Since a bunch of people said yes to me doing tweets about marketing positioning/messaging tips last week, let's do a thread on that.
I'll call it PivotNine Marketing Tips and tag it #pnmt so you can mute if you don't want to see them.

Because we're consultants, we have to have 2x2 matrices to Thought Leadership™ with, but because if it's worth doing it's worth overdoing we have a 3x3 matrix called the Pain/Awareness matrix.
Also irony is fun. #pnmt

This matrix is a framework to guide thinking about customers and their awareness of their problems and possible solutions. #pnmt

Frameworks get a bad rap because people overuse them. They're supposed to help guide your thinking and sometimes force you to think in ways you don't naturally tend to. They're *one* way to look at things, not the *only* way. #pnmt

All models are wrong, but some are useful. #pnmt

(sorry, had a phonecall. We resume regular programming now) #pnmt

This silly matrix is designed to guide you to figure out how your customer thinks and feels about the problem they have (that you think you solve because you want to sell them something) #pnmt

In the hilariously named Zone of Ignorance™ people aren't that aware of the nature of their problem. There are three pain levels labelled, as follows: #pnmt

1: Low pain, low awareness. This problem doesn't affect me, and I don't even know it exists.
A state of bliss that we all enjoy right now because can you imagine being fully aware of all the possible pain in the world? What a nightmare! #pnmt

2: I'm in a bit of pain, but I don't know why. It might not be this problem.
Is it cancer or just allergies? Maybe I'm holding it wrong. #pnmt

3: I'm in a lot of pain and I don't know why. I might think it's this problem but I'm wrong and it's something else.
#pnmt

In the Zone of Learning™, people are a bit more aware of the nature of the problem. #pnmt

4: I know of the problem, but it doesn't affect me.
Also known as the Region of Schadenfreude #pnmt

5. I'm aware of the problem and it affects me a bit. I have bigger problems, but I'm trying to learn more about the problem so it doesn't get worse.
The Region of Self Care
#pnmt

6: I am in a lot of pain, and have some clues about what the problem is. I'm actively trying to figure it out and fix it.
#pnmt

Then we have the Zone of Enlightenment™ at the top. #pnmt

7. I am well aware of the problem, in detail, but it doesn't affect me, at least not today.
I have moved beyond shadenfreude because I realize just how lucky I am.
The Region of There But For the Grace of God Go I
#pnmt

8. I am well aware of the problem as it currently affects me. I can describe my pain in detail and link it to the problem clearly, and I'm working on fixing it, though it might not be my top priority.
The Region of Sore but Not On Fire
#pnmt

9. I am in a lot of pain, but I know why, probably in a lot of detail, and I also know what I need to do to fix it, which I am actively doing.
Sometimes it takes time to do.
#pnmt

Why bother doing this analysis? Because sometimes tech people try to sell their Amazing Solution™ to people who don't need it or don't care.
That's a waste of their time and yours. Stop it. #pnmt

Never teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig. #pnmt

People in category 1 don't need your thing, and don't care about the problem.
If this is seriously your target market something has gone horribly wrong and your company is doomed. #pnmt

People in category 2 aren't ready for you yet. They need to move into category 3 or 5 first: their problem needs to get worse, or they need to learn enough to care more. You can't *force* them to learn more, though, so don't try. #pnmt

People in category 4 don't have the problem you solve, and they know they don't. You will only annoy them a lot if you try to sell to them.
Leave them alone.
#pnmt

People in category 7 just solved this problem so you're too late to sell to them.
You can learn from them about how they solved the problem with something else, though, so consider doing that. It's useful market intelligence. #pnmt

Plus it's possible that the solution they picked doesn't work well long term, so they might be in pain again one day. If you're on friendly terms, they might come back and ask about your thing, so don't antagonise them unnecessarily.
#pnmt

Your best prospects are in categories 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9, so this is where you should start.
Especially if you have limited resources, as most startups do. Focus is your friend.
#pnmt

Category 3 people are in substantial pain, so removing that pain is of high value to them. But, danger alert, they tend to be unaware of the cause of their pain.
This could spell opportunity, or cause problems. #pnmt

If their mistaken belief is strongly held, it might be hard to convince them your solution is the right one. Starting off by telling a customer they're wrong is generally not a great sales technique, yet lots of tech salespeople insist on using it for some reason. #pnmt

Besides, what if the customer is right and you're wrong? They are more likely to understand their own circumstances than you are, especially if you're an early stage company. #pnmt

Your goal for people in category 3 is triage: Can we quickly move them to the Zone of Learning? If not, better to move on, leaving the door open for if they come back on their own. #pnmt

Categories 5 and 6 are great prospects because they have a basic level of understanding of the problem domain, a demonstrated ability to learn more about it, and are in enough pain to want solutions. #pnmt

Categories 8 and 9 are well aware of their problem and potential solutions, yet they are still in substantial pain, which means they haven't actually *solved* the problem yet.
You should figure out why that is. #pnmt

If your product is any good, this indicates you have an awareness problem: these potential customers haven't picked you because they don't know you exist! You should fix that! #pnmt

If they have heard of you, but still haven't picked you, there's something wrong with product/market fit. Are you too expensive? Too cheap? Missing a key feature? Time to figure that out. #pnmt

Let me know if you found this useful, and reply with tips of your own. #pnmt

If your tech company would like some help with this stuff, you can hire us to do just that: https://pivotnine.com/contact/  #pnmt