Positioning with April Dunford

How to Turn a Competitor's Strength into a Weakness

46 snips
Feb 13, 2025
Explore the intriguing concept of turning competitor strengths into weaknesses using innovative marketing strategies. Discover how challenger brands can find opportunities in niche markets. Learn about the distinctions between platform and tool positioning, and the strategies for competing against legacy brands and low-cost products. Delve into the importance of appealing to end users versus decision-makers and how to create compelling value propositions. Real-world examples from companies like Salesforce and IBM illustrate successful positioning tactics.
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ANECDOTE

End-User Empowerment vs. IT

  • April Dunford's company touted end-user empowerment as a strength, beating competitors who required IT intervention.
  • After acquisition, they realized their competitor's IT bottleneck was a strength for IT departments focused on security.
ANECDOTE

IBM's Dropdown Menu

  • April Dunford's company mocked IBM's complex dropdown menu with 59 choices.
  • Later, at IBM, she saw a sales engineer use the same menu to showcase its flexibility to enterprise clients.
ADVICE

Market Leader vs. Challenger

  • Market leaders should emphasize their position as the safe choice.
  • Challengers can target niche markets where leaders lack specialized features.
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