Podcasts about customers get it

Episode SummaryIn this episode of OnBase, host Chris Moody sits down with Jacek Materna as they explore how account-based marketing (ABM) has evolved from traditional sales tactics to precision-driven strategies fueled by AI. Jacek reflects on his career in ABM, starting in enterprise sales during the 2000s, and shares practical advice for implementing effective ABM programs. The episode tackles common missteps, such as over-reliance on tools, and outlines the importance of aligning sales and marketing teams. Jacek also dives into real-world use cases of AI in ABM, from hyper-personalization to advanced measurement tactics, and how businesses can stay competitive in today's fast-paced Martech landscape.Key TakeawaysABM is Old School Personalization with a New Name: ABM is an extension of the enterprise sales motion that has existed for decades but now incorporates modern tools and strategiesAlignment is Critical: Sales and marketing teams need to collaborate closely, with shared goals and metrics, to make account-based strategies successful.AI Supercharges Personalization: AI enables cost-effective hyper-personalization but also risks oversaturating the market. Companies need to find ways to stand out amidst increasing competition.Intent Data Isn't a Silver Bullet: Many companies fall victim to “intent hangovers”—placing too much faith in intent platforms as a standalone solution without building strategy or alignment first.Tools Are Not the Starting Point: Businesses should focus on strategy and human connection before investing in costly tools they might not fully utilize.Quotes"The best marketers are sellers at heart, and the best sellers are masterful storytellers."Best Moments (03:25) – Jacek's Career Beginnings : Reflecting on how enterprise sales in the early 2000s laid the foundation for his passion for ABM.(09:00) – Enterprise Sales Meets AI : Jacek highlights moments when human storytelling intersected with cutting-edge digital tools.(15:45) – Tips for Aligning Sales and Marketing : Practical advice on simplifying strategies and focusing on shared metrics like pipeline and bookings to unite teams.(26:48) – The "Intent Hangover" Phenomenon: Jacek's critical analysis of businesses that over-invest in intent data without a coherent strategy.(33:20) – What's Next for AI in ABM? : A candid discussion about how AI will expand capabilities for teams while creating new challenges in a saturated market.Tech RecommendationsChatGPTResource RecommendationsBooks:The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by David Drummond Obviously Awesome by April Dunford: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love ItTrump: The Art of the Deal by Donald J. TrumpMovie: Glengarry Glen RossPodcasts:All-In PodcastInvest like the BestAbout the GuestJacek Materna is a 3x founder and seasoned technology executive who specializes in scaling growth-stage companies. With a track record of successful exits and deep experience in B2B SaaS, security, fintech, and edtech, Jacek brings a practical, no-fluff perspective on what it takes to drive real business outcomes.He's led global teams, launched products that generate tens of millions in ARR, and helped companies—from first-time founder startups to PE-backed platforms—unlock margin expansion, go-to-market velocity, and lasting cultural alignment. His leadership experience spans roles as CEO, COO, and CTO, with responsibilities across product strategy, corporate development, P&L oversight, and M&A.Jacek currently serves as CEO of Full Circle Insights and is passionate about helping organizations turn complexity into clarity. Whether he's advising boards, restructuring teams, or speaking on stage, his mission is always the same: drive value, move fast, and scale smart.Website: https://www.fullcircleinsights.com/Connect with Jacek.

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 tailor messaging for champions versus other stakeholders. I also highlight scenarios where objection handling can transform into a core value driver under certain market conditions. You will learn: (00:00) Why Value and Objection Handling Aren't the Same* Value drives purchase decisions, while objection handling removes potential blockers.* Focusing on core value themes helps customers remember what sets your product apart.(04:56) Turning Features into Meaningful Value* Product capabilities only matter when translated into business outcomes customers care about.* Asking “so what?” ensures features connect to tangible benefits.(07:24) Objections: Identifying, Anticipating, and Handling Them* Objections often arise from non-buying stakeholders like IT, legal, and end users.* Objection handling should occur after establishing value, not before.(14:18) Understanding the Roles in a B2B Buying Committee* Champions push deals forward, while other personas can stall or block decisions.* Equipping champions to navigate internal objections increases deal success rates.(20:49) When Objection Handling Becomes a Value Driver* Poor competitor performance can turn typical objections into selling points.* Listening to customer frustrations reveals opportunities for repositioning. —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 —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—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:

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 double as weaknesses in different markets.* Opportunities for challenger brands to carve out niche markets.* The differences between platform and tool positioning and their respective advantages.* Competing with legacy brands.* Competing against free or low-cost products.* Appealing to end users versus decision-makers.* Using manager-level value propositions to win deals against free tools.* Focusing on high-value market segments to avoid a race to the bottom.* Examples of successful positioning from companies like Salesforce, IBM, and Snowflake.—If you want to skip ahead: (00:37) Marketing Jiu-Jitsu(01:51) Empowering End Users vs. IT(05:01) Market Leadership vs. Challenger Strategies(09:54) Niche Market Strategies and CRM Examples(13:26) Platform vs. Tool(21:05) Competing Against Free and Low-Cost Products(26:43) Focusing on High-Value Segments—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 —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—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 —This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com

In today's episode, I explore the frustrating yet common issue of competitors making false or exaggerated claims about their products. In this episode, I answer the question: When you want to discuss your differentiated product or service, what do you do if you've got a competitor who lies that they too have the same product or service, when in fact they don't? You will learn: * The misconception that competitors can easily replicate differentiated features.* How architectural and resource constraints make copying features harder than it seems.* Competitors often stretch the truth or outright lie about capabilities.* Focusing on the value delivered by features rather than just the features themselves.* Using proof points, data, and examples to expose dishonest competitors.* Real-world examples of combating competitors who misrepresent themselves.* The reputational risks for companies that stretch the truth.* Turning dishonest competition into an opportunity to gain trust and loyalty—If you want to skip ahead: (00:00) Welcome to Season Three!(04:12) The Myth of Easy Feature Copying(09:30) Why Competitors Appear to Copy You(13:55) Handling Competitor Lies(16:40) Focus on Value, Not Just Features(19:20) Educate Buyers to Expose Competitor Lies(22:10) Prove Your Claims with Data—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 —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—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 —This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing:

