Want to make your product stand out in a crowded market? It all starts with great positioning. I’m April Dunford, the expert high-growth tech companies go to when they have a positioning problem. With over two decades of experience as a startup executive and consultant, I have positioned and re-positioned hundreds of products and companies. Using my battle-tested methodology, I'll teach you the nitty-gritty of positioning so that you can unlock better marketing and sales performance. If you' ...
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From Michelin Stars to Marketing Stars: Product Marketing Lessons from Tamara Grominsky
37:17
37:17
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In today’s episode, I speak with product marketing expert and consultant Tamara Grominsky, who is the former Vice President of Product Marketing at Kajabi and Unbounce. Have you ever asked questions such as: “How do I hire a good product marketer? What skills should they have? And how should we measure product marketing?” In this episode, Tamara an…
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Harnessing the Power of Differentiated Value: How To Win Over Customers and Outperform Competitors
32:34
32:34
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32:34
Today’s episode is a repost of one of my favorite topics: why value is important for positioning for B2B technology companies. In this episode, first I define value vs. differentiated value, and explain why the latter is key to everything. Next I explore how to find the right balance between features and value, and I share tips on mastering your pr…
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Mastering Messaging for B2B Tech with Emma Stratton
42:02
42:02
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42:02
In today’s episode, my guest and I explore the intricate relationship between positioning, messaging, and copywriting for B2B tech companies. I’m joined by Emma Stratton, the founder of a consulting firm that helps-growing B2B tech companies win on positioning and messaging. You will learn: * How B2B and B2C are different and each comes with their …
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Rethinking Marketing and Storytelling with Martina Lauchengco
48:10
48:10
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48:10
In today’s episode, I explore gathering product market insights directly from customers and crafting effective product marketing strategies with Martina Lauchengco, a partner, teacher, author, speaker, mom, and native Californian. You will learn: * How a VP of Marketing required team members to talk to two customers every week. * Observing customer…
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Rethinking Sales Strategies for Modern Markets with Loren Padelford
42:45
42:45
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42:45
In today’s episode, I discuss how sales and marketing interact with Loren Padelford, a sales, marketing, cashflow, and revenue expert. You will learn: * The limitations of the predictable revenue playbook and alternative approaches. * How Salesforce pioneered cloud-based software and introduced a new way of thinking about how software gets delivere…
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A Buyer-Centric Approach to Competitive Positioning
31:18
31:18
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31:18
In today’s episode, I explore the different types of competitors you face and how you can position yourself against each of them. You will learn: * How different departments or groups in a company (e.g. sales, product development, etc.) view and define competitors differently. * The 3 types of competitors: (1) status quo competitors, (2) direct com…
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Arming Sales Teams To Win in the Market, with Brent Adamson
51:13
51:13
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In today’s episode, Brent Adamson and I explore what works and what doesn't work on sales teams, and Brent’s ideas for how we should arm sales teams to go out and win in the market. My guest today is Brent Adamson, a researcher, author, presenter, and thinker with a passion for “productive disruption.” You will learn: * The origins of the Challenge…
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The Role of Market Category in Differentiation
18:52
18:52
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In today’s episode, I explore why market category is a good starting point for developing great positioning. You will learn: * Viewing your market category is context-setting for your products/company. * Thinking of your market category as being similar to the opening scene of a movie. (See link below for my article about this idea, which includes …
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Postman's Positioning Journey: 500K Customers & $5.6 Billion Valuation with Abhinav Asthana
34:29
34:29
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In today’s episode, I talk with a technology entrepreneur about lessons related to his product initially being mispositioned in the market and also the challenges of positioning both free and paid versions of software solutions. Joining me is Abhinav Asthana, founder and CEO of Postman, an API platform for software developers to build and use APIs.…
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Why Positioning Does Not Make the Jump From Marketing to Sales
37:08
37:08
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37:08
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. * Communicat…
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A Marketers Guide To Using The Sales Pitch
23:28
23:28
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Today, I’m going to discuss how to have consistent positioning and messaging across sales and marketing using tactics from my book Sales Pitch. You will learn: Why marketers at B2B companies should start with the sales pitch first An overview of buyer’s guides and the components of the best ones How to create an explainer video using the sales pitc…
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Mastering Strategy, Vision, and Positioning
20:37
20:37
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It's frustrating to see the widespread misuse of business terminology in the corporate world. Terms such as strategy, positioning, and vision are frequently interchanged or confused. Today, I'll clarify these terms, discussing when and how to use them. I’ll share with you: The difference between strategy, vision, and positioning Pitching to investo…
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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 de…
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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 yo…
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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 cha…
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Bruno Aziza (Google, CapitalG) Shares How He Helped Reach Scale At Startups and Big Tech
42:58
42:58
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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 princ…
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Master the Art of Selling With My New Book
34:52
34:52
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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 f…
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How to Create Marketing and Sales Alignment
24:18
24:18
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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 …
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Mapping Positioning to a Story Using Insight
24:11
24:11
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24:11
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 bo…
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How to Use Positioning in Sales Qualification and Discovery
22:56
22:56
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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 d…
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Positioning at a Startup Vs. a Big Company
28:30
28:30
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28:30
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 Determ…
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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 t…
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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 marketin…
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The Art of Discerning Sound Marketing and Sales Advice
36:45
36:45
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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…
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How To Develop A Point of View For Your Company
19:13
19:13
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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 — If you want to skip ahead: (00:00) How to develop a point of view fo…
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