In today’s tech landscape, buzzwords like “AI” or “SaaS” are everywhere. Every solution looks and sounds the same. The real challenge? Cutting through the noise with a positioning that speaks to genuine user value and decision-makers’ needs.

If your product lacks a clear use case, it’s just part of the growing AI/SaaS racket. And many executives have grown weary of that racket: they don’t want buzz, they want solutions.

Why buzzword fatigue undermines trust

Almost everyone declares “we’re doing AI”, because nobody wants to be left behind. But owning the label doesn’t mean you own value. In fact, most decision-makers don’t care about the algorithm. They care about outcomes. How do you reduce time, costs or effort? If you can’t answer that clearly, you’ll fade into the background. Customers crave relevance over rhetoric and functionality over fluff.

Mosquito bites versus shark bites

Omar Mohout coined a powerful metaphor: your product should solve the “shark bite” problem instead of “mosquito bite” problems. Mosquito bites are annoyances that most people ignore. Shark bites are urgent, bleeding, impossible to ignore. If you position yourself as the mosquito repellent in a sea of AI, no one cares. But if you solve the shark bite, decision-makers sit up and listen.

But here’s the subtlety: what matters to the end user and what convinces the decision-maker are often different things. Only when the two align do you have a truly powerful positioning.

Positioning that works: listen first

The most effective communicators listen and moderate the conversation, rather than driving it with rhetoric. Business developers need to train the discipline of asking open, exploratory questions instead of pushing features. What’s the user’s pain right now? What keeps the decision-maker up at night about scale, cost or ROI?

That mindset shift from arguing to exploring separates generic sales pitches from trusted, consultative conversations.

How real tech differentiation happens

How do you find the balance between appearing innovative and being useful?

• Don’t pioneer for the sake of it. Identify a problem that already exists and solve it better than anyone else. Focus on precision rather than novelty.
• Define ultra-specific use cases. Even if you build something AI-driven, make the outcome crystal clear. For example: “We help marketers resolve support tickets 4× faster, without code.” That specificity resonates.
• Prove your claims. Show measured outcomes, testimonials or real results. Avoid vague tech promises.
• Elevate through experience. Seamless onboarding, modern UX, relevant integrations: these make users feel understood and supported.

Bridging user needs and decision-maker logic

Your positioning becomes most powerful when the user’s pain and the decision-maker’s criteria intersect. If users need speed and flexibility and leaders need a measurable ROI, you align them by communicating exactly that: concrete productivity gains, validated by metrics.

That clarity builds trust.

In a world saturated with lookalike tech, positioning matters more than ever. But bold language without substance is worse than silence. Listen first, define use cases sharply, and align what users feel with what decision-makers validate.

Merluno helps tech companies go beyond buzzwords. We work with founders and teams to define real problems, craft precise positioning and build communication skills that elevate conversations.