Episodes

Every business wants to cash in on the latest trend, and for good reason. Trends can be powerful tools to enhance your positioning. However, it's crucial to recognize that not all trends are a universal fit for every company. Blindly adopting trends without thoughtful messaging can lead to disastrous outcomes for your business.

Today, I’m diving deep into the world of trends. You’ll learn the following:

The difference between markets and trends

How trends can be layered on top of your differe...

Today, I will talk about how to address your competition, which is commonly mismanaged. Once again, you’ll see it all comes back to positioning and differentiated value. I’ll share with you:

Why it’s almost always a bad idea to name the competition when you’re the market leader

Real-life examples of companies naming their competitors

The benefit you gain from naming and positioning your competitors when you’re small

How to combat lies and negativity from your competitors

Thanks for listenin...

I get asked a lot by people about today’s topic on how to manage a positioning change within an organization. It applies to big and small companies and even those going through acquisitions.

In today’s episode, I cover:

The times when your positioning might change

How to figure out the frequency of assessing your positioning

The complexities of changing your positioning after an acquisition

How to test your new sales pitch after you change your positioning

And more

I also want to mention ...

Today, I’m joined by Bruno Aziza, who has an incredible background in data and technology and is a dear friend of mine. He has held previous positions at Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and AtScale. He’s currently a Partner at CapitalG, which is Alphabet's independent growth fund.

In today’s episode, we cover:

The importance of starting with first principles. This means defining your set of beliefs, particular identity, and your core center of design for your product.

Why you should be competing a...

My next book, Sales Pitch, is finally out! I’ve been working on this project for quite some time now and am beyond excited to share it with you all!

If you’d like to support me and purchase the book, visit https://www.aprildunford.com/books to learn more. I’ve also included a free workbook on that page as well.

Since my book came out this week, I figured today’s episode should be about why I wrote this book. I certainly didn’t start my career thinking I would end up helping so many businesses ...

Today, I go deep on how to approach aligning your marketing and sales teams. It’s a topic I repeatedly hear most companies struggling with, and I’m excited to discuss the following:

The definition of what a good lead is

How to get marketing and sales to collaborate on a sales pitch

The importance of incorporating a sales pitch testing protocol

Why you need structure to bring together marketing, sales, and product teams

We’re getting so close to the launch of my next book, Sales Pitch! You c...

Today, I explore how to position your sales pitch storytelling arch. You’ll learn:

What people get wrong when starting their sales pitch

How not to start a sales pitch

Why you should start your sales pitch with an insight that is unique to your company

How to structure your sales pitch storytelling arch

Don’t forget you can now pre-order my next book, Sales Pitch, on Amazon! If you’ve enjoyed the content I’ve been sharing, this is the most wonderful way for you to show your support. I since...

Today, I share everything you need to know about how to use positioning in your sales qualification and discovery. I discuss:

The different forms of qualification and BANT criteria

The difference between qualification and discovery

Why discovery is so important for your first sales call

How buyers and sellers find out more about each other during discovery

My unique sales pitch structure

Also, you can officially pre-order my next book, Sales Pitch, on Amazon! I’m incredibly proud of this b...

Today’s episode is all about how to position startups and big companies. While there is some overlap, the two can be very different. I cover a lot of ground, including:

The three things startups need to focus on for positioning

Why half of B2B purchase decisions end in no decision

How not to mistake marketing problems as positioning problems

Determining when a positioning shift is needed for a big company

Why the size of a company can complicate positioning

The difference between company, ...

Today I’m joined by Bob Moesta, the co-creator of the Jobs To Be Done framework, a concept he developed alongside the late Clayton Christensen. Bob's expertise spans a wide range of accomplishments, including the successful launch of over 3,500 new products, services, and businesses. He's also the CEO and founder of the Re-Wired Group, as well as the brains behind several other startup ventures. We discuss:

Why context matters as much as the product

Why people don’t buy products, they hire the...

Today I dive deep into how to avoid bad marketing and sales and why sometimes this includes actively sharing who your product isn’t for. I go into greater detail about the following:

Understanding that your product is only a part of your business

How to craft great marketing and sales

Why a formal positioning process impacts your sales and marketing strategy

The core of sales and marketing is understanding your differentiated value

How to build the story for your positioning

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If you want...

Today I cover how to know if you're getting good marketing and sales advice, and why it’s so important to carve your own path. I discuss:

• What I learned from traditional marketing advice

• Why traditional marketing advice falls short

• The story of how a fax machine campaign became my best-performing initiative

• Why you should not blindly follow popular marketing trends

• The importance of figuring out what works for YOU

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If you want to skip ahead:

(00:00) Today’s topic: how to know ...

