It’s easy to market a great product—one that speaks for itself, where the value is obvious, and users come back for more. But not every product starts off as a winner. Sometimes, you’re working with a product that’s, well, flawed. It’s missing features, it has rough edges, or it’s just not where it needs to be. So, what do you do? Give up? Not if you know the power of strategic positioning.
A weak product doesn’t have to mean weak results. It’s all about how you position it, the story you tell, and the way you frame it to create value—even if the product is still in development. Let’s explore the strategies behind defending an imperfect product without compromising on integrity or honesty.
Embrace the “Right-for-Now” Positioning
Not every product is for everyone, and not every product is forever. Naval Ravikant reminds us to look for leverage, to find what’s already working in our favour. So, with a product that’s not quite “there,” you need to dig into the core of who it is right for right now.
Perhaps your product appeals to early adopters who value innovation over perfection. Maybe it offers a very specific feature that’s game-changing for a niche group, even if it lacks broader appeal. Identify these strengths and double down on them. Position your product as an “insider’s tool,” an early-stage solution, or a unique fix for a select few. When you do this, you’re not selling a perfect product—you’re selling an exclusive opportunity to be part of something new.
Shift the Conversation to the Problem
Shreyas Doshi, a product leader who knows the value of perception, would tell you that every product is ultimately about the problem it solves, not the features it has. When defending a product with shortcomings, focus the conversation on the problem your product addresses. Get specific, get emotional, and let users feel the gap that this product fills.
Rather than explaining away its weaknesses, emphasize the depth of the problem and position your product as the solution that’s out there making progress. People respond to stories about their own pain points. If your product, flaws and all, can promise relief—even partial relief—they’ll listen.
Create a Clear Roadmap for Growth
When customers see that a product is still evolving, they don’t necessarily walk away. Often, they want to be part of the journey. Positioning a product as a work-in-progress isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of ambition.
Share a clear, honest roadmap for where the product is going. Invite customers to join you, to offer feedback, and to help shape the future of what’s possible. By positioning your product as a journey rather than a destination, you’re telling a story about growth and improvement. This gives customers something to believe in—a way to see beyond the current state to what the product can become.
Find Your Unique Differentiator and Elevate It
In every weak product, there’s a hidden strength—a feature, a capability, or a benefit that truly shines. Find it. When Steve Jobs rejoined Apple, he wasn’t working with perfect products; he was working with limited resources and some products that weren’t market leaders. What he did was find a unique differentiator and magnify it.
Position your product around its standout feature, even if it’s the only one. Elevate that single, unique value and let it overshadow the flaws. Maybe your product is faster in one specific way, more accessible in a unique niche, or highly affordable. Own that differentiator and make it the headline. When you define the conversation around what your product does exceptionally well, you create a story of value, not compromise.
Emphasize Community Over Perfection
In the digital age, people aren’t just looking for products; they’re looking for communities. Weak products often gain strength not from additional features but from the communities that form around them. People want to feel connected, and sometimes, an imperfect product creates the perfect space for connection.
By positioning your product as a community-driven experience, you shift focus from its weaknesses to the shared journey of improvement. Position it as a space where people with similar needs come together, collaborate, and innovate. A passionate community can be a more valuable asset than a perfect product. It can attract feedback, drive loyalty, and create an ecosystem that becomes more valuable than the sum of its parts.
Final Thought: Position the Story, Not the Product
When defending a weak product, remember this: you’re not just selling a product—you’re selling a story. A story of growth, of resilience, of possibility. A story of what this product means, not just what it does. Seth Godin would tell you that people don’t buy products; they buy stories, they buy connections, they buy visions of a future they want to be part of.
Defending a weak product isn’t about deception or exaggeration; it’s about crafting a vision that customers can see themselves in. It’s about meeting them where they are and inviting them to be part of something that’s on the way up.
So, if you’re defending a product that’s imperfect, don’t hide its flaws. Embrace its journey, position its unique value, and share a vision that lets people look past what it is today and believe in what it can become tomorrow.