iesmal geht's um die Jobsuche als Product Owner oder Produktmanager in den aktuellen schwierigen wirtschaftlichen Zeiten. Tim und Dominique beleuchten die momentanen Herausforderungen und geben wertvolle Tipps, wie sich Produktmenschen besser positionieren können, um eine neue Stelle zu finden. Ein Hauptgrund für die schwierige Situation vieler Product Owner ist der wirtschaftliche Druck, dem Unternehmen aktuell ausgesetzt sind. Stellenabbau in agilen Teams und das Zurückfahren von externen Beratungs- und Freelance-Verträgen gehören zu den häufigsten Szenarien. Vor allem Branchen wie die Automobilindustrie oder energieintensive Industrien wie Stahl sind stark betroffen. In vielen Unternehmen wird zusätzlich wieder verstärkt der Fokus auf die Arbeit vor Ort - anstelle von vorrangiger Remote-Tätigkeit - gelegt. Dies schränkt die Flexibilität der Jobsuche wieder oft eher auf einen lokalen Radius ein. Doch auch abseits solcher äußeren Faktoren stehen viele Product Owner vor einer Herausforderung: die eigene Rolle und ihren Wertbeitrag klar zu kommunizieren. Product Owner werden oft lediglich als "Backlog-Schubser" wahrgenommen, wenn es ihnen nicht gelingt, ihre tatsächliche Verantwortung für das Produkt und damit ihren Einfluss auf das Geschäftsergebnis sichtbar zu machen. Es erscheint derzeit besonders wichtig, den eigenen Beitrag zur Vermeidung von Fehlinvestitionen oder zur Steigerung der Produktqualität konkret darzustellen – etwa durch Kennzahlen oder Erfolgsgeschichten. Darüber hinaus raten Tim und Dominique, die eigene Positionierung zu schärfen. Es geht darum, eine klare Expertise zu vertreten - sei es in der Product Discovery, der Delivery oder anderen Schlüsselthemen der Produktentwicklung. Der Aufbau eines gepflegten LinkedIn-Profils ist dafür übrigens unerlässlich; genauso wie die Vernetzung innerhalb der Community. Events wie das Product Lean Coffee oder andere Austauschformate bieten Gelegenheiten, sich zu zeigen, von anderen zu lernen und potenzielle Jobmöglichkeiten zu entdecken. Ein weiterer Tipp: wagt den Blick über den Tellerrand! Die Unterschiede zwischen den Rollen eines Product Owners und eines Produktmanagers sind in vielen Unternehmen fließend. Aber auch Job Beschreibungen links und rechts davon sollten derzeit in Betracht gezogen werden. Wer seine Suche erweitert, hat meist bessere Chancen, eine passende Position zu finden. Zuletzt appellieren Tim und Dominique an die Community und ihr Netzwerk, eine aktive Unterstützung anzubieten – sei es durch das Teilen von Stellenangeboten oder durch die direkte Vermittlung. Gerade in schwierigen Zeiten können solche Verbindungen den entscheidenden Unterschied machen. Abschließend ermutigen sie, trotz aller Herausforderungen optimistisch zu bleiben und auch kleinere Rückschritte in Kauf zu nehmen, um durch diese wirtschaftliche Durststrecke zu navigieren. Denn eines ist klar: Die aktuelle Lage wird nicht von Dauer sein, und eine gute Vorbereitung ist der Schlüssel für zukünftige Chancen bei der Jobsuche als Product Owner und Produktmanager. Hier die Links zu erwähnten Empfehlungen: - Link zur Community Reihe "Product Lean Coffee", bei dem Tim und Dominique ehrenamtlich im Orgateam sind: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12524562/ - Buch von April Dunford: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It Und auch noch die Links zu alten erwähnten Folgen: - Jobsituation für Product Owner & digitale Produktmanager - Sei dein eigenes Produkt! – Weiterentwicklung für Product Owner

My guest today is the globally renowned marketing expert April Dunford.April has probably advised more B2B tech companies on positioning than anyone in the world.April's book Obviously Awesome is one of the biggest best-selling marketing books out there - and I'm so happy we had time to dig into everything you need to know to nail Product Positioning so that customers get it, buy it, and love it.Every founder, marketing, sales, and product person should listen to this episode!We discussed:* Why companies fail with positioning* Why positioning is a team sport* April's step-by-step process to nail product positioning* How to find your ICP (ideal customer profile)* Common pitfalls when defining positioning* Messaging vs branding vs positioning* How to align Product, Marketing, Sales, and Executive leadership on positioning and why it's important* How to translate your positioning to a killing Sales pitch—Afonso's profileApril's profile and websiteApril's books:* 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 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit afonsofranco.substack.com

In today's episode, I explore product differentiation and the common misconception that some products have no unique value. I also explore the potential root causes when companies fail to see their own differentiation. You will learn: * The myth of having no product differentiation and what it means for B2B technology companies.* The importance of understanding competitive alternatives and translating capabilities into customer value.* Why a lack of differentiation leads to poor sales and business growth issues.* How irrational buyer decisions are influenced by the need to avoid risks.* The concept of "value blindness" and its impact on the marketing team.* The dangers of focusing solely on losses while ignoring the importance of analyzing wins.* How "product pessimism" can spread within teams and damage overall morale.* The significance of cross-functional collaboration in aligning a company's positioning strategy.—If you want to skip ahead: 02:30 - Question of Differentiation in B2B Products 04:29 - The Stakes of Differentiation in Buyer Decisions 06:39 - Recognizing Value in a Product 09:25 - Addressing Misconceptions About Differentiation 12:50 - Understanding True Competitive Alternatives 17:44 - The Importance of Analyzing Wins 22:47 - The Role of Segmentation in Positioning—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 —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—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 —This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing:

In today's episode, Georgiana Laudi and I explore the failings of traditional sales funnels and why companies should instead focus on a customer-led approach to growth.My guest, Georgiana Laudi, is the ultimate marketing guru with a passion for turning customer value into cash for SaaS companies. She helps SaaS leaders grow smarter through her consultancy, Forget the Funnel. You will learn: * Why traditional funnels are lazy and ineffective for understanding customers.* The concept of customer-led growth and how it differs from funnel-based approaches.* The importance of mapping critical moments of value in the customer journey.* The pitfalls of ignoring pre- and post-funnel customer experiences.* How to align teams around a profound understanding of customer needs.* The role of KPIs in tracking customer success, not just business success.* Why optimizing customer onboarding can lead to dramatic improvements in growth.—If you want to skip ahead: 02:30 - Why Funnels Don't Work06:45 - Introducing Customer-Led Growth12:30 - Mapping Customer Journeys17:15 - Jobs to Be Done: A Game Changer23:10 - The Importance of Onboarding28:00 - Measuring Success: KPIs That Matter35:30 - How to Focus on the Right Customers—Learn more about Georgiana Laudi and her Forget the Funnel team: https://forgetthefunnel.com/ Connect with Georgiana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgianalaudi/ —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 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/ April's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford April's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow—Mentioned in this episode: * Georgiana Laudi and Claire Suellentrop's book, Forget the Funnel: A Customer-Led Approach for Driving Predictable, Recurring Revenue: https://amzn.to/3QOTP2z * The Jobs-to-Be-Done methodology. —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/3vosDzQApple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzCGoogle Play:

In today's episode, I dive into the art of framing a sales conversation. I explore three common ways salespeople start their pitches and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each. By the end, I share my preferred approach to leading with a unique insight, helping you differentiate your sales pitch from the competition.You will learn: * Three common ways to open a sales pitch: defining the problem, presenting market changes, and starting with discovery.* Pros and cons of starting with the problem statement in a sales conversation.* Why focusing on market changes might not be as effective as it seems in sales.* The challenges of relying solely on discovery at the beginning of a sales call.* How starting with your company's specific value can shape the conversation.* Differences in framing strategies for enterprise vs. small businesses.* The importance of positioning yourself as an expert rather than following generic sales approaches.—If you want to skip ahead: 02:30 - Defining the Problem in Sales Conversations06:15 - Presenting Market Changes to Frame Your Pitch10:00 - Starting with Discovery in Sales Pitches14:20 - Why Problem Framing Can Fall Short22:10 - Benefits of Leading with a Unique Insight27:00 - Using Your Value to Frame Discovery30:00 - Practical Tips for Structuring Your Sales Pitch—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 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/ April's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford April's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow—Mentioned in this episode: * April's most recent book, “Sales Pitch” (see links below). —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/3vosDzQApple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzCGoogle Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=%22April%20Dunford%22&c=books Barnes & Noble: https://www.bn.com/s/%22April%20Dunford%22 Bookshop:

