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 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford
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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
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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
Positioning with April Dunford