April Dunford is the author of the must-read best-selling book Obviously Awesome, a definitive guide to product positioning. She spent 25 years leading marketing, product, and sales teams and now runs her own consulting firm, helping companies of all shapes and sizes nail their positioning. April has worked hands-on with over 200 companies on positioning, including Google, IBM, Postman, and Epic Games. In this episode, April delves into the intricacies of positioning, including its distinction from messaging and branding, and shares real-world examples of products with strong and weak positioning. Additionally, April shares her insights on when to bring in a professional and the key differences between segmentation and personas. Don't miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge from a true industry leader.
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Find the full transcript here: https://www.lennyspodcast.com/april-dunford-on-product-positioning-segmentation-and-optimizing-your-sales-process/#transcript
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Where to find April:
• Website: https://aprildunford.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aprildunford
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford
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Where to find Lenny:
• Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/lennysan
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennyrachitsky/
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In this episode, we cover:
(00:00) April's guest post on Lenny's Newsletter
(03:42) April's background
(07:36) Interesting companies April has worked with
(12:17) Defining positioning
(15:31) Company misalignment vs. positioning issues
(17:42) How to assess if your product’s positioning is weak or strong
(19:50) Examples of companies with great product positioning
(22:32) The essential five steps to figuring out your product’s positioning
(29:25) Help Scout's positioning process
(35:54) How important is having a differentiator?
(40:12) The difference between positioning vs. messaging vs. branding
(46:29) When to hire a professional
(48:32) How long does product positioning take?
(54:41) What’s the difference between segmentation and personas?
(01:02:50) Where to find April
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References:
• Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It: https://www.aprildunford.com/obviously-awesome
• April’s guest post on Lenny's Newsletter: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/positioning
• Epic Games: https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/home
• Bluelight Analytics: https://www.bluelightanalytics.com/
• Postman: https://www.postman.com/
• Startupfest: https://startupfestival.com/
• Help Scout: https://www.helpscout.com/
• Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com/
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Thank you to our sponsors:
• Amplitude: https://amplitude.com/
• Flatfile: https://flatfile.com/Lenny
• Productboard: https://Productboard.com/
