Every software company falls into the same trap: They build powerful features, stack them up like a Jenga tower, and then wonder why customers don’t care when it collapses. This is what I call the Feature-Resonance Trap — where companies obsess over what their product can do instead of why anyone should give a damn.

The Feature-Resonance Trap

Most software companies are caught in the Feature-Resonance Trap — a deadly cycle of more features, confusion, and less impact.

It’s like they’re adding more buttons to a cockpit, thinking that makes it easier to fly. Meanwhile, customers want to know, “How do I not crash?”

Let’s break this down through a real example: A company we’ll call SecurityFlow (name changed) that offers cybersecurity automation software.

The Typical Approach

SecurityFlow started by positioning itself as “AI-powered security automation with advanced threat detection.” They listed every feature:

• Real-time monitoring
• Machine learning algorithms
• Integration capabilities
• Compliance reporting

Impressive features? Yes. Resonating with anyone? No.

The Three-Layer Problem

What makes this particularly challenging in enterprise software is that your positioning needs to refract like light through a prism, speaking differently to three distinct audiences while maintaining the same core truth:

Front-Line Users

Security analysts want simple answers to the question: “Will this make my daily job easier?” SecurityFlow’s feature list meant nothing to them. They needed to hear: “Never miss a threat while cutting your investigation time in half.”

Middle Management

Security managers asked: “How will this help me run a better team?” They didn’t care about AI algorithms. They needed to hear: “Turn your security team into rapid responders instead of alert chasers.”

Executive Level

CISOs and board members asked: “How does this reduce organizational risk?” They weren’t interested in integration capabilities. They needed to hear: “Transform security from a business blocker into a business enabler.”

Why This Keeps Happening

Why do so many companies keep setting themselves on fire? Three reasons:

1. Feature Obsession: Companies think more features = more value. Reality? Customers don’t buy features; they buy outcomes.
2. Technical Tunnel Vision: Engineers build, marketers hype, sales scramble — nobody asks, “What does this actually mean for the customer?”
3. The AI-Powered Dumpster Fire: Every software company is “AI-powered” or “next-gen.” If everything is special, nothing is.

The Fix: From Features to Resonance

Here’s how SecurityFlow escaped the Feature-Resonance Trap:

1. Find Your Atomic Core

They stripped away the features and asked, What feeling do we actually sell?
They moved from “AI-powered security automation” to owning “confidence in chaos”, which is the feeling every security team wants.

2. Refract This Core Truth

They adjusted their message based on audience:

• For analysts: “From alert fatigue to alert confidence.”
• For managers: “From reactive to proactive security.”
• For executives: “From security bottleneck to business accelerator.”

3. Create Your Category

Instead of competing in “security automation,” they created Security Confidence Platforms™, a category they could own.

YOUR Path Forward

The solution isn’t adding more features or chasing the latest trend. It’s about finding your resonance and letting it refract across all enterprise levels.

Here’s your roadmap:

1. Find Your Resonance

• What emotion do you want to own?
• What transformation do you enable?
• What category could only you create?

2. Refract Your Truth

• How does your core message translate for each audience?
• What outcomes matter at each level?
• How do different stakeholders experience your value?

3. Own Your Space

• Stop competing on features.
• Start owning outcomes.
• Create categories, don’t compete in them.

Finally

Positioning is NOT your feature list or tech stack, it’s the feeling you own in the market. When SecurityFlow shifted from features to resonance and capabilities to confidence, they didn’t just win deals but created a new cybersecurity conversation.

So, look at your positioning again. Are you selling another Swiss Army knife, or are you solving a real problem? The dumpster fire is optional. Choose wisely.