Strategy starts with a defined product
In most stalled developments the problem is not the market; it is that the product was never fully defined. Land area, permitted use and a rough unit mix are not a product. A product is a clear answer to who it is for, what it offers that alternatives in the same corridor do not, and what the buyer is actually paying for.
Product definition precedes the price list in every project I lead. Once that order is reversed, every later decision — marketing message, sales channel, phasing — becomes an attempt to justify a number instead of expressing a position.
Positioning is a decision, not a slogan
Positioning is decided by what the development actually delivers: plot sizes, services, access, the standard of the master plan, and the pace at which the surrounding area is maturing. A brand line can express positioning; it cannot create it.
- Define the target buyer segment before the unit mix is frozen.
- Compare against the real alternative set the buyer considers, not the whole city.
- Write the value proposition in one sentence the sales team can repeat without a slide.
Pricing expresses the product
Pricing is the last translation step, not the first. It should express the defined product against evidence: market research, absorption, the alternative set, and the value curve the development is expected to travel from land to handover. A price that cannot be explained in product terms will be discounted in the first slow month.
This is also where governance earns its place: documented assumptions, a clear mandate for who may change a price, and disciplined follow-up keep the development on its value curve instead of drifting with monthly pressure.
Launch readiness is part of the product
A development is launched once. Readiness — presentation material that matches the product, a sales system that can answer technical questions, and a phasing plan the team understands — is not marketing overhead; it is the last mile of product development.
Practical Takeaways
- Define the product, then price it — never the reverse.
- Positioning lives in the master plan and the services, not in the campaign.
- Every price should be explainable in product language.
- Treat launch readiness as the final stage of product development.
About Mohammed
Board Member & Head of Sales and Marketing Sector at Waheej Real Estate, working across marketing and sales leadership, investment and opportunity assessment, product development, pricing, feasibility and market research — pairing executive governance with market insight, Artificial Intelligence and PropTech.
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia