The Competitive Positioning Framework is a strategic tool for mapping your company's market position and core differentiators. Understanding how you stack up against competitors is the most important first step in developing effective positioning and messaging.

This framework helps you analyze three key types of players in your space:

Sample

	Silicon Valley Bank	American Express	CapitalOne	Stripe
Solution / Benefit Statements	We help you... get a powerful range of business tools,
so you can...meet your business vision and goals.	We help you... access the most powerful and flexible tools for internet commerce,
so you can... scale your business faster.	We help you... get the banking, tools, and community access you need,
so you can... scale and reach your next round faster.	We help you... manage your money,
so you can... learn, grow, and focus on what matters.
Core Differentiators	• Range of business tools
• Renowned concierge support, purchase protection, and chargebacks	• All in one payments toolkit for any type of internet business
• Truly global, powers 100+ countries and across all industries
• Tailored to company sizes	• Access to founder/investor networks
• Education for next financing rounds	• Rewards
• Breadth of financial offerings (Corporate cards, lending, depository services, treasury management)
Business Category	Financial services	Payments platform	Commercial bank	Financial services
Position in Market	Upmarket	Downmarket (secured the long-tail and are moving up)	Downmarket	“Peer”

Template

	Competitor 1	Competitor 2	Competitor 3	Competitor 4
Solution / Benefit Statements	**We help you...

so you can...** | **We help you...

How to Use This Framework

Start with the "We help you... so you can..." format to clearly articulate each company's value proposition. This simple structure forces clarity around who they serve and what outcomes they deliver.
List 2-3 core differentiators that make each company unique. Focus on meaningful differences that customers actually care about, not just features.
Note their business category and market position to understand where they play and who they target.
Look for patterns and gaps:
- What white space exists in the market?
- Which differentiators are truly unique vs table stakes?
- How do value propositions evolve as companies move upmarket?
Apply what you learned—use these insights to:
- Craft messaging that clearly communicates your unique value
- Identify opportunities to differentiate
- Guide product and market expansion decisions
- Inform partnership strategies
- Shape your competitive narrative

<aside> 💡

Good positioning isn't just about being different—it's about being different in ways that matter to your target customers and align with your business strategy.

</aside>

This was created by Kira Klaas. 👩🏼‍💻 Please do not sell, repackage, or distribute this template. Visit notion.so/@kira and subscribe on Substack for more templates. 👋🏼 Looking for brand strategy & marketing resources? Check out my courses on Maven and Reforge.

Template by Kira Klaas.png