Framework · August 21, 2026

Positioning matrix for a crowded industrial market

How to build a positioning matrix from customer trade-offs rather than claims, how to test the resulting position with buyers, and what to change once a position is chosen.

By Marsden Advisory· Updated September 17, 2026
Two-by-two positioning matrix with competitors plotted and one position highlighted
Two-by-two positioning matrix with competitors plotted and one position highlighted

Positioning work fails when the axes come from the marketing team. It works when the axes come from the last twenty buying decisions.

## Build the axes from real trade-offs

Interview recent buyers, including the ones who chose someone else, and record the trade-off they actually made: speed against certainty, price against integration, breadth against depth. Those trade-offs are your axes. Claims are not.

## Choose a position and pay for it

A position is only real if it costs you something: a segment you stop serving, a capability you stop offering, a price you stop matching. Write down what the position forbids, then change the pitch, the pricing and the qualification questions to match.

Where this applies

  • Branding
  • Consulting

Work with Marsden Advisory

This framework comes from the work Marsden Advisory does. See what they offer, the results they can evidence, and how to start a conversation.

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