Issue No. 10: How to Avoid Strategy / Narrative Misalignment

The essence of sales and marketing comes down to one thing – changing how buyers perceive you.

But there’s no universal way to do that.

If Caterpillar is trying to sell more of the legendary D11 in a crowded market of bulldozers, it has a very different job to do than a company like Clay that’s trying to introduce a new category of buyer intelligence software.

So what are these narrative “jobs to be done” and how do you pick the right one? In this post, I’ll show you.

When Your Narrative’s Doing the Wrong Job, It Doesn’t Help Growth

As categories evolve, so does buyer awareness and understanding. In mature categories, buyers know what those products are for, who to use them, and who the leaders are. In new categories, buyers know none of those things.

That’s why creating an effective narrative starts with assessing where your category is in its evolution. Instead of theory, though, let me give you an example of what a narrative doing the wrong job looks like.

Humane is a consumer technology startup that’s raised over $230M. It’s invented a new gadget; an AI-powered “pin” that you’d wear like a broach or lapel pin. It’s an entirely new product category, unlike anything you or I have used before. Just by looking at it, I’m not sure what it’s supposed to do – completely normal for a new category.

That should tell you a lot about what “job” Humane’s narrative should get done: it must show buyers why this category needs to exist (something you no longer need to do for bulldozers). Features, user experience, and tech specs are interesting, but before any of that matters, buyers must see why they should care about this new category in the first place.

Unfortunately, Humane has missed this.

Watch the product launch video or read through the copy on its website. It’s all feature descriptions, no context for why the category needs to exist. This might be appropriate for a mature category, but for a new one, the narrative is performing the wrong job. It’s an interesting piece of technology, but because Humane never really tells you what problem it solves, buyers are left wondering why they would need one.

The lack of the right narrative will not only slow buyer adoption; it will leave Humane vulnerable to being displaced by a competitor.

Start By Understanding Your Category

Now you know what it looks like when a narrative is doing the wrong job. So let’s shift gears and I’ll show you how to find the right job for your narrative. It starts by identifying the maturity of the category you’re competing in. Most situations fall into one of three scenarios:

1. New categories. Sometimes brands are the first to launch products that are unlike anything that exists. Think of the first tablet computers, cloud-based software, the SUV, and 3D printers.

2. Emerging categories. Once a new category looks viable, competitors enter the space and race to survive (and win). The cohort of gen-AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, etc. are a perfect example.

3. Mature categories. Eventually, categories evolve to where there are one or two dominant brands and a bunch of niche players or low-cost providers. In CRM, there’s Salesforce, HubSpot, and everyone else.

(P.S. This breakdown is inspired by Paul Geroski, who wrote a great book called The Evolution of New Markets).

Here’s what job your narrative should do in each of those scenarios:

New Categories: Validate the Category Itself

If you’re truly introducing a new category to the world, you have one job above all others: show buyers why this category needs to exist. To get this right, you must get crystal clear on who your buyers are, what problem you’re solving for them, and why that problem can’t be solved. (Sometimes the “problem” is an unrealized opportunity).

If you want to get buyers to move past the status quo and explore something new, you must show why existing categories aren’t cut out to solve their problems. Going through that exercise is also helpful for clarifying how your solution itself should evolve. (Can you imagine building a product without knowing what problem it was designed to solve)?

If you’re in this situation, a book like Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets is the best place to learn about the art of category design. I’ve worked on this with a few clients, and it’s always a lot of fun. Here’s what you should focus on:

• Show buyers why the category needs to exist

• De-position status quo solutions or substitutes

• Introduce new language to help buyers latch on to new ideas

• Reduce uncertainty by explaining how a new category works

Emerging Categories: Prove that You Deserve to Win

Brands in emerging categories have the same job as those introducing new categories, but with an added challenge: they must also show buyers why they are the obvious choice among competitors.

Imagine that the category of pin-based AI assistants takes off. Humane won’t be the only one with an offering. Perhaps Apple will introduce one, OpenAI, or a new startup we haven’t heard of yet. Once that happens, buyers must make a choice. But many won’t buy anything at all unless they’re reasonably confident that they won’t get stuck with an obsolete solution (think about the couple million people who bought a Windows Phone).

That’s why a successful narrative in this environment must:

• Show buyers that you understand the problem better than competitors

• Demonstrate a clear vision for the future of the category

• Present signals that your brand is equipped to become the leader

• Continue to evangelize for the category itself

Mature Categories: De-Position Incumbents

Competing in a mature category means there’s already existing demand. But it also means you must convince buyers why they should choose you over dozens (or sometimes hundreds) of other choices.

Some brands try to do this by outspending competitors on sales and marketing, resorting to discounts, or trying to convince buyers that they are superior to the market leader. Sometimes that works, but unless the leader makes a huge blunder, they are all but impossible to unseat. (This is why I don’t work with clients who want to go down this path).

However, there are other plays that can work.

One option is to niche down. Find a market segment with unique needs that aren’t addressed well enough by the leader. CRM is a great example of this. There are plenty of successful niche solutions for different industries and use cases. For example, I use one called Folk, which is aimed at agencies and consultants.

Another option is to force buyers to evaluate you on completely different terms than your competitors. For example, when Rolls Royce introduced “power-by-the-hour” for its aircraft engines, it became the only obvious choice for buyers who needed payment flexibility. But for that to work, your narrative must connect that difference with a real benefit to buyers.

If you’re in a mature category, then your narrative may need to:

• Show an underserved segment that you understand their situation better than general-purpose solutions

• Call out how buyer attitudes, values, and expectations have changed – and show how existing products don’t support that change

• Show how your “radical difference” can deliver an outsized or different type of benefit to buyers

• If you’re already the category leader, then your narrative should reinforce your leadership position

P.S. If you’re drawn to this way of competing, check out this piece from Category Pirates on how to be “radically different.”

Wrapping Up

Remember, coming up with a narrative that gets buyers to see you as the only obvious choice isn’t a mere creative writing exercise. It’s a business strategy exercise that’s captured in writing.

When done right, it not only equips your sales and marketing with the right message but also helps align your team on its thinking. Just make sure your narrative is doing the right job before you begin.

P.S. I’m looking to work with 1-2 more clients this fall/winter who want to move their brands from “under-appreciated” to “obvious choice.”

We’ll evaluate your current category situation and develop a plan for getting your narrative to the right place - so you can stop being seen as a commodity.

Would you like to hear more? Hit reply and let me know.

Thanks for reading.

If we haven’t met before, I own a consultancy called Flag & Frontier, where I help clients design and execute their narratives.

Get in touch with me at [email protected] or on LinkedIn.

John Rougeux
Founder, Flag & Frontier