Why Great Products Fail: The Missing Piece Most Companies Overlook

Messaging and positioning frameworks (MPFs) might not be flashy, but their impact on a company’s success can be profound. Over the years, I’ve seen what happens when startups prioritize messaging—and what happens when they don’t. Clear messaging saves time, aligns teams, and drives results. Without it, you’re left guessing, improvising, and hoping you’re hitting the mark.

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I myself have been on the wrong side of this equation. At a past company, I worked closely with a product marketing team to create digital assets like web pages and landing pages for ad campaigns. The challenge? I didn’t have a strong messaging and positioning framework to rely on. Sure, I understood our company values and knew our customers’ pain points. But I didn’t have the tools to connect those dots to that specific product offering.

Without a clear framework, I was forced to make educated guesses. I’d pull input from sales and other teams to piecemeal something together. It was an inefficient process that wasn’t even part of my team’s core responsibility. Sometimes it worked—but more often, the results fell flat. It was frustrating and inefficient. It’s no wonder the products that lacked solid messaging frameworks consistently underperformed compared to the ones that had them.

The Measurable Impact of Strong Messaging

When companies adopt a robust messaging framework, the difference is night and day. I’ve seen it firsthand. Teams move faster and with greater confidence. Marketing materials—whether it’s a sales deck, a demand gen campaign, or nurture emails—don’t have to be built from scratch every time. Instead, they pull from a framework that everyone understands and aligns with.

With a clear framework, anyone can step in and immediately understand the company’s value: what it does, who it’s for, and how it solves customer problems. It’s like handing every team a cheat sheet for success. The result? Sales cycles shorten, campaigns convert better, and internal alignment feels effortless.

Why I Wrote This Ebook

I wrote this ebook for marketers—especially directors and VPs—who already know messaging and positioning are essential but struggle to make the case to leadership. The truth is, C-suites often undervalue messaging because it’s not tied to immediate ROI. It doesn’t book meetings or close deals overnight. But it does create the foundation that allows your teams to scale, compete, and win.

I hope this ebook gives you the tools to prove why a messaging and positioning framework is more than “nice to have.” It’s a necessity that touches every part of your organization—from sales to marketing to product development.

The Takeaway

Messaging and positioning frameworks help companies move from chaos to clarity, saving time, aligning teams, and creating consistent value for customers. My hope is that this ebook helps marketers show the C-suite—and others within the company—that an MPF is essential for driving alignment and growth.

If you’ve ever struggled to get leadership buy-in, align your teams, or explain your product in a way that clicks, this ebook is for you.

If you need support along the way, download our MPF template, check out our blog for guidance on creating your framework, or set up a time for us to talk. We can help workshop your messaging and deliver a polished, clear framework your company can rely on.