer]
WHO [statement of need]
THE [product] IS A [category]
THAT [key benefit]
UNLIKE [competitive alternative]
OUR PRODUCT [primary differentiation]

Value Proposition Formula

Template: [Product] helps [Target Customer] [Achieve Goal] by [Unique Approach]

Example: "Acme helps mid-market SaaS teams ship 2x faster by automating project workflows with AI"

Messaging Hierarchy

Level	Content	Example
Headline	5-7 words	"Ship faster with AI automation"
Subhead	1 sentence	"Automate workflows so teams focus on what matters"
Benefits	3-4 bullets	Speed, quality, collaboration, cost
Features	Supporting evidence	AI automation → 10 hrs/week saved
Proof	Social proof	Customer logos, stats, case studies

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Competitive Intelligence

Build competitive knowledge base:

1. Identify tier 1 (direct), tier 2 (adjacent), tier 3 (status quo)
2. Sign up for competitor products (hands-on evaluation)
3. Monitor competitor websites, pricing, messaging
4. Analyze sales call recordings for competitor mentions
5. Read G2/Capterra reviews (pros and cons)
6. Track competitor job postings (roadmap signals)
7. Update battlecards monthly
8. Validation: Sales team uses battlecards in 80%+ competitive deals

Competitive Tier Structure

Tier	Definition	Examples
1	Direct competitor, same category	[Competitor A, B]
2	Adjacent solution, overlapping use case	[Alt Solution C, D]
3	Status quo (what they do today)	Spreadsheets, manual, in-house

Battlecard Template

COMPETITOR: [Name]
OVERVIEW: Founded [year], Funding [stage], Size [employees]

POSITIONING:
- They say: "[Their claim]"
- Reality: [Your assessment]

STRENGTHS:
1. [What they do well]
2. [What they do well]

WEAKNESSES:
1. [Where they fall short]
2. [Where they fall short]

OUR ADVANTAGES:
1. [Your advantage + evidence]
2. [Your advantage + evidence]

WHEN WE WIN:
- [Scenario where you win]

WHEN WE LOSE:
- [Scenario where they win]

TALK TRACK:
Objection: "[Common objection]"
Response: "[Your response]"

Win/Loss Analysis

Track monthly:

• Win rate by competitor
• Top win reasons (product fit, ease of use, price)
• Top loss reasons (missing feature, price, relationship)
• Action items for product, sales, marketing

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Product Launch Planning

Plan launches by tier:

Tier	Scope	Prep Time	Budget
1	New product, major feature	6-8 weeks	$50-100k
2	Significant feature, integration	3-4 weeks	$10-25k
3	Small improvement	1 week	<$5k

Tier 1 Launch Workflow

Execute major product launch:

1. Kickoff meeting with Product, Marketing, Sales, CS
2. Define goals (pipeline $, MQLs, press coverage)
3. Develop positioning and messaging
4. Create sales enablement (deck, demo, battlecard)
5. Build campaign assets (landing page, emails, ads)
6. Train sales and CS teams
7. Execute launch day (press, email, ads, outbound)
8. Monitor and optimize for 30 days
9. Validation: Pipeline on track to goal by week 2

Launch Day Checklist

• Press release distributed
• Email announcement sent
• Social media posts live
• Paid ads at full budget
• Sales outbound blitz launched
• In-app notification active
• Metrics monitored every 2 hours

Launch Metrics

Metric	Leading (Daily)	Lagging (Weekly)
Traffic	Landing page visitors	-
Engagement	Demo requests, signups	Feature adoption %
Pipeline	MQLs generated	SQLs, pipeline $
Revenue	-	Deals closed, revenue

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Sales Enablement

Equip sales team with PMM assets:

