Using Positioning Maps to Find Your Competitive Sweet Spot

You know your competitors. You can list their features, their pricing, their strengths and weaknesses. But can you clearly articulate where your product sits in the competitive landscape and why that position is defensible?

Most positioning maps I see are useless. They plot random features on X/Y axes to create charts that look strategic but provide zero insight. The company always—miraculously—lands in the top right corner labeled "Leaders."

After mapping competitive landscapes for three B2B products and using these maps to guide actual positioning decisions, I've learned that effective positioning maps don't just visualize the market—they reveal strategic opportunities you're currently missing.

Here's how to build positioning maps that actually inform decision-making.

Choose Axes That Matter to Buyers, Not to You

The biggest mistake: selecting dimensions that make your product look good rather than dimensions buyers actually care about.

Start with win/loss interview data. What criteria did buyers use when comparing you to alternatives? What trade-offs did they discuss? These real decision factors should become your axes, not features you wish mattered.

Test with 5-10 prospects. Before committing to axes, validate that buyers actually evaluate solutions along these dimensions. Ask: "When comparing products in this category, how important is [dimension] to your decision?" If it's not in their top 3 criteria, it's not a useful axis.

Avoid generic "features vs. price" maps. Every vendor claims high features and low price. These maps communicate nothing. Instead, use specific dimensions like "Enterprise-ready vs. Time-to-value" or "Depth of analytics vs. Ease of implementation."

The right axes reveal meaningful differences. The wrong axes create meaningless charts.

Map Where Competitors Actually Are, Not Where You Wish They Were

Honest competitive assessment is painful but essential.

Plot competitors based on customer perception, not your opinion. Review G2 data, read customer reviews, analyze their messaging, shadow sales calls where they're mentioned. Where do buyers perceive them on each dimension?

Include "doing nothing" as a competitor. The status quo is often your biggest competitor. Where does "keep using spreadsheets" or "manual process" sit on your map? This reveals whether you're competing with other tools or with inertia.

Show the truth, even when it hurts. If a competitor genuinely outperforms you on an important dimension, show it accurately. The point isn't to create a chart where you win—it's to understand the landscape so you can make strategic choices.

Lying on positioning maps only deceives yourself. Buyers see the reality.

Build Multiple Maps for Different Contexts

One positioning map isn't enough. The competitive landscape looks different depending on the lens.

Create buyer-persona-specific maps. How IT evaluates solutions differs from how business users evaluate them. Your position relative to competitors shifts based on whose criteria you're using.

Example: Technical buyers might value "API flexibility vs. Pre-built integrations" while business buyers care about "Self-service capability vs. White-glove support."

Map different use cases separately. If you serve multiple use cases, your competitive position varies by use case. You might dominate for use case A but lag for use case B.

Show evolution over time. Where were you 12 months ago versus today? Where are competitors moving? This reveals trends and informs whether your positioning is becoming stronger or weaker.

Multiple maps create a complete picture. One map oversimplifies reality.

Identify White Space and Validate It

The real value of positioning maps is spotting opportunities—empty quadrants where no competitor is strong.

Look for underserved quadrants. Where is there clear white space? More importantly, why is it empty? Is it because it's not valuable to buyers, or because it's hard to deliver, or because everyone is copying each other?

Test whether white space is valuable. Just because a quadrant is empty doesn't mean buyers want a solution there. Talk to 10-15 prospects: "Would a solution that delivered [X dimension] and [Y dimension] be valuable?" If they say "interesting but not important," that white space is a trap.

Assess your ability to own that position. Can you credibly deliver on both dimensions? Do you have the product, the team, the brand? Positioning is only effective if it's defensible.

Finding white space is easy. Finding valuable, defensible white space is strategy.

Use Maps to Guide Messaging Decisions

Positioning maps aren't academic exercises. They should directly inform your messaging.

Lead with your differentiated dimensions. If your map shows you're strong on "ease of implementation" versus competitors who are strong on "feature depth," your messaging should lead with ease. Your homepage hero should reflect your position on the map.

Address your weak dimensions proactively. If you're weaker on a dimension buyers care about, don't ignore it. Acknowledge it and reframe: "While we don't offer 500 features like [competitor], our focused feature set means you can launch in days, not months."

Tailor competitive positioning based on who you're against. If you're up against a competitor who's strong where you're weak, emphasize a different dimension where you're both strong—one where you win on total package.

Your messaging should be the verbal expression of your position on the map.

Common Positioning Map Mistakes to Avoid

Most positioning maps fail because of predictable errors.

Choosing axes where everyone clusters. If all competitors land in the same quadrant, your axes aren't revealing differentiation. Try different dimensions.

Plotting based on features rather than benefits. "Number of integrations" is less useful than "ease of connecting to existing tools." Buyers think in benefits.

Making the map too complex. Resist the urge to create 3D maps or plot 10 competitors. Two dimensions, 4-6 competitors maximum. Clarity beats comprehensiveness.

Creating the map once and never updating it. Markets shift. Competitors evolve. Update your positioning maps quarterly or after major product releases.

Using maps for external marketing. Positioning maps are internal strategy tools. Putting them in pitch decks or on your website makes you look like everyone else who does the same thing.

From Map to Positioning Strategy

The final step: translate insights from your positioning map into actual strategy.

Choose your defensible position. Based on the map, where can you credibly claim to be strong? Where can you win? This becomes your positioning strategy.

Decide what you're not. Equally important: what quadrants are you conceding? You can't be strong on every dimension. Choose what you won't compete on.

Align product roadmap to positioning. If your positioning emphasizes "ease of use," your roadmap should prioritize UX improvements over feature breadth. Strategy means making consistent choices.

Revisit every 6 months. As you ship product, as competitors move, as buyer priorities shift, your position changes. Treat this as a living tool, not a one-time exercise.

Positioning maps work when they reveal truths that inform difficult strategic choices. They fail when they're just pretty charts that tell you what you want to hear. Build maps that show reality, identify opportunities, and guide decisions. That's when positioning becomes strategy.