Fill-the-Void Positioning
Own a narrow emerging niche before competing in a crowded category
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 98%
Instead of entering a broad category as one more interchangeable provider, scan customer conversations and current events for a new, urgent problem that established competitors have not yet claimed. Narrow the offer until the business can plausibly be described as the specialist for that void. Focus all early outreach and delivery on winning one relevant customer, then execute well enough to create a concrete case study. That first proof changes the sales conversation: the provider is no longer merely claiming expertise but showing a result in the exact emerging niche. Reuse the evidence to approach similar buyers while the window remains open. Vin Clancy applied this by moving from generic social-media marketing into the fast-growing initial coin offering market, where specific relevance supported much higher fees.
Origin
Samit says filling a void is one of his twelve truths and shows how Vin Clancy specialized a generic social-media service around the emerging ICO market.
Core principles
- 01Avoid mature competition when a new void is available
- 02Specific relevance can outweigh broad experience
- 03One strong result creates reusable proof
How to run it
- 1
Map the crowd
Identify the broad offer and why buyers would see you as interchangeable with existing providers.
- 2
Scan for a void
Look at news, buyer questions, technology shifts, and urgent new constraints for needs without an obvious specialist.
Pro tip Favor a need whose window is opening now.
- 3
Claim a narrow position
Describe the offer around one audience and one newly important outcome.
Pro tip The position should make the first ideal prospect easy to name.
Watch out A narrow label without real capability is not positioning.
- 4
Win the first client
Target one buyer whose problem tightly matches the chosen void.
Pro tip Reduce scope before reducing relevance.
- 5
Create proof
Deliver a measurable result and document the initial problem, intervention, and outcome as a case study.
Watch out Do not overstate causality or hide material context.
- 6
Repeat while the void is open
Use the case study to win similar buyers and deepen category expertise.
Pro tip Keep watching for competitors and declining urgency.
In the wild
Vin Clancy could have competed as one of many social-media marketers. During the cryptocurrency boom, he instead positioned himself around launching initial coin offerings. After producing a strong result for one client, he had a relevant case study and raised the same underlying service from a few hundred dollars to roughly $30,000 per month.
→ Narrow positioning and proof changed both credibility and pricing power.
A digital advertising startup with only $30,000 in lifetime sales first demonstrated its capability for charities. Because charity boards included major-brand marketing leaders, the work became visible to future customers such as Coca-Cola, Disney, and Microsoft.
→ A strategically chosen first market created proof and access before a $200 million acquisition.
Common mistakes
Choosing a niche by label alone
A useful void is backed by urgent buyer behavior, not merely a narrower description of the same crowded offer.
Failing to package the first win
A result that is not documented as credible proof cannot efficiently improve later sales.
Is it for you?
Best for
New agencies, consultants, and products entering a crowded market with little reputation or capital.
Not ideal for
A niche with no urgent demand, reachable buyers, or credible path to a first result.
From the transcript
“you can go compete against everybody that's already doing it good luck with that or you can find a void what are people talking about…”
“the second you do your first client then you have what mbas like to call a case study”
From the episode
Jay Samit: Future Proof Yourself
Jay Samit