We've been discussing the effectiveness of marketing tools over the last few months. Perhaps the most powerful and least understood tool is positioning. But, like anything else, it will only get you to a certain point.By this, I mean that positioning is not going to close deals. No marketing tool can do that on its own. Rather, the best function of marketing is to put you into the position to pursue a deal with high velocity.A good position is one where the potential client doesn't immediately have questions or objections about the deal or your company. In a good position, the salesperson can immediately start talking about the deal instead of dealing with obstacles.High velocity means that the prospect already knows a lot about your company and is naturally looking forward to the next step in the sales process.Many maketing tools do the opposite, placing the salesperson in a bad position with backwards momentum. It's possible for the salesperson to adjust, explaining and tap dancing, and to get out of the position. But, when you start from here, it's always harder. So, why make it harder?Good marketing tools put the sales person in the right position, and positioning is the art and science of knowing what position to take. Just like anything else in marketing, however, it doesn't do all the work for you. What it does is make sales easier.