In today's episode, I speak with product marketing expert and consultant Tamara Grominsky, who is the former Vice President of Product Marketing at Kajabi and Unbounce. Have you ever asked questions such as: “How do I hire a good product marketer? What skills should they have? And how should we measure product marketing?” In this episode, Tamara and I answer those questions and more.You will learn: * The key responsibilities of a good product marketer.* Why product marketers should know the product better than product managers.* The differences between sales-led and product-led go-to-market strategies, plus the importance of mapping the buying journey and equipping the sales team with the right messages.* The need for founders to be realistic about the skills and experience required for a startup product marketer.* Why product launches don't need to be big or expensive to succeed, but they do need to be intentional about who the launch is for.* Lessons from how Michelin Guide was launched to encourage more driving, with star ratings for destinations.* The benefits of analyzing existing customers to identify best fit for product and value proposition.* Why you should avoid creating marketing personas that are too fictional and instead create segment profiles that are based on quantitative data.—If you want to skip ahead: (3:27) Product marketing role and responsibilities. (6:47) Product marketing challenges and hiring tips. (12:24) Product launch strategies. (16:08) Identifying target audience for product launches. (20:13) Segmentation in marketing. (25:10) Identifying customer segments. (29:01) Product marketing personas. —Connect with Tamara Grominsky on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tamaragrominsky/ Subscribe to “PMM Camp,” Tamara's newsletter for product marketing leaders: https://newsletter.pmmcamp.com/subscribe —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 —Mentioned in this episode: * PMM Camp, Tamara's community for product marketing leaders: https://www.pmmcamp.com/ * The Leap, a platform by Thinkific that creators can use to create and sell digital products: https://www.theleap.co/ —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:

Today's episode is a repost of one of my favorite topics: why value is important for positioning for B2B technology companies. In this episode, first I define value vs. differentiated value, and explain why the latter is key to everything. Next I explore how to find the right balance between features and value, and I share tips on mastering your product walkthrough and proving your claims to customers. I also cover common mistakes to avoid when segmenting your audience, the job of a market category, and how a strong understanding of your differentiated value will inform successful messaging that resonates with your customers. Lastly, near the end of the episode, I discuss my book, “Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win,” which you can get from Amazon https://amzn.to/49l0ZRY and wherever good books are sold—see more links below. (When I originally published this episode, my book wasn't out yet. But it's been out for 10 months now and has received hundreds of 5-star reviews.) —If you want to skip ahead: (00:15) Defining value.(01:14) A story about Janna Systems and their biggest competitor, Siebel Systems.(04:19) How one sales rep changes everything.(07:35) How Janna Systems shifted their positioning and won over Siebel Systems.(08:34) Customers don't care about your features.(10:28) Value vs. differentiated value and what really matters.(13:15) Value buckets.(14:06) Why value is difficult to understand.(16:06) Helping customers translate value on their own.(18:21) Mastering your product walkthrough.(20:00) The importance of proving your value to customers. (21:47) Finding your best-fit customer.(23:50) Common mistakes to avoid. (25:11) Differentiated value and the job of a market category.(27:43) How differentiated value informs messaging.(29:30) My book about sales pitches. —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 —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/3vosDzQApple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzC—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:

In today's episode, my guest and I explore the intricate relationship between positioning, messaging, and copywriting for B2B tech companies. I'm joined by Emma Stratton, the founder of a consulting firm that helps-growing B2B tech companies win on positioning and messaging. You will learn: * How B2B and B2C are different and each comes with their own unique challenges and opportunities.* How to differentiate between positioning, messaging, and copywriting.* The value of flexible messaging across different channels. * The importance of being concise in marketing messaging, particularly in the tech industry.* How punchy language is easier for consumers to absorb and remember, making it more effective in conveying complex ideas.* Why marketing professionals should avoid jargon and overused words like "leverage," "utilize," "transform," "accelerate," and "game changer."* Why some people struggle with narrowing down on a specific customer persona.* How taglines and headlines need to speak to customer perspectives.* Formulas and tricks to make your headlines more interesting and attention-grabbing. —If you want to skip ahead: 0:01 Positioning and messaging in B2B. 8:32 Marketing terminology. 13:04 Using simple language in marketing and avoiding jargon. 17:20 Tech language clarity and messaging for specific customer types. 22:18 Messaging for technical products. 30:27 Emma's book about messaging and marketing. 35:29 Messaging strategy. —Connect with Emma Stratton. Emma's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-stratton-punchy/ Punchy: https://punchy.co/ Learn about Emma's book, Make it Punchy: How to Write Simple Tech Messaging That Wins Hearts, Minds, and Markets, which will be published in September 2024: https://pagetwo.com/book/make-it-punchy/ —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 —Mentioned in this episode: * Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, a book by Chip Heath and Dan Heath: https://amzn.to/4cNPDsx —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:

Bringing your CEO into a sales deal can be a game-changer, but only if done strategically. When executed correctly, involving the CEO can provide the gravitas and assurance needed to close complex deals, especially when selling to large organizations. However, without proper preparation, it can backfire, causing misalignment and confusion. Key triggers for involving the CEO include high-dollar deals, prestigious accounts, and significant lifetime value. The CEO's role should be clearly defined to convey confidence, vision, and commitment to the prospective client. Proper orchestration and practice are essential to ensure the CEO enhances rather than hinders the sales process. Alice Heiman, the Chief Sales Energizer, is an expert in elevating sales for companies with exceptional growth potential. With over two decades of experience, Alice works closely with CEOs and sales leadership to build strategies that drive new business and grow existing accounts. Known for her energetic and strategic approach, Alice's clients benefit from her extensive knowledge in sales, which she also shares as a board member for several companies and as a lecturer at the University of Nevada. What you'll learn: What are the key indicators that it's time to bring the CEO into a sales deal? How can sales leaders effectively prepare their CEO for a sales meeting to ensure alignment and success? What strategies can sales leaders use to manage and guide the CEO's involvement without losing control of the sales process? We want to hear from you! Sales leaders: What are the challenges you are faced with? Would you like some ideas on how to solve them? Hamish will shortly be releasing our first "Listener questions" episode and we want to hear from you! What's the burning question you want an answer to? What do you think of the show? Whatever your questions, comment on social media or email us at the address below, and we will possibly add your questions to future episodes.  Please submit your questions at: https://share.hsforms.com/1bauMW6liRNKbrZR0w6FPNwbn9ta Resources:  Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love it, by April Dunford. Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men - by Caroline Criado Perez --- Connect with Hamish on LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/hamishknox/ Meet Hamish at a Sandler Summit: https://www.hamish.sandler.com/orlando Fathom: https://fathom.video/invite/72CZPA Humanic: https://app.humantic.ai/login/?referral_code=HamishKnox_SA

In today's episode, I explore gathering product market insights directly from customers and crafting effective product marketing strategies with Martina Lauchengco, a partner, teacher, author, speaker, mom, and native Californian. You will learn: * How a VP of Marketing required team members to talk to two customers every week.* Observing customers in the field to deepen your knowledge about how they use your products. * Conducting customer interviews to understand the bigger context.* Win/loss analysis. * Collaboration between marketing and sales teams.* How companies can stay ahead of the curve by being responsive to customer needs.* How the rapid pace of technological change and AI is transforming go-to-market strategies. * Understanding how a product intersects with the market and identifying key activities to amplify its reach.* Product marketing's intersection with lead generation strategy. * The crucial role that product marketers play in shaping go-to-market strategies.* The limitations of positioning statements.* Understanding the context and audience for messaging. * The dynamic nature of messaging in the early stages of a company. * Using storytelling frameworks in sales pitches. * Investor positioning. * Borrowing techniques from successful peers, even if they seem unconventional.* How product marketing is misunderstood in many companies. —If you want to skip ahead: (0:00) Customer insights for product marketing. (4:16) Customer interviews. (9:38) Understanding market changes. (16:39) Product marketing and go-to-market strategies. (20:19) Lead generation. (26:15) Positioning for companies. (29:57) Sales pitches. (36:01) Testing new pitches. (39:23) Product marketing function. —Connect with Martina Lauchengco on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinalauchengco/ Learn more about Martina: https://martinalauchengco.com/ Get Martina's book, Loved: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products: https://amzn.to/3RIr5s2 —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 —Mentioned in this episode: * Gong call recording software: https://www.gong.io/ * The Jobs-to-be-done (JTBD) framework: https://strategyn.com/jobs-to-be-done/ —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/3vosDzQApple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzC—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 —This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com

In today's episode, I discuss how sales and marketing interact with Loren Padelford, a sales, marketing, cashflow, and revenue expert. You will learn: * The limitations of the predictable revenue playbook and alternative approaches.* How Salesforce pioneered cloud-based software and introduced a new way of thinking about how software gets delivered and sold.* How the rise of ad networks and digital ads made it easier to reach many potential customers faster. * Why the traditional sales process and long sales cycles are frustrating and failing. * That startups founders should design their own sales system based on their product and customer needs.* Shopify's approach to hiring sales reps involved looking for personality traits like curiosity, intelligence, work ethic, and success.* That research shows no correlation between education and success in sales. * The limitations of Product-Led Growth (PLG) approach.* The role of sales reps as tour guides of e-commerce platforms.* The need for marketing, sales, and product to work together in the software industry. —If you want to skip ahead: (0:01) The predictable revenue sales model and alternative models. (4:49) Sales and marketing strategies in the software industry. (10:52) The limitations of the predictable revenue model in software sales. (15:44) Sales strategies and personality traits for success in sales. (23:01) Sales strategies for Shopify businesses. (27:35) The role of sales reps in e-commerce, with a focus on Shopify's experience. (33:05) Sales and marketing collaboration. (36:51) Sales and marketing alignment. —Connect with Loren Padelford on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorenpadelford/ —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 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/ April's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford April's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow—Mentioned in this episode: * Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into a Sales Machine with the $100 Million Best Practices of Salesforce.com, a 2011 book by Aaron Ross: https://amzn.to/4bXcBMP —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/3vosDzQApple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzCGoogle Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=%22April%20Dunford%22&c=books Barnes & Noble: https://www.bn.com/s/%22April%20Dunford%22 Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/contributors/april-dunford —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 —This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com

In today's episode, I explore the different types of competitors you face and how you can position yourself against each of them. You will learn: * How different departments or groups in a company (e.g. sales, product development, etc.) view and define competitors differently. * The 3 types of competitors: (1) status quo competitors, (2) direct competitors, and (3) “do nothing” competitors.* Positioning yourself against status quo competitors requires nailing your value versus the status quo, and understanding a customer's pain of changing from the status quo over to you. * Positing yourself against direct competitors entails leaning into your differentiated value, as compared to your competition. * Positioning yourself against “do nothing” competitors involves understanding why customers evaluated you and your competitors, yet became indecisive and didn't pick any solution/product/service.—If you want to skip ahead: (4:36) Positioning against competitors in B2B sales. (9:59) Winning strategies for B2B sales, including disqualifying unqualified leads and addressing indecision in purchasing decisions. (14:45) Handling objections, increasing confidence in purchase decisions, and educating customers on trade-offs. (19:56) Ways to reduce customer indecision in sales deals. (24:53) Sales strategies for tech companies, focusing on positioning, best-fit customers, and risk mitigation. —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 —Mentioned in this episode: * April Dunford's article/newsletter about this topic: https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/a-buyer-centric-approach-to-competitive * To get the free templates related to April Dunford's two books, go to https://www.aprildunford.com/books and sign up for the newsletter; then you'll receive an email to download the free templates. —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—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 —This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com

What should you do if you have 10+ years of working experience but are looking for an MBA-type experience to build your skills and network? Richard Campbell, Founder and CEO of 10Adventures, joins the show to discuss his experience with three mid-career MBA alternatives: Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development (HBS PLD), London Business School's Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy (LBS Sloan Masters), and 500 Global's Accelerator program. Listen on to learn more about the learning experience, alumni networks and benefits of attending each of these programs! Topics Introduction (0:00) Richard's career arc before business school (4:40) Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development (8:40) The London Business School Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy (22:45) 10 Adventures and the 500 Global Accelerator Program (48:00) Richard' advice for entrepreneurs considering mid-career MBA alternatives (59:00) About Our Guest Richard Campbell is Founder and CEO of 10Adventures, which helps people book personalized, active vacations worldwide. Before 10Adventures, Richard worked as COO of Vista Projects, an industrial engineering firm that helps clients navigate the digital transformation of their operations. Richard got his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary; after ten years growing Vista Projects, he took Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development and then completed London Business School's Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy. In 2023, he joined 500 Global's Accelerator program in Calgary, where he currently resides. Richard also hosts the 10Adventures Podcast and serves on the Board of Directors for The Alpine Club of Canada. Show Notes Richard Campbell on LinkedIn 10Adventures Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development The LBS Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy 500 Global Richard's Review of HBS LDP program Richard's Review of the LBS Sloan Masters program Richard's Review of 500 Global's Alberta Accelerator John Kotter's 8-Step Change Model from Leading Change Verne Harnish's Scaling Up Platform How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christenson Dan Cable Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick Entrepreneur's Organization (EO) Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com Learn proven strategies to get into top-ranked MBA programs and optimize every part of your application through Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Course. See resumes, essays and case-studies of admitted MBAs. Save thousands of dollars on consulting fees: https://go.touchmba.com/edge 

What should you do if you have 10+ years of working experience but are looking for an MBA-type experience to build your skills and network? Richard Campbell, Founder and CEO of 10Adventures, joins the show to discuss his experience with three mid-career MBA alternatives: Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development (HBS PLD), London Business School's Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy (LBS Sloan Masters), and 500 Global's Accelerator program. Listen on to learn more about the learning experience, alumni networks and benefits of attending each of these programs! Topics Introduction (0:00) Richard's career arc before business school (4:40) Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development (8:40) The London Business School Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy (22:45) 10 Adventures and the 500 Global Accelerator Program (48:00) Richard' advice for entrepreneurs considering mid-career MBA alternatives (59:00) About Our Guest Richard Campbell is Founder and CEO of 10Adventures, which helps people book personalized, active vacations worldwide. Before 10Adventures, Richard worked as COO of Vista Projects, an industrial engineering firm that helps clients navigate the digital transformation of their operations. Richard got his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary; after ten years growing Vista Projects, he took Harvard Business School's Program for Leadership Development and then completed London Business School's Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy. In 2023, he joined 500 Global's Accelerator program in Calgary, where he currently resides. Richard also hosts the 10Adventures Podcast and serves on the Board of Directors for The Alpine Club of Canada. Show Notes Richard Campbell on LinkedIn 10Adventures Harvard Business School Program for Leadership Development The LBS Sloan Masters in Leadership and Strategy 500 Global Richard's Review of HBS LDP program Richard's Review of the LBS Sloan Masters program Richard's Review of 500 Global's Alberta Accelerator John Kotter's 8-Step Change Model from Leading Change Verne Harnish's Scaling Up Platform How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christenson Dan Cable Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick Entrepreneur's Organization (EO) Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) Get free, personalized school selection help at Touch MBA: https://touchmba.com Learn proven strategies to get into top-ranked MBA programs and optimize every part of your application through Touch MBA's Admissions Edge Course. See resumes, essays and case-studies of admitted MBAs. Save thousands of dollars on consulting fees: https://go.touchmba.com/edge 

  April Dunford is the founder of Ambient Strategy, a consulting firm that helps technology companies grow. She has led marketing, product, and sales teams at companies like IBM, Siebel, and Sybase. April's work is focused on early and growth-stage startups—recognizing that weak positioning can be the difference between success and failure. She also works with large global companies, helping them develop deeper positioning expertise in their product and marketing teams. April's best-selling book, Obviously Awesome, captures her ideas about positioning and provides a methodology that any startup can follow. Today, April is focused on giving back as much as she can. She mentors and advises dozens of startups and is an enthusiastic board member at a handful of startups. April resides in Toronto, Canada, where she enjoys spending time with her kids and small dog in a cabin in the woods.   Today, April joins me to discuss positioning for B2B tech companies. She explains how to position a product to the current market, rather than the company's vision of the future. She discusses what product managers need to understand about their vision and the current market to craft a successful position. She explains why product positioning is most important in B2B and why positioning is different from messaging. We discuss the importance of positioning to improve marketing and sales performance and why you need to continually refine and evolve positioning over time. April also suggests the best way to develop a positioning thesis and calculate the value it will deliver to the customer.   “The best way to test positioning if you're B2B and you have a sales team is to take that positioning and translate it into a sales pitch, then test it out on qualified prospects in a sales call.” - April Dunford   This week on Innovation Talks:   ●     How to explore the best positioning strategy for your company ●     How B2B tech companies can position themselves for their specific market ●     Why weak positioning makes your sales process harder ●     April's five components of positioning ●     April's methodology for positioning that any company can follow ●     How to test your positioning ●     The benefits of structured sales pitches   Connect with April Dunford:   ●     April Dunford's Website (https://www.aprildunford.com/) ●     Book: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford (https://www.amazon.com/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/1999023005/) ●     April Dunford on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/) ●     April Dunford on Twitter (https://twitter.com/aprildunford)   This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon   Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innovation-talks/id1555857396) | TuneIn (https://tunein.com/podcasts/Technology-Podcasts/Innovation-Talks-p1412337/) | GooglePlay (https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9pbm5vdmF0aW9udGFsa3MubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M%3D) | Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=614195) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1dX5b8tWI29YbgeMwZF5Uh) | iHeart (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-innovation-talks-82985745/)   Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SopheonCorp/) , Twitter (https://twitter.com/sopheon) , and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sopheon/) , and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.   For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com (https://www.sopheon.com/) and click here (https://info.sopheon.com/subscribe) .  

  April Dunford is the founder of Ambient Strategy, a consulting firm that helps technology companies grow. She has led marketing, product, and sales teams at companies like IBM, Siebel, and Sybase. April's work is focused on early and growth-stage startups—recognizing that weak positioning can be the difference between success and failure. She also works with large global companies, helping them develop deeper positioning expertise in their product and marketing teams. April's best-selling book, Obviously Awesome, captures her ideas about positioning and provides a methodology that any startup can follow. Today, April is focused on giving back as much as she can. She mentors and advises dozens of startups and is an enthusiastic board member at a handful of startups. April resides in Toronto, Canada, where she enjoys spending time with her kids and small dog in a cabin in the woods.   Today, April joins me to discuss positioning for B2B tech companies. She explains how to position a product to the current market, rather than the company's vision of the future. She discusses what product managers need to understand about their vision and the current market to craft a successful position. She explains why product positioning is most important in B2B and why positioning is different from messaging. We discuss the importance of positioning to improve marketing and sales performance and why you need to continually refine and evolve positioning over time. April also suggests the best way to develop a positioning thesis and calculate the value it will deliver to the customer.   “The best way to test positioning if you're B2B and you have a sales team is to take that positioning and translate it into a sales pitch, then test it out on qualified prospects in a sales call.” - April Dunford   This week on Innovation Talks:   ●     How to explore the best positioning strategy for your company ●     How B2B tech companies can position themselves for their specific market ●     Why weak positioning makes your sales process harder ●     April's five components of positioning ●     April's methodology for positioning that any company can follow ●     How to test your positioning ●     The benefits of structured sales pitches   Connect with April Dunford:   ●     April Dunford's Website (https://www.aprildunford.com/) ●     Book: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford (https://www.amazon.com/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/1999023005/) ●     April Dunford on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/) ●     April Dunford on Twitter (https://twitter.com/aprildunford)   This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon   Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts.   Apple Podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/innovation-talks/id1555857396) | TuneIn (https://tunein.com/podcasts/Technology-Podcasts/Innovation-Talks-p1412337/) | GooglePlay (https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9pbm5vdmF0aW9udGFsa3MubGlic3luLmNvbS9yc3M%3D) | Stitcher (https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=614195) | Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/1dX5b8tWI29YbgeMwZF5Uh) | iHeart (https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-innovation-talks-82985745/)   Be sure to connect with us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SopheonCorp/) , Twitter (https://twitter.com/sopheon) , and LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/sopheon/) , and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you.   For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com (https://www.sopheon.com/) and click here (https://info.sopheon.com/subscribe) .

In today's episode, I explore why market category is a good starting point for developing great positioning. You will learn: * Viewing your market category is context-setting for your products/company. * Thinking of your market category as being similar to the opening scene of a movie. (See link below for my article about this idea, which includes the opening scene of the movie Baby Driver.) * Understanding your product/company's unique value proposition before determining market category.* Why positioning involves identifying what sets your product apart from competitors and the status quo.* Why positioning in an underserved segment of an existing market category is easier than creating a new category.* Communicating the differentiated value of your product or service.* Why companies need to go deeping into their value props to help customers understand how they can deliver unique value for their business.—If you want to skip ahead: (3:50) Market categories and their role in positioning products/companies, with a focus on differentiated value. (7:46) Positioning and messaging for startups, focusing on understanding customer needs and differentiated value. (11:26) Positioning and market categories in business.—Connect with April Dunford and learn about practical positioning that accelerates marketing and sales: Work with April: https://www.aprildunford.com/consultantApril's newsletter: https://aprildunford.substack.com/ April's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/ April's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford —Mentioned in this episode: * My article about market category in which I discuss the opening scene of the movie Baby Driver: https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/understanding-the-job-of-a-market * Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, a book by Al Ries and Jack Trout: https://amzn.to/3JrR4zJ —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—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:

In today's episode, I talk with a technology entrepreneur about lessons related to his product initially being mispositioned in the market and also the challenges of positioning both free and paid versions of software solutions. Joining me is Abhinav Asthana, founder and CEO of Postman, an API platform for software developers to build and use APIs.In today's episode: * How Postman's positioning evolved from a product-focused approach to a platform-focused approach, with different positioning for end-users and executives.* Building Postman with the conviction that modern software is built on APIs, and evangelizing (positioning) this idea to investors.* Why top-down positioning needs to align with company strategy. * The value of working with analysts to understand customer needs and improve products.* Positioning software in terms of satisfying customer needs.* The importance of staying ahead of competitors in the enterprise software market.* The challenges of competing with free products and prioritizing user experience.* Abhinav advises talking to 50-100 customers per year to gain insights and build conviction in product decisions.—If you want to skip ahead: (2:24) Origin story of Postman. (7:19) Postman's growth, fundraising, and positioning challenges. (12:57) API platform growth and top-down sales strategies. (18:03) Taking an API-first approach in software development and marketing strategies. (28:19) Scaling velocity, competitors, and customer engagement in the enterprise software space. —Connect with Abhinav Asthana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhinavasthana/ Learn about Postman's API platform: https://www.postman.com/ —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 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/ April's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford April's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow—Mentioned in this episode: “Breaking Changes,” a podcast where Postman Chief Evangelist Kin Lane and guests talk about the API universe: https://www.postman.com/events/breaking-changes/“The API-First Transformation,” a book by Kin Lane with a foreword by Abhinav Asthana: https://amzn.to/3PZzEOy —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:

