Chapter 5 Nailing Your Go-to-Market Positioning Room 1: Context Your company exists within the context of your market. Room 1 is where you create a compelling context for your company that’s framed within the market and what’s happening in your customers’ businesses. The primary audiences for your Room 1 messaging are media and investors, but it also gives you very important context and purpose for your prospects and employees. Below are some questions to help you think about your market context: 1. What’s happening in your market today? 2. What’s new in your target buyer’s world? 3. Is there anything putting pressure on them? 4. Are you attacking an established model that’s even bigger than your market? 5. How are you relevant to what’s happening in your market? 6. Why is this happening and why is it important now? Many marketers often call this the why part Never mention of your story, it’s actually the why now that your company or creates a sense of purpose and urgency for your product in your company and customers. Room 1. Notice what’s not in Room 1. There’s no mention of your product and features in Room 1. There’s not even any mention of your company in Room 1. The most important rule to remember about Room 1 is that you never mention your company or your product. Your company doesn’t exist in Room 1. Room 1 is all about your customers’ market and what’s happening in their world, not about you (or your belly button). Room 2: Value The primary audience for Room 2 is your prospects. Room 2 is where you clearly articulate your value for your target customers, tie in how the why now is impacting them, and introduce the impact you could help them make on their business.