Listen now on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts!
Episode 14: Talya Heller, Owner of Down to a T joins me to break down how to weave competitive intelligence into messaging that actually differentiates.
Talya runs a product marketing consultancy called Down to a T focused on creating a differentiated POV coupled with customer centered sales assets.
Talya is a former engineer, turned product manager, turned product marketer. She came highly recommended for the show and was referred to as, “the competitive intel queen” (thanks Michele Nieberding!). I love it!
I’ve already taken some of what I’ve learned from this conversation and started implementing it in my competitive intel work as a product marketer.
And I think you will too.
During our conversation, you’ll learn:
Why 10-page messaging docs fail
How to adapt messaging for multiple personas
Talya’s go-to ways to mine customer conversations
How to create “champion decks” and persona one-pagers
A simple framework for using competitive intel to shape messaging
How to identify the real differentiators that make customers choose you
Why ignoring your competitors is the biggest messaging mistake you can make
My key takeaways from my time with Talya:
1. Ignoring your competition is the fastest way to blend in.
Most companies skip the competitive step in their positioning, which leads to generic messaging. Talya explains why acknowledging alternatives is critical if you want to stand out in the market.
2. Differentiation doesn’t have to be product-based.
Features get copied fast. Real differentiation often comes from customer experience, implementation, support, or community—things that are much harder to replicate.
3. Competitive intel should shape strategy, not just sales battlecards.
Too many teams reduce CI to a tactical checklist. Talya shows how to use it as a foundation for messaging, positioning, and go-to-market decisions.
4. Sales enablement isn’t just internal.
The best way to equip reps is with assets built for champions inside the buying committee—like “champion decks” and persona-specific one-pagers that make it easy for them to sell internally.
5. Messaging docs don’t work if no one uses them.
Instead of a 10-page document no one reads, create simple, actionable frameworks and tools that sales and marketing can actually apply to their work.
6. Your best messaging already lives in customer conversations.
By listening to how buyers describe their challenges and wins—in calls, events, and reviews—you can capture language that resonates and drives clarity in your copy.
In our conversation, you’ll find:
00:00 – Why ignoring competitors is the biggest messaging mistake
00:45 – Welcome to On Messaging with Talya Heller, the “Competitive Intel Queen”
02:00 – Talya’s career journey: engineer → PM → product marketer
06:43 – Why she pivoted from product management to product marketing
08:21 – Early impressions of marketers from the PM side
09:44 – The #1 messaging pitfall: sounding the same as competitors
14:33 – How much differentiation do you actually need?
17:45 – Differentiation beyond product: experience, support, and community
18:04 – Using competitive intelligence to shape positioning
22:55 – Why no one reads messaging docs (and what to do instead)
25:42 – Competition is emotional: avoiding bias in research
26:09 – Where to research competitors’ ICPs and customers
29:42 – How to position messaging across multiple personas
36:12 – Equipping your champion to sell internally (champions decks & one-pagers)
42:46 – Aligning sales and marketing on messaging and assets
47:53 – Simple tools & playbooks for enabling marketing teams
55:20 – Localization isn’t translation: global messaging mistakes
1:01:18 – One piece of messaging advice to implement tomorrow
1:02:36 – What living is all about
1:03:22 – How to support Talya + where to subscribe to her newsletter Spill the T
Where to Find Talya:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/talyahellermba18/
Down to a T Consulting: https://www.downtoat.co/
Spill the T Newsletter: https://www.downtoat.co/newsletter
Where to Find Josh:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-chronister/
Newsletter:
Spotify:
Apple Podcasts:
Follow On Messaging:
Subscribe, like, and share if you’re a product marketer crafting messaging in B2B SaaS. New episodes drop every other week 💛
Created by Josh Chronister
I interview the best product marketers and tech companies who create messaging that resonates with their buyers. Come learn from them, so you can hit ‘Publish’ with confidence.
