| Position | Quill is the supplier built around human expertise and account-level knowledge. You're not a number — you're a business they know. |
| Lead RTB | 250+ dedicated reps who know your order history, your business, and your name. Phone-first service model. |
| Supporting RTB | Business-grade infrastructure: Net 30 invoicing, punchout integration, 100K+ SKUs across every category your business needs. |
| Supporting RTB | Rewards on every order that prove the relationship pays for itself — points, savings, and proof of value. |
| Proof Points | "Call and get a person in under 60 seconds." Monthly savings reports. Category expertise across office, breakroom, facilities, tech, and print. |
This recommendation, all territories, win rates, quotes, and data are illustrative. They show the shape of the actual deliverable.
Every territory pair was tested. Participants chose between two positioning descriptions and explained why.
Participants consistently said the same thing: every supplier claims to have good prices and fast shipping. The difference is what happens when something goes wrong. "Real People" was the only territory that made participants say "I would switch for this" rather than "that's nice." The emotional weight of "someone who knows my account" was stronger than any functional benefit.
We took each participant's top territory and tested it against Amazon and Staples. Does the position hold up?
"Real People" survived competitive pressure at 78% against Amazon and 72% against Staples. Participants said Amazon "will never have reps for small businesses" and Staples "used to but doesn't anymore." "Built for Business" was weaker against Staples (61%) because participants associate Staples with business purchasing already. "Makes You Look Good" was the most vulnerable — participants struggled to explain why one supplier would be better than another at this.
Where the winning position is strongest — and where it needs to flex.
The position is strongest in healthcare (52%) and education (48%) — verticals where procurement errors have real consequences. It's weakest with Owner/CEOs (28%) who are more price-driven. For owner-heavy segments, the "Built for Business" frame with "Real People" as the lead RTB may land better than leading with the human service angle directly. Phase 3 message testing can optimize this.
What didn't win — and whether any elements should be carried forward.
Strong with finance (61% ranked it #1) and ops/logistics (58%), but the broader market found it too functional. "Built for business" described infrastructure, not a relationship. Participants said it sounded like "a feature list, not a reason to care."
Carry forward as: Supporting RTB. The business-grade features (Net 30, punchout, breadth) are proof points that make "Real People" credible as a business-focused position, not just a warm-fuzzy service claim.
Emotionally resonant with admins and office managers but too narrow for a market position. Participants couldn't articulate why one supplier would be better than another at this. The emotional insight is real — but it works better as messaging beneath a position than as the position itself.
Carry forward as: Messaging angle for admin/office manager audience segments. "The supplier that makes your job easier and makes you look good" is a compelling ad hook, even if it's not the strategic position.
How the positioning translates into go-to-market decisions.
Lead with the human connection. The core message is: "When you call Quill, a real person picks up — and they already know your business." Every ad, landing page, and CTV spot should make the viewer feel the contrast between the transactional experience they have now and the relationship-based experience Quill offers.
Proof points to feature: dedicated reps, phone-first service, rewards that prove the relationship pays for itself. Do not lead with business infrastructure (Net 30, punchout) — use those as credibility signals that land after the emotional hook.
| Segment | Lead With | Emphasize | Tone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare, Education | "Real People" directly | Account knowledge, error prevention, reliability | Reassuring, dependable |
| Industrial, Government | "Built for Business" frame with "Real People" as lead RTB | Net 30, bulk capabilities, dedicated reps | Professional, efficient |
| Admins, Office Managers | "Makes your job easier" | The relationship makes you look competent to leadership | Empathetic, empowering |
| Owners, Finance | Savings proof + business infrastructure | ROI, price match, transparent value | Direct, no-nonsense |
72% of participants identified as "a business" rather than "a small business." Those who rejected the "small business" label said it felt patronizing — "we're not small, we're just not Fortune 500." The positioning should speak to businesses of all sizes without the "small" qualifier. When participants heard "built for businesses like yours," it resonated more than "built for small businesses."
Message testing. The position is clear and defensible. The next step is optimizing the creative expression — testing 3-5 executional versions (taglines, video concepts, value prop statements) against the core target to see which language drives the strongest engagement in upper-funnel media.
700 conversational AI interviews with SMB decision-makers (10-149 employees) across 7 verticals and 5 title groups (n=100 per vertical). Fresh sample from Phase 1. Forced-choice pairs, open ranking, and competitive stress-testing against Amazon and Staples.
All data in this document is illustrative. It represents the structure and depth of the actual deliverable, not real findings. Fielded via Gather AI-powered conversational research platform.