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Your messaging is flat — here's how to add depth

I've been playing basketball for over 25 years now, and there was this moment about a decade in when something clicked for me.

For years, I'd been obsessed with scoring – creating the perfect shot, finding the sweet spot on the court, developing that unstoppable move. And I was decent at it, putting up respectable numbers on offense.

But my team kept hitting this ceiling. We'd win some games, lose others, never quite breaking through to that next level.

What changed everything wasn't a better shooting technique or a new offensive strategy. It was when I started seeing the court in 3D.

I had learned that basketball isn't just about you and the basket. It's about understanding your teammates' preferences – knowing that one wants the ball low when he's posting up, while another needs it delivered high when they’re cutting to the rim. It's about studying your opponents – recognizing that the player you're defending always goes left even though he's right-handed. It's about reading the environment – feeling when the away crowd is getting anxious and can be silenced with a well-timed three.

When I expanded my perception beyond my singular focus, the game transformed. I realized I was actually a much better defender than I was a scorer, and that my team benefited from that way more than from my baskets. And my scoring actually improved because I was no longer forcing shots in a vacuum – I was creating opportunities within a multi-dimensional system.

Most B2B SaaS companies are playing a one-dimensional game.

They're crafting positioning and copy solely from their internal viewpoint – what they think about their product, what features they believe matter most, what language makes sense to their team.

And just like my basketball game, they hit an invisible ceiling. Their messaging resonates with some prospects, converts at an acceptable but not exceptional rate, and generally performs... fine. Not great, just fine.

The companies breaking through that ceiling are the ones who've expanded to 3D messaging:

1. Internal dimension: Their team's expertise, product knowledge, and vision
2. Audience dimension: Their prospects' actual language, priorities, and decision-making process
3. Market dimension: The competitive landscape and industry evolution they're navigating

When a company starts operating in all three dimensions, their messaging transforms from an echo chamber to a resonant conversation.

Last month, I ran a positioning workshop with a client. Their team was brilliant – deep product expertise, genuine passion for solving customer problems, clear vision for where they wanted to go.

But, due to lack of resources, they were only operating in that first dimension.

When we expanded their view, here's how they responded:

This is when a company suddenly sees their positioning and messaging potential in full 3D.

The interesting thing is that the clients who reach out to me usually realize they're missing something essential in how they communicate their value.

But what if you’re not sure this is your case? Here's how you might recognize if you're stuck in a one-dimensional messaging game:

• You find yourself explaining your product using internal terminology that prospects don't immediately understand
• Your team debates messaging based on personal preferences rather than customer research
• You focus more on listing features than articulating differentiated value
• Your positioning could easily apply to several of your competitors with minimal changes

So how do you expand your messaging into 3D?

Start by mapping what you know and don't know in each dimension:

Internal: Document what your team believes are your key differentiators, value propositions, and ideal customer characteristics.

Audience: Gather actual language from prospect and customer conversations – not what you think they care about, but what they actually say they care about.

Market: Analyze how your top 3-5 competitors position themselves, identifying whitespace opportunities your messaging could own.

The most powerful messaging opportunities exist in the gaps between these three perspectives.

I'd love to hear which dimension you find most challenging to incorporate into your messaging strategy. Just hit reply and let me know – I read and respond to every email.

P.S. If you're curious about how your current messaging maps across these three dimensions, my research optimization system might help.

RESONANCE

Thomas M. Sterner, The Practicing Mind

Have a great weekend!

Cheers,

Chris

Chris Silvestri Founder & conversion alchemist

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