Essays to stand the f*ck out
Positioning, differentiation, and the uncomfortable truths most B2B companies avoid.
8 B2B Positioning Books Worth Reading (Written by Someone Who Wrote One)
Most "best positioning books" lists are written by people who've never positioned a B2B company. This one isn't. 8 books, mapped by the kind of company each one actually works for.
The 'Problem-Unaware Prospect' Does Not Exist
Just because you can describe a thing in great detail does NOT mean that thing exists. The 'problem-unaware prospect' is a Sasquatch riding a Rainbow Unicorn.
My Toilet Was Leaking (And the Chain of Belief That Keeps You Stuck)
For months I believed 'I'm not a DIY person.' All the methodology in the world is just YouTube tutorials if you don't believe you can actually do it.
How to Tell What People Actually Want (Not What They Say They Want)
Never ask people what they want. They can't predict the future. Here's how to uncover the irrational needs your customers won't tell you about.
Shitstorming: Why the Worst Ideas Beat Brainstorming Every Time
Group brainstorming has been proven ineffective by 40 years of research. Shitstorming flips it: the stupidest idea wins. Here's why it works.
I Sold This All Wrong (And What Fixing My Own Positioning Taught Me)
I f*cked up the positioning of a hands-on certification program about... yes... positioning. Here's how I caught it and what I changed.
Pratfall Effect: How to Use It in Marketing (6 Examples)
The pratfall effect: People who show their imperfections tend to be more trusted. Your competitors probably aren't using it. There's so much bragging, so much bullshit, so much lying.
Distinctive brand assets: why meaning-free beats meaningful (B2B edition)
Most B2B brands chase meaningful logos and taglines, and end up tasting like lukewarm water. The brands that get remembered are the ones willing to pick assets that don't obviously explain what they do. Here's why, and how to build a kit that actually sticks.
How I've Made $60,300 With One Single Email (A No-Bull Story)
I've made $60,300 selling 25 seats of my program Stand The F*ck Out with one single email. Here's how it happened.
Is Blue Ocean Strategy Risky? Examples & Key Disadvantages
The blue ocean strategy has one big, gigantic, disadvantage that you might need to hear. There are no blue oceans, only ONE, GIGANTIC, RED ocean.
Buyer Personas Need To Die (The B2B Marketer's Alternative to Demographics)
Buyer personas fail because demographics don't predict buying behaviour. In B2B, you're not selling to a 41-year-old Marketer Mary with two kids and a Scorpio ascendant. You're selling to people fighting a shared struggle that the alternatives ignore. Ditch the dating-profile template. Start with the struggle, pick the segment, and treat demographics as a tiebreaker, not a foundation.
Why Your Buying Signals Won't Save Your Pipeline
Every B2B vendor sells you the same buying signals. Your competitors buy them too. And 92% of B2B buyers only purchase from the shortlist they formed before any signal fired. Signals are table stakes. Triggers are where positioning lives.
13 Positioning Principles From Hungry Hungry Hippos
Positioning is like playing a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. If the marbles are your potential buyers, and if your product/service is the hippo, you'd better position your hippo to gobble up enough marbles so it doesn't starve.
Stop Trying To Create A Category. Own A Segment Instead.
Most B2B 'category creation' is theater. Real category creation takes 6-10 years, $100M+, and a once-in-a-decade shift. Almost nobody claiming to create a category actually is. The real play is owning a segment: pick a specific buyer inside an existing category, focus on an ignored struggle, name the enemy.
Challenge Category Conventions in 7 Steps (+ Examples)
In a way, challenging category conventions is something I've been doing since I was a kid. Channel your intellectual terrorist mindset with this question: 'What's the one thing you hate the most about this category?'
Daft Punk: 5 Marketing Lessons to Make Your Business Famous
I had this idea of doing a marketing analysis of Daft Punk ever since I've been doubling down on radical differentiation. I love the way they've been zagging when other electronic music artists were zigging.
How to Influence Buying Decisions Without Being Shady
Facts don't influence customer buying decisions. So, what does? You can't change people's minds with data. Instead, encourage them to change their own minds.
Product Narrative Design: The Monster + POV Playbook
A product narrative isn't a tagline. It's a Monster plus a POV: the enemy your segment struggles against, and the structured arguments that rally them around you. Most B2B teams skip the Monster and their narrative blends the f*ck in.
Product Positioning in 6 No-BS Steps [From 7 Real Experts]
One of the hardest-to-miss symptoms of poor positioning is this: Buyers do not understand what you're selling. And, because they aren't sure if they want any, you probably aren't selling all that much.