How to measure positioning
You roll out new positioning. Someone asks "how will we know if it's working?"
Instead of saying "we'll know because we did the research and picked something true," the team builds a measurement framework. Language convergence metrics. Self-qualification scores. Decision velocity indexes.
And then you wait. Watching the dashboard. Tweaking the messaging. A/B testing the homepage. Adjusting the sales deck.
Three quarters later, the pipeline hasn't moved. The measurement framework becomes an excuse to never fully commit. You're always "validating" and "iterating" instead of just running the play.
IMO positioning can’t really be measured. You want "leading indicators." You want "instrumentation." You want a dashboard that tells you positioning is "working" before you have to actually commit to anything.
What you really want is permission to keep hedging.
Strong Positioning Doesn't Need a Measurement Framework. It Needs Conviction.
The companies with the best positioning don't measure it like this. They just...know.
Stripe didn't need leading indicators to know "payments infrastructure for developers" was working. Figma didn't need a dashboard to tell them "design is becoming multiplayer."
They picked a position that was obviously true, went all-in, and let the market catch up. The need for elaborate measurement is usually a symptom that the positioning itself is weak. You're instrumenting it because you don't actually believe in it.
What You Should Actually Do
If you want to know whether positioning is working, answer three questions honestly:
Would your CEO bet their reputation on this position in public? Not "iterate toward it" or "test it." Bet on it. If the answer is no, the positioning isn't ready.
Can a new sales rep explain it after one conversation? Not after two weeks of training and a certification program. After one conversation. If it takes more than that, it's too complicated.
Do prospects immediately self-select in or out? Strong positioning repels as much as it attracts. If everyone thinks they're your ICP, your positioning does nothing.
That's it. That's the measurement framework.
If you can't answer those questions clearly, adding more metrics won't help. You don't have a measurement problem. You have a conviction problem.
The Real Reason Teams Over-Measure and What to Do Instead
Most things in marketing can and should be measured. But positioning shouldn’t be treated like a science experiment. Instead, it should be a strategic commitment. While your CEO and VP of Sales is asking for metrics to prove the positioning is working, your competitor picks a position, goes all-in, and owns the category before you've even finished your "validation phase."
Good positioning doesn't reveal itself through measurement. It reveals itself through commitment.
The hard work should be focused on the positioning itself. You listen to dozens of sales calls, you interview the entire GTM team, you interview your best customers, your early adopters, your closed losses, your quickest and slowest deals. You identify patterns - when do faces light up? What are your reps saying that gets head nods? What’s a turn on? What’s a turn off? The experimentation and measurement should really be happening here. Vigorous head nods should happen across your GTM team before you head to market with a new positioning.
When you actually execute with conviction, the market will tell you immediately if your positioning is right. You'll feel it in sales calls. You'll see it in win rates. You'll hear it when prospects say "finally, someone gets it."
If the position is wrong, the market will tell you that too. And no amount of metrics will save it.
The question isn't whether your measurement framework is sophisticated enough.
The question is whether you're brave enough to commit to a position before the data gives you permission.