1. Create sales deck (15-20 slides, visual-first)
2. Build one-pagers (product, competitive, case study)
3. Develop demo script (30-45 min with discovery)
4. Write email templates (outreach, follow-up, closing)
5. Create ROI calculator (input costs, output savings)
6. Conduct monthly enablement calls
7. Deliver quarterly training (positioning, competitive)
8. Validation: Sales uses assets in 80%+ of opportunities

Sales Deck Structure

Slide	Content
1-2	Title, agenda
3-4	Company intro, problem statement
5-7	Solution, key benefits, demo
8-10	Differentiation, case study, pricing
11-12	Implementation, support, next steps

Demo Flow

1. Intro (2 min): Who we are, agenda
2. Discovery (5 min): Their needs, pain points
3. Demo (20 min): Product focused on their use case
4. Q&A (10 min): Objection handling
5. Next steps (3 min): Trial, POC, proposal

Sales-Marketing Handoff

Handoff	Frequency	Content
Weekly sync	30 min	Win/loss, competitive, new assets
Monthly enablement	60 min	Product updates, training
Quarterly review	Half-day	Results, strategy, planning

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International Expansion

Enter new markets systematically:

1. Validate market demand (inbound leads, TAM analysis)
2. Localize website, pricing, legal
3. Establish sales coverage (hire or agency)
4. Adapt messaging for cultural fit
5. Build local partnerships and references
6. Launch localized campaigns
7. Monitor CAC and conversion by market
8. Validation: 3+ paying customers from market in first 90 days

Market Priority (Series A)

Market	Timeline	Budget %	Target ARR
US	Months 1-6	50%	$1M
UK	Months 4-9	20%	$500k
DACH	Months 7-12	15%	$300k
France	Months 10-15	10%	$200k
Canada	Months 7-12	5%	$100k

Localization Checklist

• Website translation (professional, not machine)
• Currency and pricing localized
• Local phone number and address
• Legal compliance (GDPR, PIPEDA)
• Local payment methods
• Sales coverage during local hours
• Local case studies and references

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Reference Documentation

Positioning Frameworks

references/positioning-frameworks.md contains:

• April Dunford 5-step positioning process
• Geoffrey Moore positioning statement template
• Positioning validation interview protocol
• Competitive positioning map construction

Launch Checklists

references/launch-checklists.md contains:

• Tier 1/2/3 launch checklists
• Week-by-week launch timeline
• Launch day runbook
• Post-launch metrics dashboard

International GTM

references/international-gtm.md contains:

• US, UK, DACH, France, Canada playbooks
• Market-specific channel mix and messaging
• Localization requirements per market
• Entry timeline and budget allocation

Messaging Templates

references/messaging-templates.md contains:

• Value proposition formulas
• Persona-specific messaging
• Competitive response scripts
• Objection handling templates
• Channel-specific copy (landing pages, emails, ads)

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PMM KPIs

Metric	Target	Measurement
Product adoption	>40% in 90 days	Feature usage after launch
Win rate	>30% competitive	Deals won vs. competitors
Sales velocity	-20% YoY	Days from SQL to close
Deal size	+25% YoY	Average contract value
Launch pipeline	3:1 ROMI	Pipeline $ : marketing spend

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Quick Reference

PMM Monthly Rhythm

Week	Focus
1	Review metrics, update battlecards
2	Create assets, publish content
3	Support launches, optimize campaigns
4	Monthly report, plan next month

Proactive Triggers

• No documented positioning -- Without clear positioning, all marketing is guesswork. Start with April Dunford framework.
• Messaging differs across channels -- Inconsistent story confuses buyers. Align messaging hierarchy across all touchpoints.
• No ICP defined -- Selling to everyone means selling to no one. Define ICP before any campaign spend.
• Competitor repositioning -- Market shift detected. Review your positioning and update battlecards.