Today I explore developing a point of view for your business. I cover:

How to build your company’s points of view

What to do if you don’t know your point of view

Two examples from IBM and Sampler

Why features don’t matter, value does

How to apply this to your sales and marketing

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If you want to skip ahead:
(00:00) How to develop a point of view for your business

(03:07) How Sampler built a point of view for their market

(06:20) What if you don’t know your point of view

(09:00) Why fea...

Today I dive into what to do with your positioning once you’ve nailed it. I cover:

• How to capture positioning

• How positioning makes its way into messaging

• Why you should create a messaging document and what ends up happening if you don’t

• What the market needs in order to understand our differentiated value

• How to go from positioning to branding

• How to take boilerplate messaging and apply it globally

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If you want to skip ahead:

(00:00) How to put your new positioning to use
...

I sat down with Nick Francis, the Co-Founder and CEO of Help Scout. A few years ago I worked directly with Nick and his team to tighten up their positioning and brought him on to share their story. Together we discuss:

• What the positioning of Help Scout looked like during the early days

• How their positioning evolved over time

• Why they utilized outside help

• How he took the sales narrative he worked on with me and turned it into a pitch

• How their strategy has changed as they’ve move...

Today we continue our conversation on translating your positioning into a sales pitch. You’ll learn:

• Popular pitch structures (discovery-led, problem-solution, venture-informed) and where they fall short

• Common problems to avoid when crafting your sales pitch

• Why the “new way” doesn’t necessarily beat the “old way”

• How focusing on the future of your product can backfire

• What conventional storytelling techniques can teach you about pitching

• A tried and true storytelling structur...

In this episode, I talk about how to take your positioning and translate it into a powerful sales narrative. I cover the importance of testing your positioning and explain why it often fails to make the leap from marketing to sales. I analyze the software transaction process from the buyer's perspective and dive deep into the challenges buyers face when they encounter unfamiliar products. I also tell a personal story about buying a toilet, and share an encounter with a skillful toilet salesman w...

Today I’m joined by renowned author and guest, Matt Dixon. We explore the concepts from his groundbreaking book, "The JOLT Effect," and uncover the secrets to winning deals and captivating customers. Matt shares how extensive research debunked a myriad of popular sales techniques, including dialing up FOMO and letting the customer do the talking. We talk about how downplaying impact can actually boost your sales, no decision losses and why they happen, why you should avoid discounts and limited-...

In this episode, I go deep on one of my favorite topics: value. First, I’ll define value vs. differentiated value, and explain why the latter is key to everything. We'll explore how to find the right balance between features and value, and I'll share tips on mastering your product walkthrough and proving your claims to customers. I also cover common mistakes to avoid when segmenting your audience, the job of a market category, and how a strong understanding of your differentiated value will info...

Today I’m joined by Hana Abaza, an experienced SaaS Marketer. Most recently, Hana served as Shopify’s Global Head of Revenue Marketing where she helped them reach billions of dollars in revenue. In today’s episode, we discuss how Shopify successfully moved upmarket as they introduced Shopify Plus. We explore the competitive alternatives they faced, how they differentiated their offerings, and the importance of their partner influence program. Together we cover storytelling (and what most people ...

Today’s episode is absolutely loaded with information. I cover the challenge of positioning for a single-product company compared to a multi-product company and share two specific examples on the topic. I also discuss how to handle positioning for segments, what happens when you have multiple segments to target, and the importance of your positioning resonating with your target champion.

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In This Episode, I Cover:
(00:00) Positioning a single-product company vs a multi-product company

(02:37)...

In today’s episode, you’ll learn why understanding your competition is critical for positioning and how many people get it wrong. I share a story about the deceptive nature of data and why you need to carefully evaluate bad-fit customers. I talk about how to discover your true competitors and recount a story of a failed sales pitch that taught me the importance of clearly understanding your value from the customer’s point of view. I also dive into the story of Segway, why they failed initially, ...

Join me for our first episode, where I share how a simple shift in positioning saved a product from failure, igniting my passion for positioning. I’ll explore Clayton Christensen's Jobs To Be Done Framework and how it revolutionized my approach. I'll walk you through my 5-step methodology and outline exactly how I got here. I'll also reveal why the methodology alone isn't enough to nail your positioning and what you can expect more of on this podcast.

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In This Episode, I Cover:
(00:00) Welcom...

Welcome to The Positioning Show with me, your host, April Dunford. I am the best-selling author of Obviously Awesome and a seasoned marketing professional who has worked with over 100 companies to help nail their positioning. This show is the ultimate guide to understanding and implementing effective positioning strategies. Whether you're an entrepreneur seeking to make your product stand out in a crowded market, a marketer grappling with the challenges of communicating value, or a product manag...