Build a Strategy People Can Repeat Using the 4 Points Strategy Framework
Your strategy shouldn’t feel like a dense Russian novel that everyone pretends to have read but nobody can. If your strategy isn't repeatable - meaning your intern could explain it to a drunk client in an elevator - it’s just expensive fan fiction. The 4 Points Strategy Framework is the industrial-strength filter designed to strip away the corporate fluff and leave you with a direction so sharp it’s impossible to forget. We’re not here to make a pretty deck; we’re here to build a roadmap that actually sticks to the ribs of your organization. If you can't fit your plan into these four boxes, your plan is too bloated to survive the real world.
The TL;DR
Stop writing strategies that need a translator. Use four simple boxes to nail the human mess, the hidden truth, your actual weapon, and a single, unignorable marching order that your team can actually remember on a Tuesday morning.
Why This Stops Your Strategy From Being Total Garbage
Most strategies fail because they're too polite and too long. This framework is a reality check that forces you to be honest about why people actually care (or don't).
PROBLEM
Don't give me 'low market share.' That's a you problem. What is the friction in the customer's life? Are they bored, scared, annoyed, or just trying to look cooler than their neighbor? If there's no human tension, there's no strategy.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s not a data point; it’s a 'why.' Why do they do the dumb things they do? What's the secret belief or behavior that drives their choices? If it doesn't make you feel a little bit like a creep for knowing it, it's probably not a real insight.
ADVANTAGE
This is where you stop lying to yourself. Is your product actually better, faster, or cheaper? Or do you have a legacy nobody can buy? If your advantage is 'innovation,' go back to the drawing board. It needs to be a specific tool that solves the Problem.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the bridge. It connects the Problem, Insight, and Advantage into a single, aggressive sentence. It’s not a slogan; it’s a marching order. If it's more than 15 words, you're still rambling.
PROBLEM
Don't give me 'low market share.' That's a you problem. What is the friction in the customer's life? Are they bored, scared, annoyed, or just trying to look cooler than their neighbor? If there's no human tension, there's no strategy.
INSIGHT
This is the Insight. It’s not a data point; it’s a 'why.' Why do they do the dumb things they do? What's the secret belief or behavior that drives their choices? If it doesn't make you feel a little bit like a creep for knowing it, it's probably not a real insight.
ADVANTAGE
This is where you stop lying to yourself. Is your product actually better, faster, or cheaper? Or do you have a legacy nobody can buy? If your advantage is 'innovation,' go back to the drawing board. It needs to be a specific tool that solves the Problem.
STRATEGY
This is the Strategy. It’s the bridge. It connects the Problem, Insight, and Advantage into a single, aggressive sentence. It’s not a slogan; it’s a marching order. If it's more than 15 words, you're still rambling.
Ways You'll Probably Screw This Up
(And look like an amateur)
- ×Defining the 'Problem' as a lack of your product (nobody wakes up missing your software).
- ×Confusing an 'Insight' with a 'Fact' (Facts are boring; Insights have teeth).
- ×Claiming 'Customer Service' is a unique Advantage (it's not, everyone says it).
- ×Writing a 'Strategy' that is just a list of tactics like 'do more social media'.
- ×Ignoring the Insight because it feels 'too negative' or 'unprofessional'.
- ×Making the Strategy so vague it could apply to your competitors too.
- ×Failing to connect the four points (they aren't independent silos, they're a chain).
- ×Trying to solve three problems at once because you're afraid to commit.
Strategy is about sacrifice. If you aren't leaving 'good' ideas on the floor, you aren't doing the work.
Real Examples
Regional Coffee Roaster
Competing against massive global chains in a local market.
PROBLEM
People feel like just another transaction number in a sterile, corporate assembly line.
INSIGHT
Coffee drinkers don't actually want 'better' beans; they want to feel like they belong to a community without the effort of joining one.
ADVANTAGE
Baristas who are trained to remember names and 'the usual' without a digital loyalty app.
STRATEGY
Position the brand as the 'Local Living Room' where human recognition is the primary product and coffee is just the excuse.
PROBLEM
People feel like just another transaction number in a sterile, corporate assembly line.
INSIGHT
Coffee drinkers don't actually want 'better' beans; they want to feel like they belong to a community without the effort of joining one.
ADVANTAGE
Baristas who are trained to remember names and 'the usual' without a digital loyalty app.
STRATEGY
Position the brand as the 'Local Living Room' where human recognition is the primary product and coffee is just the excuse.
Enterprise Cybersecurity
Selling complex software to paranoid IT Directors.
PROBLEM
IT Directors live in constant fear of being the 'fall guy' for a breach they couldn't prevent.
INSIGHT
They don't care about 'advanced encryption'; they care about not having their career ended by a 2:00 AM phone call.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Zero-Blame' automated response system that documents every defensive action in real-time.
STRATEGY
Frame the software as 'The IT Director's Career Insurance' rather than just another technical firewall.
PROBLEM
IT Directors live in constant fear of being the 'fall guy' for a breach they couldn't prevent.
INSIGHT
They don't care about 'advanced encryption'; they care about not having their career ended by a 2:00 AM phone call.
ADVANTAGE
A 'Zero-Blame' automated response system that documents every defensive action in real-time.
STRATEGY
Frame the software as 'The IT Director's Career Insurance' rather than just another technical firewall.
Eco-Friendly Cleaning Brand
Trying to break out of the niche 'green' aisle into the mainstream.
PROBLEM
Mainstream shoppers think 'green' products are expensive weaklings that don't actually clean.
INSIGHT
Parents want to save the planet, but they want to kill the bacteria on their kitchen floor more.
ADVANTAGE
A proprietary plant-based formula that actually out-scrubs the toxic chemical leaders in lab tests.
STRATEGY
Lead with 'Industrial Strength' performance and treat the eco-friendly part as a bonus for people who like to win.
PROBLEM
Mainstream shoppers think 'green' products are expensive weaklings that don't actually clean.
INSIGHT
Parents want to save the planet, but they want to kill the bacteria on their kitchen floor more.
ADVANTAGE
A proprietary plant-based formula that actually out-scrubs the toxic chemical leaders in lab tests.
STRATEGY
Lead with 'Industrial Strength' performance and treat the eco-friendly part as a bonus for people who like to win.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have two Problems if they're both really important?
No. Pick the one that’s actually costing you money. Trying to solve two problems is the fastest way to solve zero problems and confuse your team.
What if my Advantage is just 'we're cheaper'?
Then your strategy is 'Race to the Bottom.' If that's the case, own it, but don't try to wrap it in fancy language. Just be the cheapest and stop pretending you're premium.
How do I know if my Insight is actually an Insight?
If you say it out loud and everyone in the room goes 'Oof, yeah, that's true,' you've got one. If they just nod politely, it's a fact, not an insight.
Is the Strategy just a creative tagline?
Absolutely not. The Strategy is the logic. The tagline is the lipstick. You need the logic first or the lipstick is just going on a pig.
Why is the last box called 'Strategy' and not 'Action'?
Because it's the singular direction that dictates all actions. If it's just 'Action,' you'll end up with a to-do list instead of a repeatable way of thinking.
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