Output Artifacts

When you ask for...	You get...
"Position my product"	Positioning framework (April Dunford method) with completed output
"GTM strategy"	Go-to-market plan with channels, messaging, and timeline
"Competitive positioning"	Positioning map with competitive gaps and opportunities
"Sales enablement"	Sales deck structure, battlecards, and demo flow

Communication

All output passes quality verification:

• Self-verify: source attribution, assumption audit, confidence scoring
• Output format: Bottom Line first, then What (with confidence), Why, How to Act
• Every finding tagged with confidence level: verified, medium confidence, or assumed

Related Skills

• marketing-demand-acquisition: For executing acquisition campaigns planned by PMM.
• campaign-analytics: For measuring launch and campaign effectiveness.
• content-creator: For creating content assets defined in PMM strategy.
• social-media-analyzer: For tracking social media performance of PMM campaigns.

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Troubleshooting

Symptom	Likely Cause	Resolution
Positioning resonates internally but customers do not repeat it	Positioning built from company perspective, not customer language	Rerun April Dunford methodology starting from competitive alternatives, not from product features
Win rate against specific competitor below 25%	Battlecard outdated or sales team not using it	Run win_loss_analyzer.py to identify loss patterns; update battlecard monthly; validate 80%+ sales usage
GTM motion producing high MQLs but low pipeline conversion	Wrong GTM motion for ACV and buyer type; marketing-led when should be sales-led	Reassess motion using gtm_planner.py; for ACV >$25K, shift to sales-led or hybrid PLG+sales
Sales enablement assets gathering dust	Assets created without sales input; format does not match how sales actually works	Co-create assets with sales; survey sales on what they need; track asset usage in deal cycles
International expansion burning cash with zero pipeline	Market entered without validating demand (inbound signal, TAM)	Validate 3+ paying customers from market in first 90 days; if not, pause and reassess market priority
Competitive intelligence always reactive to lost deals	No proactive monitoring system; battlecards only updated post-loss	Set up monthly competitor monitoring (website, pricing, job postings, G2 reviews); update battlecards proactively
Messaging differs across website, sales deck, and ads	No messaging hierarchy documented; each team creates independently	Build messaging hierarchy (headline > subhead > benefits > features > proof) and enforce across all touchpoints

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Success Criteria

• Positioning validated with 10+ customer interviews; 7+ describe value unprompted
• Win rate above 30% in competitive deals, measured and tracked monthly
• Sales velocity improves 20%+ YoY (days from SQL to close decreasing)
• Sales team uses battlecards in 80%+ of competitive opportunities
• Product adoption exceeds 40% within 90 days of launch
• GTM plan generates 3:1 pipeline-to-marketing-spend ROMI
• Messaging hierarchy consistent across all customer-facing touchpoints

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Scope & Limitations

In Scope: Product positioning (April Dunford methodology), ICP definition and validation, competitive intelligence and battlecards, GTM strategy and motion selection (PLG, sales-led, marketing-led, community-led), product launch planning, sales enablement, win/loss analysis, international expansion planning, messaging hierarchy, PMM KPIs.

Out of Scope: Brand identity and visual design (see brand-guidelines skill), demand generation execution (see marketing-demand-acquisition skill), content creation (see content-creator skill), pricing strategy optimization, sales process design.

Limitations: Positioning frameworks require real customer input to be effective — internally generated positioning is unreliable. Win/loss analysis requires honest deal outcome data from sales; incomplete data produces misleading patterns. GTM motion recommendations are based on ACV and buyer type heuristics; edge cases may require hybrid approaches. International expansion timelines assume US-first model and may not apply to non-US companies.

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Scripts

Script	Purpose	Usage
scripts/gtm_planner.py	Generate GTM plans with motion selection, channel strategy, and timeline	python scripts/gtm_planner.py config.json --demo
scripts/win_loss_analyzer.py	Analyze deal outcomes by competitor, segment, and reason	python scripts/win_loss_analyzer.py deals.json --demo
scripts/battlecard_generator.py	Generate competitive battlecards with feature comparison and objection handling	python scripts/battlecard_generator.py competitor.json --demo