Positioning is a promise, not a slogan

Most positioning statements I see in the wild are written for the founders, not the customers. They live on slide 7 of the pitch deck, then quietly die there.

A real positioning statement is a promise. It tells one specific person what they will get, and what they will give up by choosing you over the alternative.

The three things it has to do

1. Name the customer specifically. Not "small businesses." A small business owner with three employees in a service trade.
2. Name the alternative they're choosing against. Doing nothing counts.
3. Name the trade-off. Every real position has one.

If your positioning works for everyone, it works for no one.