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.—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. —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 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/ April's Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford April's TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow—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/3vosDzQApple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzGoogle Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=%22April%20Dunford%22&c=books Barnes & Noble:

In this episode of Polyweb, host Sara Landi Tortoli and guest Georgiana Laudi, Co-founder and CEO of Forget the Funnel, explore the concept of customer-led growth and how it differs from product-led growth. They delve into the importance of deeply understanding customers, operationalizing their experiences, and making data-informed decisions to optimize their journey from problem recognition to long-term value realization.00:00 Introduction00:41 Defining customer-led growth and its relationship with product-led growth03:53 Differentiating customer-led growth from other "X-led" growth models07:15 Building products in a customer-led organization09:51 The challenge of identifying ideal customers in B2B scenarios13:24 Applying the Jobs-to-be-Done framework to understand customer segments19:07 Mapping the customer journey and identifying value milestones23:53 Leveraging customer insights to refine messaging and product experiences29:42 Prioritizing customer jobs and deciding the strategic focus33:57 Operationalizing customer-led growth within the organization39:06 Repositioning and communicating the customer-centric approach43:16 Prioritizing customer jobs and aligning with business objectives47:49 The importance of customer research and avoiding guesswork52:24 Implementing customer-led growth: A practical example58:47 Closing thoughts and resources

 April Dunford is the founder of Ambient Strategy, a consulting firm that helps technology companies grow. She has led marketing, product, and sales teams at companies like IBM, Siebel, and Sybase. April's work is focused on early and growth-stage startups—recognizing that weak positioning can be the difference between success and failure. She also works with large global companies, helping them develop deeper positioning expertise in their product and marketing teams. April's best-selling book, Obviously Awesome, captures her ideas about positioning and provides a methodology that any startup can follow. Today, April is focused on giving back as much as she can. She mentors and advises dozens of startups and is an enthusiastic board member at a handful of startups. April resides in Toronto, Canada, where she enjoys spending time with her kids and small dog in a cabin in the woods. Today, April joins me to discuss positioning for B2B tech companies. She explains how to position a product to the current market, rather than the company's vision of the future. She discusses what product managers need to understand about their vision and the current market to craft a successful position. She explains why product positioning is most important in B2B and why positioning is different from messaging. We discuss the importance of positioning to improve marketing and sales performance and why you need to continually refine and evolve positioning over time. April also suggests the best way to develop a positioning thesis and calculate the value it will deliver to the customer. “The best way to test positioning if you're B2B and you have a sales team is to take that positioning and translate it into a sales pitch, then test it out on qualified prospects in a sales call.” - April Dunford This week on Innovation Talks: ●     How to explore the best positioning strategy for your company ●     How B2B tech companies can position themselves for their specific market ●     Why weak positioning makes your sales process harder ●     April's five components of positioning ●     April's methodology for positioning that any company can follow●     How to test your positioning ●     The benefits of structured sales pitches  Connect with April Dunford: ●     April Dunford's Website●     Book: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford●     April Dunford on LinkedIn●     April Dunford on Twitter This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you. For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here.

April Dunford is the author of the best-seller, Obviously Awesome, How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, and Love It. April spent the first 25 years of her career as a startup executive running marketing, product, and sales teams. During that journey, April positioned, repositioned, and launched 16 different products. Today, April is a business owner. She's an independent consultant, and she's worked with more than 100 early and growth-stage startups to help them position their products. In this episode, you'll learn How she built her consulting business How she attracts high caliber clients The process she uses for qualifying them And April's experience publishing her 1st book Full transcript and show notes April's Website / Twitter / Instagram / YouTube / LinkedIn *** CONNECT

Today, I'm going to discuss how to have consistent positioning and messaging across sales and marketing using tactics from my book Sales Pitch. You will learn:  Why marketers at B2B companies should start with the sales pitch first An overview of buyer's guides and the components of the best ones How to create an explainer video using the sales pitch structure Why all content should target the proper persona  Examples of graphics used to educate buyers  Other types of content that can be structured around the sales pitch  You'll also hear that this is the final episode of Season 1, as I'm excited to take a break from podcasting for the rest of the year. Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast, and I look forward to recording more content next year! — If You Want To Skip Ahead: (00:21) An overview of my consulting work and season 1 finale (01:11) Why marketing should center their storytelling on what works for sales (05:30) How and why to use a buyer's guide with customers  (09:13) How to incorporate the Sales Pitch structure into explainer videos  (10:20) Other places pieces of the sales narrative may work well (11:07) The significance of different personas   (12:10) Leveraging the sales narrative set up phase for conference talks (13:30) How graphics can enhance understanding of differentiated value  (14:09) The graphics Postman created to illustrate its features and capabilities  (16:20) Gitlab's infinity graphic (17:16) Salesforce's confusing infographic  (19:30) Other ways to use my Sales Pitch structure (21:13) Closing thoughts — 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: Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Pitch-Craft-Story-Stand/dp/1999023021⁠ Postman: ⁠https://www.postman.com/⁠ What is Postman: ⁠https://www.postman.com/product/what-is-postman/⁠ The API platform landscape: ⁠https://blog.postman.com/2022-api-platform-landscape-trends-and-challenges/⁠ Gitlab Infinity: ⁠https://gitlab.com/infinity7x⁠ Salesforce Customer 360: ⁠https://www.salesforce.com/ap/blog/what-is-salesforce-customer-360/⁠ Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/1999023005⁠ — Production and marketing by ⁠https://penname.co/

Bu bölümde Oppenheimer filmi, ürün konumlandırma, Twitter'ın isim değişikliği ve sinemada film izlemek üzerine sohbet ettik.Bizi dinlemekten keyif alıyorsanız, kahve ısmarlayarak bizi destekleyebilir ve Telegram grubumuza katılabilirsiniz. :)Yorumlarınızı, sorularınızı ya da sponsorluk tekliflerinizi info@farklidusun.net e-posta adresine iletebilirsiniz. Bizi Twitter üzerinden takip edebilirsiniz.Zaman damgaları:00:00 - Giriş01:45 - Oppenheimer ve sinemada film izlemek21:25 - Foundation25:09 - A2428:10 - Dune37:10 - Positioning54:30 - The Apple II Age1:09:03 - Arc kullanamamak1:14:40 - Twitter -> X1:25:05 - Google hesaplarının 2 yıl sonra silinmesiBölüm linkleri:OppenheimerZodiacDune: Part Two | Official Trailer 2DuneDune MessiahObviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love ItJonathan NolanAmadeusMindhunterEvery Frame a PaintingHow A24 took over HollywoodBox Office MojoApril DunfordWrite Useful BooksThe Category Design Toolkit: Beyond Marketing: 15 Frameworks For Creating & Dominating Your NicheThe Apple II Age: How the Computer Became PersonalDavid Heinemeier Hansson at Startup School 08SequoiaArcInactive Google Account Policy

