April Dunford

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April Dunford, a former IBM executive and author of "Obviously Awesome," shares her expertise in product positioning. She dives into the art of market definition, highlighting the distinction between being better and being different. Dunford discusses the importance of understanding customer pain points, effective storytelling, and the role of positioning in B2B versus B2C markets. With anecdotes from her career, she illustrates how leaders can reshape markets and make impactful strategic choices.

April Dunford, best-selling author and VP of Marketing, dives into effective sales pitching strategies with rich insights from her books. She explores the importance of storytelling in pitches, emphasizing how to connect with customer pain points. April reveals a structured framework for crafting pitches that stand out and successfully navigate buyer indecision. Listeners learn to combat objections, the value of collaboration between teams, and why avoiding FOMO in sales is crucial for success. A wealth of practical tips awaits!

April Dunford, author of "Obviously Awesome," shares her rich expertise in product positioning, backed by 25 years in marketing and consulting for giants like Google and IBM. She defines effective positioning and reveals how weak positioning can undermine strong products. Learn the five essential steps to refine your product's identity, the difference between segmentation and personas, and the necessity of clear differentiation in B2B sales. April's insights aim to empower teams to communicate value and optimize their sales processes effectively.

April Dunford, B2B positioning expert and author, discusses positioning, differentiation, and lessons from 200+ B2B sales pitches. She emphasizes that positioning should be a cross-functional activity and provides a structure for a strong sales pitch. April explains the challenges of selling against the status quo and the importance of effective positioning and differentiation in B2B sales pitches.

April Dunford, author of "Obviously Awesome," is a seasoned startup executive turned independent consultant. She shares how self-publishing her book transformed her client service business, attracting high-caliber clients and enhancing financial success. April discusses the shift from traditional to self-publishing, emphasizing creative freedom and strategic marketing. She dives into client qualification strategies and how these innovations led to deeper business discussions. Her insights on balancing entrepreneurship and personal fulfillment are both inspiring and practical.

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 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 features don’t matter (10:11) How IBM handled its own point of view (15:15) How to apply point of view in sales and marketing (17:38) Thanks for listening — Where To Find April Dunford: Podcast Website: https://www.positioning.show/  Personal Website: https://www.aprildunford.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/aprildunford — Referenced: Sampler https://www.sampler.io/  — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/

April Dunford, a marketing expert and bestselling author, joins the conversation to reveal the secrets of winning sales pitches. She emphasizes the importance of in-depth research, understanding customer needs, and crafting unique, compelling narratives. The discussion highlights the differences between investor and sales pitch decks and warns against claiming market superiority without evidence. April also delves into how AI can enhance sales pitches while stressing the need for human intuition and collaboration among marketing and sales teams.

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 structure that works for sales pitches — In This Episode, I Cover: (00:00) Sales pitches and product walkthroughs (05:35) The discovery-led sales pitch (08:35) The problem-solution sales pitch (10:26) The venture-informed sales pitch (13:22) Old way vs new way (16:33) No decision losses (17:43) Takeaways from the standard pitch structures we’ve covered (18:29) Conventional storytelling: where it does and does not work (22:23) The IBM sales pitch structure (the challenger sales methodology) (25:23) How to start your pitch and the vital components to include (28:50) My upcoming book — Where To Find April Dunford: Podcast Website: https://www.positioning.show/ Personal Website: https://www.aprildunford.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/aprildunford — Referenced: • Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen: https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Customers/dp/0718033329/ • Star Wars: https://www.starwars.com/ • Matt Dixon on The Positioning Show: https://www.positioning.show/overcoming-customer-indecision-and-challenging-conventional-sales-wisdom-with-matt-dixon/ — Production and marketing by https://penname.co/

Marketing executive April Dunford shares her journey to building a 7-figure solo consulting business, highlighting the importance of focus and narrowing down. She also discusses her struggles with positioning, the criteria for selecting B2B clients, transitioning to higher pricing, and future plans including a new book release.