Announcement: Obviously Awesome - the new updated and expanded edition!!

It's coming and it's gonna be OBVIOUSLY AWESOMER

Almost seven years ago, I published my first book, Obviously Awesome, which attempted to capture the process I use to position B2B technology companies. Back then, I thought I knew a lot about positioning. I had worked with dozens of companies. I taught courses at conferences, startup accelerators, and universities. I had had one million coffee conversations (ok, maybe it just felt like one million) with skeptical tech founders, executives, and marketers who challenged my ideas. Back then, I felt like the method outlined in the book had been pretty battle-tested. I also believed that positioning was a foundational marketing concept, and unlike marketing tactics that change every year, the basic tenets of positioning have held constant since the term was first coined back in the 1980s. I figured my method was set, and there wasn’t much in the book that would change over time.

A lot has happened in the years since then. I’ve worked with a couple of hundred technology companies, ranging from early-stage startups to a handful of the world’s largest, across the globe. I’ve had a chance to work with so many smart teams, and I’ve learned so much. And while I still believe that positioning is a bedrock, evergreen marketing concept, my thinking around particular aspects of positioning has evolved.

A lot of you bought the book, and you had opinions! Over 100,000 copies have been sold so far (!!). Many of the folks who read my book had feedback. Most of the emails I received were so kind that I kept them in a folder and look at them whenever I doubt the goodness of human beings. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t constructive (and a few less constructive) complaints! In some sections of the book, I began to see how I could have explained things more clearly. My emails started to sound like - “Yes, I know that on page whatever I WROTE that thing, but what I MEANT was this other thing, so please read my mind better in the future, thank you very much (lol).” Teaching is hard, and there were places where I could have done a better job.

I decided I wanted an Obviously Awesome do-over.

This is the official announcement that a new updated, and expanded edition of Obviously Awesome is coming.

Here’s what’s new in the new edition:

• In the first edition, I describe five components of positioning and a 10-step process for doing it. Some of you really hated that the number of steps in the process wasn’t equal to the number of components. The first few steps were really pre-work for a positioning exercise, and the final steps described work that needed to happen after the exercise. I have repositioned those steps (see what I did there), and we now have five components and five steps.

• The pre-work section has been expanded to include key decisions a team should make before beginning a positioning exercise. This is based on my work with clients, and I think it will greatly improve any team’s chances of success when following this process.

• I have included sections that are more relevant to multiproduct companies grappling with how to position their products in a company with multiple offerings.

• Some steps in the process have been significantly expanded—particularly the differentiated value step. Most teams told me they got stuck there. I hope this new, improved section helps to clarify the concept.

• The final section of the book, What Happens After a Positioning Exercise, has been greatly expanded. I’ve learned a lot about translating positioning into a sales pitch since I released the first edition. (My second book goes deep into this topic.) This expanded section reflects my current thinking on how best to create a sales pitch to test positioning and then turn that positioning into messaging.

• For the first time, there will be a hardcover edition. I know for most people this doesn’t matter at all, but I have seen the beat-up, scraggly paperbacks some of you have shown me at conferences, and I decided some of you need a copy that’s a little more durable than a regular paperback!

Obviously Awesome - the updated and expanded edition

C’mon, April - Spill The Availability Date Already!!!

It turns out, timing a second edition is harder than timing a first edition. Things need time to work through the Amazon process, and that process is somewhat opaque. The short answer is that I expect it to be available by mid-February 2026. It could possibly be sooner or later than that. If you are a subscriber here, you will be the first to know when it happens.

A New Positioning Podcast Mini-Series

I ran out of things to talk about on my Positioning Podcast about a year or so ago. I’ve decided to do a new mini-series of podcast episodes that dive into the new material covered in the book. The first episode launches later this week. If there are topics you have always wanted me to cover on the podcast, please leave a comment, and I will add them to the podcast topic list!

This Newsletter is Back in Action (for a while anyway)

Similar to the podcast, I decided I had covered what I needed to cover in this newsletter, so I paused it. Starting this Thursday, I will publish a new newsletter every other week for the next few months. As with the podcast, it will cover some of the new material I discuss in the new book.

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Thanks to everyone out there who bought the book, used it, and gave me feedback. You are all so smart, and your feedback has helped me hone my craft more than you might imagine.