Traditional metrics like brand awareness and recall are lagging indicators. Leading indicators include: whether customers use your positioning language unprompted, whether sales conversations start from a place of established credibility rather than education, whether you're attracting the right kind of prospects (not just more prospects), and whether your customer acquisition cost is trending down relative to competitors.
Your website messaging is one of the most visible tests — if your homepage can't clearly explain what you are, who you're for, and why you're different, the positioning hasn't been translated into execution. Monitor direct traffic and branded search volume as leading indicators of market differentiation. If your positioning is working, the market starts pulling toward you rather than you pushing toward the market. For B2B SaaS companies specifically, net revenue retention and expansion revenue are strong signals that your position is landing with existing customers. A well-positioned brand also reduces friction across the entire buyer journey — from first touch to closed deal.