Bu bölümde Mert'in Not For Me uygulaması, Gumroad'un hikayesi, TikTok'ta yükselen yeni akım ve Hollandılı elektrikli bisiklet şirketi VanMoof'un batış hikayesi üzerine sohbet ettik.Bizi dinlemekten keyif alıyorsanız, kahve ısmarlayarak bizi destekleyebilir ve Telegram grubumuza katılabilirsiniz. :)Yorumlarınızı, sorularınızı ya da sponsorluk tekliflerinizi info@farklidusun.net e-posta adresine iletebilirsiniz. Bizi Twitter üzerinden takip edebilirsiniz.Zaman damgaları:00:00 - Giriş02:30 - Podsum ve Positioning06:20 - Not For Me16:00 - Okuduklarımız ve izlediklerimiz21:30 - Writers' Strike40:16 - Hype Treni45:06 - TikTok'taki Çılgınlık ve Gösteriş Toplumu1:03:09 - Gumroad'un hikayesi1:18:00 - VanMoof'un Batışı1:31:50 - Microsoft'un Activision Blizzard satın alımı1:44:45 - RiversideBölüm linkleri:Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love ItNot For MeCreating a content blockerThe Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of EntitlementHijackHollywood Actors Strike TV and Movie Actors Vote for Biggest Walkout in Four DecadesActors say Hollywood studios want their AI replicas — for free, foreverWhy Do TikTokers Beg For Virtual Gifts on TikTok LIVE? The Weird 'NPC Stream' Phenomenon ExplainedThe Minimalist Entrepreneur: How Great Founders Do More with LessNo Meetings, No Deadlines, No Full-Time EmployeesVanMoof, the e-bike darling, skids off track: Sales paused, execs departJobRadCourt denies FTC's last-ditch attempt to stop Microsoft buying Activision BlizzardRiverside

Abi Noda, Co-founder & CEO @ DX returns to the show to discuss his latest research on measuring & improving developer productivity, and provides a practical, developer-focused framework to give you clear, actionable insights into what to measure and where to focus in order to improve developer productivity. Abi reveals the inspiration behind his whitepaper / research, elements of their new DevEx framework, and how eng leaders can implement it into their org's practice in order to increase developer productivity. We also cover the evolution of measuring developer experience (including output metrics, DORA & SPACE frameworks) and the benefits / shortcomings of each approach. In addition, learn not only the importance of having a dedicated DevEx team, but also how to implement these insights if your org isn't ready to have a dedicated team yet.ABOUT ABI NODAAbi (@abinoda) is the CEO and co-founder of DX, the world's first developer experience management platform. He was previously the CEO and founder of Pull Panda, which was acquired by GitHub in 2019. At GitHub he led research collaborations with Dr. Nicole Forsgren, McKinsey, and Microsoft Research, which was the impetus for founding DX."Oftentimes, organizations that are larger that get started with these types of measurements in their framework, they're really surprised. They realize that, 'Oh man, there's all these opportunities we didn't even realize and developers are telling us these are the most important things. These aren't the things we're working on and we need to shift our focus.' So, I think there's a huge opportunity to refocus by getting a holistic picture of the developer experience.”- Abi Noda   Join us at ELC Annual 2023!ELC Annual is our flagship conference for engineering leaders. You'll learn from experts in engineering and leadership, gain mentorship and support from like-minded professionals, expand your perspectives, build relationships across the tech industry, and leave with practical prove strategies.Join us this August 30-31 at the Fort Mason Center in San FranciscoFor tickets, head to https://sfelc.com/annual2023SHOW NOTES:The background behind Abi's developer productivity research & why it matters (2:50)The evolution of measuring developer productivity (5:50)Moving beyond output metrics to DORA (and how that fell short of solving engineering measurement problems) (7:43)Challenges, drawbacks, and limitations to current measurement approaches (like DORA & SPACE) (11:51)What is the SPACE framework & how it manifests in eng orgs (15:14)Distinction between measuring the notion of productivity vs. focusing on measurements that improve productivity (17:07)Overview of Abi's new DevEx framework & examples of it in use (19:52)Recommendations for frontline managers, ICs, engineers, etc. to apply the DevEx framework (22:26)How DevEx uncovers blind spots (like requirements quality) (24:21)When engineering orgs should consider separating out productivity (27:44)Strategies for broad-scope leaders to apply the DevEx framework (29:21)Using local teams to address specific DevEx issues (31:30)Why the VP of Eng / org leadership's values drive developer experience (33:00)Tips for implementing the DevEx framework as a startup vs. mature company (35:06)How Abi is incorporating DevEx strategies into his own company @ DX (37:47)What positive developer experience looks like within an eng team (39:35)The most important step a team w/o a DevEx team can take (41:29)Rapid fire questions (43:17)LINKS AND RESOURCESAbi's new DevEx whitepaper - “DevEx: What Actually Drives Productivity” by Abi Noda, DX, Margaret-Anne Storey, University of Victoria, Nicole Forsgren, Microsoft Research, Michaela Greiler, DXObviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It - Obviously Awesome goes beyond teaching you what positioning is and why you should care. It gives you a step-by-step process that any startup can follow to position their product, service or company. This book will teach you how to find your product's “secret sauce” and then sell that sauce to those who crave it.Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - The first book to deal with the problems of communicating to a skeptical, media-blitzed public, Positioning describes a revolutionary approach to creating a "position" in a prospective customer's mind-one that reflects a company's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors.This episode wouldn't have been possible without the help of our incredible production team:Patrick Gallagher - Producer & Co-HostJerry Li - Co-HostNoah Olberding - Associate Producer, Audio & Video Editor https://www.linkedin.com/in/noah-olberding/Dan Overheim - Audio Engineer, Dan's also an avid 3D printer - https://www.bnd3d.com/Ellie Coggins Angus - Copywriter, Check out her other work at https://elliecoggins.com/about/

 April Dunford is the founder of Ambient Strategy, a consulting firm that helps technology companies grow. She has led marketing, product, and sales teams at companies like IBM, Siebel, and Sybase. April's work is focused on early and growth-stage startups—recognizing that weak positioning can be the difference between success and failure. She also works with large global companies, helping them develop deeper positioning expertise in their product and marketing teams. April's best-selling book, Obviously Awesome, captures her ideas about positioning and provides a methodology that any startup can follow. Today, April is focused on giving back as much as she can. She mentors and advises dozens of startups and is an enthusiastic board member at a handful of startups. April resides in Toronto, Canada, where she enjoys spending time with her kids and small dog in a cabin in the woods. Today, April joins me to discuss positioning for B2B tech companies. She explains how to position a product to the current market, rather than the company's vision of the future. She discusses what product managers need to understand about their vision and the current market to craft a successful position. She explains why product positioning is most important in B2B and why positioning is different from messaging. We discuss the importance of positioning to improve marketing and sales performance and why you need to continually refine and evolve positioning over time. April also suggests the best way to develop a positioning thesis and calculate the value it will deliver to the customer. “The best way to test positioning if you're B2B and you have a sales team is to take that positioning and translate it into a sales pitch, then test it out on qualified prospects in a sales call.” - April Dunford This week on Innovation Talks: ●     How to explore the best positioning strategy for your company ●     How B2B tech companies can position themselves for their specific market ●     Why weak positioning makes your sales process harder ●     April's five components of positioning ●     April's methodology for positioning that any company can follow●     How to test your positioning ●     The benefits of structured sales pitches  Connect with April Dunford: ●     April Dunford's Website●     Book: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford●     April Dunford on LinkedIn●     April Dunford on Twitter This Podcast is brought to you by Sopheon Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Innovation Talks. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. Apple Podcasts | TuneIn | GooglePlay | Stitcher | Spotify | iHeart Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, and share your favorite episodes on social media to help us reach more listeners, like you. For additional information around new product development or corporate innovation, sign up for Sopheon's newsletter where we share news and industry best practices monthly! The fastest way to do this is to go to sopheon.com and click here. 

