Why Positioning Does Not Make the Jump From Marketing to Sales

Welcome to Season 2! In today’s episode, I explore why positioning fails to make the jump from marketing to sales in many companies, and what common misconceptions and mistakes in positioning work should be avoided.

You will learn: 

* Why sales teams often lack a deep understanding of positioning and its importance in the sales process.

* Communicating value and positioning product consistently across all sales calls, even for new sales reps.

* What happens when marketing creates positioning without consulting sales, leading to disconnect between the two teams.

* The disconnect between sales teams and marketing teams, as marketing decks often don't account for the need for discovery and objection handling during sales calls.

* Two common unspoken objections in sales pitches: pricing and change management.

* Common challenges in transitioning positioning from marketing to sales, including inadequate decks. 

* In enterprise and B2B deals, multiple stakeholders involved in a deal can lead to multiple pitch decks, making the process more complicated.

* Customizing pitch decks for the champion, with a focus on resonating with their needs and concerns, rather than trying to address the objections of other stakeholders in the deal.

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If you want to skip ahead: 

(0:01) Positioning in B2B marketing and sales. 

(4:25) Sales strategy and customer understanding. 

(8:55) Why marketing and sales positioning often doesn't align. 

(13:18) Sales pitches and unspoken objections. 

(18:00) B2B purchase process and positioning for sales. 

(23:24) Customizing sales pitch decks for different personas. 

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Connect with April Dunford and learn about practical positioning that accelerates marketing and sales: 

Work with April: https://www.aprildunford.com/contact 

April’s newsletter: https://aprildunford.substack.com/ 

April’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/ 

April’s Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/ 

April’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford 

April’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow

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Get April Dunford’s books and audiobooks: 

“Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It”

“Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win”

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/49l0ZRY 

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4ac9hgt 

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3vosDzQ

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSz

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=%22April%20Dunford%22&c=books 

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/%22April%20Dunford%22 

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/contributors/april-dunford 

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The Positioning with April Dunford podcast: Want to make your product stand out in a crowded market? It all starts with great positioning. Using April’s battle-tested methodology, she'll teach you the nitty-gritty of positioning so that you can unlock better marketing and sales performance.

Podcast website: https://www.positioning.show/ 

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3PFHcWx 

Subscribe on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/4aqyDqI 

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@positioningshow 

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This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com