Positioning with April Dunford8 Jun 2023

Understanding the Distinction Between Competitors and Competing Alternatives (And Why It Matters)

In today’s episode, you’ll learn why understanding your competition is critical for positioning and how many people get it wrong. I share a story about the deceptive nature of data and why you need to carefully evaluate bad-fit customers. I talk about how to discover your true competitors and recount a story of a failed sales pitch that taught me the importance of clearly understanding your value from the customer’s point of view. I also dive into the story of Segway, why they failed initially, and why avoiding market categorization is a huge mistake.

—

In This Episode, I Cover:

(00:00) Defining positioning

(00:53) A story about how data can lie to us

(05:25) Lessons on “bad fit customers”

(06:52) How to think about competition

(09:26) How to discover who your real competitors are

(11:50) The question all customers ask

(13:24) The benefits of great positioning

(13:49) A failed sales pitch, and what it taught me about the importance of understanding your product’s value

(20:45) Why avoiding categorization is a massive mistake

(21:49) A story about Segway and why you need to position your product in a market category

(25:37) Thanks for listening

—

Where To Find Me:

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/

—

Production and marketing by https://penname.co/

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(48)

Post Positioning - Testing and Execution

In today’s episode, I explore what should happen after a positioning exercise and why too many teams test positioning the wrong way. I explain why I prefer testing positioning through live sales conve...

2 Apr 25min

New Thinking on Market Categories

In today’s episode, I explore why companies overcomplicate market categories, how starting with the wrong category leads to confusion, and what the job of a market category actually is. I break down h...

19 Mar 24min

A New Chapter on Differentiated Value

In today’s episode, I explore why differentiated value is the most important—and most misunderstood—part of positioning. I explain why customers don’t really care that much about features, how to use ...

5 Mar 22min

Competition in a Positioning Exercise

In today’s episode, I dive into why competitive alternatives—not problems or future visions—are the right place to start a positioning exercise. I explain how different teams inside a company misunder...

19 Feb 29min

Preparing for a Positioning Exercise

In today’s episode, I dive into what needs to happen before you ever start a positioning exercise. I explain why positioning fails when teams skip preparation, ignore alignment, or try to make positio...

5 Feb 27min

Decisions to Make Before a Positioning Exercise

In today’s episode, I dive into the decisions teams need to make before they ever start a positioning exercise. I explain why positioning readiness matters, how unlaunched products lead to positioning...

22 Jan 27min

Positioning, Value, and Objection Handling

In today’s episode, I explore the crucial distinction between positioning your product’s value and handling objections. I explain why understanding the buyer personas in a B2B deal is essential to tai...

27 Feb 202525min

How to Turn a Competitor's Strength into a Weakness

In today’s episode, I dive into the art of transforming competitor strengths into weaknesses, a practice which I sometimes call “marketing jiu-jitsu.” You will learn: * How competitor strengths can do...

13 Feb 202529min