April Dunford

Positioning Expert & Author at Independent / Author of Sales Pitch

The world's foremost authority on product positioning, author of bestselling books 'Obviously Awesome' and 'Sales Pitch,' with a 25-year career as VP of marketing and advisor to companies like Google and Epic Games.

The Growth Architect The Visionary 2 appearances

Dimension Profile

Strategic Vision 80%

Execution & Craft 46%

Data & Experimentation 30%

Growth & Distribution 70%

Team & Leadership 30%

User Empathy & Research 80%

Key Themes

product positioning fundamentals competitive alternatives market category selection value prop differentiation positioning vs branding vs messaging repositioning existing products

Episode Summary

April Dunford, the world's leading authority on product positioning, walks through her practical framework for nailing positioning — starting with competitive alternatives rather than features, selecting the right market category, and making your product's value obvious to the right customers. Drawing from work with over 200 companies and seven successful B2B startups, she demonstrates why positioning failures are often misdiagnosed as product failures.

Leadership Principles

→ If your product isn't doing well, the problem may not be the product — it may be your positioning
→ Positioning starts with competitive alternatives, not with your product features
→ The market category you choose frames everything customers expect from your product

Notable Quotes

"If your product isn't doing well, there's a chance that it may not be the product that's the problem, it may be your positioning."
— Lenny's framing of why positioning matters so much, which April builds on throughout

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