If you have to explain it twice, it’s not working: How to know when your messaging needs a refresh
You’re team is rewriting the sales deck.
Your prospect asks, “Wait, what do you actually do?”
Your home page is long on buzzwords, short on clarity.
If any of these feel familiar, it’s time to take a look at your messaging.
Messaging and positioning are your brand’s foundation — and when they’re off, everything feels harder than it should. Poor messaging doesn’t just confuse customers; it slows sales, muddies your GTM strategy, and stalls growth.
At Noted., we specialize in helping B2B SaaS companies fix this exact problem. In this post, we’ll show you how to recognize when your messaging isn’t working — and how to evaluate whether it’s time for a strategic overhaul.
First, let’s define the difference
Positioning is how you want to be perceived in the market. It’s your place relative to competitors.
Messaging is how you communicate that position — through headlines, pitch decks, landing pages, etc.
If positioning is your GPS, messaging is the voice giving the directions. And if either is off, your buyers will get lost.
5 signs your messaging or positioning isn’t working
Your prospects don’t “get it” on the first try.
If it takes more than a sentence or two to explain exactly what your product does, you’re not differentiated — you’re confusing.
Example: Airtable originally faced positioning confusion by being marketed as “a better spreadsheet”—an incremental tweak rather than a breakthrough. When founder Howie Liu reframed it as “reinventing the spreadsheet entirely” and positioning Airtable as a platform to build collaborative applications, it unlocked massive adoption and a new perception of transformational value.
Your sales team is going rogue.
If reps are creating their own slides, pitch emails, or talking points, it’s a signal that your messaging isn’t landing. Messaging should be a force multiplier, not a bottleneck.
Your buyers aren’t using your language — they’re using someone else’s.
Look at your sales calls, reviews, and support tickets. If your customers are describing what your value is differently than you are, or worse, comparing you to a competitor that you don’t want to be compared to, your positioning needs work.
Example: Drift originally positioned itself as a live chat tool. It wasn’t until they repositioned around a new category — “conversational marketing” — that they pulled ahead and created massive differentiation.
You’re attracting the wrong audience (or none at all).
If your inbound leads aren’t converting or don’t match your ideal customer profile (ICP), it could be a sign your messaging is either too vague or too broad. Clear positioning repels as much as it attracts.
Your company has evolved, but your story hasn’t.
Maybe you’ve launched new features. Or moved upmarket. Or shifted to a new buyer persona. If your messaging still reflects last year’s reality, it’s time to catch up.
Real-world note: Many companies that start out product led (like Calendly or Notion) had to shift their messaging when they moved into the enterprise. The core value stayed the same, but the story, language, and tone evolved.
How to evaluate your messaging and positioning
Start with a simple self-audit. Ask yourself:
Can someone outside your company understand what you do in 10 seconds or less?
Is your messaging consistent across your website, decks, and sales calls?
Are you clearly differentiated from your top competitors?
Are you speaking to your buyer’s pain, not just your product features?
Would your customers describe your value the same way you do?
If the answer is “no” to more than two of these, it’s time to reevaluate.
What to do if it’s time for a refresh
Talk to your customers. Message-market fit starts with buyer insight. Interview customers to understand why they bought, how they describe your value, and what alternatives they considered.
Map your positioning. Use frameworks like April Dunford’s Obviously Awesome or Noted’s messaging canvas to define your category, audience, key differentiators, and value pillars.
Test before launching. A messaging refresh doesn’t have to be all-or nothing. Pilot new messaging in sales calls, ads, or emails to see what sticks before rolling out a full refresh.
Final thought: Messaging isn’t one and done
Your business will evolve. So will your buyers, your competitors, and your market. Treat messaging as a living asset, not a one-time deliverable.
When it’s clear, your team will align faster. Your campaigns will convert better. And your customers? They’ll totally get it.
Need help with your messaging?
At Noted., we specialize in building positioning and messaging that sticks — backed by customer insight and built for scale. If you’re ready for clarity that drives revenue, let’s talk.