Matt Hodgkinson is a consultant who assists B2B organisations in breaking out of the humdrum and injecting excitement into their positioning and marketing. He talks about the concept of MEHscapology, which is the idea of escaping the MEH of business. Matt emphasises the necessity of being unique and transparent about what you discuss in order to stand out and capture someone's attention. Matt also talks about how important it is to target the appropriate people and make them feel like they've never heard or seen anything like it before. He stresses the need of using several languages and matching the buyer's speed. According to Matt, positioning is about people's perceptions, which is the prism through which ideal purchasers evaluate a value proposition. He strongly opposes mass outreach methods like dripify and duck soup and offers a new way.Matt also addresses the significance of engagement metrics and advocates discontinuing paid outreach until they find an organic avenue that works for them. Where to reach them:Matt on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthodkinson/MEHscapalogy: https://amzn.to/42D0jF8Total Growth Ownership; https://totalgrowthownership.com/How to ask for case studies by Matt Hodkinson: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-ask-case-studies-matt-hodkinson/?trackingId=O%2FXw6lkqS6m7ntqJsb7Exg%3D%3DThe Ultimate LinkedIn Messaging Guide - Daniel Disney - Speaker/Trainer/Author : https://www.linkedin.com/in/danieldisney/Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It: https://amzn.to/3IelC7TCreator Write Club: https://www.meetup.com/pro/coworking/Join 1000's London-centred founders, creators, freelancers and makers in the #techlondon slack channel at #techlondon.com

In episode 656, join Rob Walling for another solo adventure, where he revisits a few topics from earlier episodes. These topics range from balancing having taste while shipping consistently to the only two keys to being remembered for something. Topics we cover: 1:39 - What founders need to know about the Section 174 tax change 5:03 - Balancing developing taste with shipping 10:47 - If you want to be remembered for something, you either have to be the first or the best. 17:13 - Lifestyle bootstrapper vs. ambitious bootstrapper vs. the billion-dollar entrepreneur and why you need to get clear on the path you aspire to take. Links from the Show: Small Software Business Coalition Letter To Congress  Episode 652 I Mixing No-code with Code, Developer Superpowers, $5k Angel Check, and More Listener Questions Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It  The SaaS Playbook  TinySeed  MicroConf Youtube Channel ...Read more... »Click the icon below to listen.  

In episode #2357, Neil and Eric break down how to fix your marketing funnel. There are plenty of useful tools that can help you identify where your marketing funnel needs to be improved. The trick is knowing how to improve them. In our conversation, we examine some of the best tools for collecting both quantitative and qualitative information, and how to use customer feedback to take your marketing funnel to the next level. To get started on fixing your funnel, be sure to tune in for this episode!TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:20] Today's topic: How To Fix Your Marketing Funnel. [00:42] An overview of marketing funnels and how they work. [01:22] What Google Analytics can teach you about where your funnel needs to be improved. [02:43] How marketing funnels work on platforms like YouTube. [03:08] Examples of how to conduct AB tests on YouTube. [04:49] Why getting feedback from your customers is essential for improving your marketing funnel. [06:50] That's it for today! Go to https://www.levelingup.com/founders to join Neil and Eric in Miami from the 12th to the 14th of February! [07:15] Go to https://www.marketingschool.io to learn more! Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Google Analytics TubeBuddy Typeform b2b message testing platform Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It Crazy Egg Subscribe to our premium podcast (with tons of goodies!): https://www.marketingschool.io/pro Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us:  Neilpatel.com Quick Sprout  Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel  Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In episode #2357, Neil and Eric break down how to fix your marketing funnel. There are plenty of useful tools that can help you identify where your marketing funnel needs to be improved. The trick is knowing how to improve them. In our conversation, we examine some of the best tools for collecting both quantitative and qualitative information, and how to use customer feedback to take your marketing funnel to the next level. To get started on fixing your funnel, be sure to tune in for this episode! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:20] Today's topic: How To Fix Your Marketing Funnel. [00:42] An overview of marketing funnels and how they work. [01:22] What Google Analytics can teach you about where your funnel needs to be improved. [02:43] How marketing funnels work on platforms like YouTube. [03:08] Examples of how to conduct AB tests on YouTube. [04:49] Why getting feedback from your customers is essential for improving your marketing funnel. [06:50] That's it for today! Go to https://www.levelingup.com/founders to join Neil and Eric in Miami from the 12th to the 14th of February! [07:15] Go to https://www.marketingschool.io to learn more! Links Mentioned in Today's Episode: Google Analytics TubeBuddy Typeform b2b message testing platform Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It Crazy Egg Subscribe to our premium podcast (with tons of goodies!): https://www.marketingschool.io/pro Leave Some Feedback: What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review. Connect with Us:  Neilpatel.com Quick Sprout  Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel  Twitter @ericosiu Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on DWB, I discuss why poor positioning can kill your revenue. If your sales and marketing isn't working, then your positioning is broken. Luckily, we're going to discuss how to fix it. Be sure to subscribe to the Dog Whistle Brand Newsletter on Substack here: www.dogwhistlebranding.comOrder my book, “Black Veteran Entrepreneur” here: https://amzn.to/3gme7kgPurchase “Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It” here: https://amzn.to/3XmHt2v

In this week's episode, Melissa Perri invites April Dunford, author of the best-selling book Obviously Awesome, How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It on the podcast. April has 25 years of experience leading marketing, product, and sales teams and now runs her consulting firm, helping companies of all shapes and sizes, including Google, IBM, Postman, and Epic Games, nail their positioning.  Here are some key points April and Melissa talk about: April talks about her academic and professional background and what led her to write her book on product positioning, Obviously Awesome. According to April, product positioning is how your product is the best in the world at delivering some value that a well-defined set of target customers cares about. “Positioning is really about taking a customer that doesn't know too much about our [product] and orienting them towards it,” she tells Melissa. April describes an example of good positioning that a company can execute and how to assess if your product's positioning is weak or strong. One of the key concepts in product positioning is looking at your product from the perspective of the consumer to determine what makes your product unique. It is best to build your product according to a positioning thesis based on information about your competitors and consumers. However, the thesis is usually wrong, so use your initial launch to improve it. The essence of product marketing is product positioning. Producing positioning can only succeed when the market managers work harmoniously with the product managers and sales team, to truly understand the products' place in the market. If we don't have an actionable segmentation, it doesn't matter if we have product market fit.  April shares her expertise on what product teams and marketing teams should be doing to truly understand and leverage their product positioning. Resources April Dunford on the web | Twitter

In this week's episode, Melissa Perri invites April Dunford, author of the best-selling book Obviously Awesome, How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It on the podcast. April has 25 years of experience leading marketing, product, and sales teams and now runs her consulting firm, helping companies of all shapes and sizes, including Google, IBM, Postman, and Epic Games, nail their positioning.  Here are some key points April and Melissa talk about: April talks about her academic and professional background and what led her to write her book on product positioning, Obviously Awesome. According to April, product positioning is how your product is the best in the world at delivering some value that a well-defined set of target customers cares about. “Positioning is really about taking a customer that doesn't know too much about our [product] and orienting them towards it,” she tells Melissa. April describes an example of good positioning that a company can execute and how to assess if your product's positioning is weak or strong. One of the key concepts in product positioning is looking at your product from the perspective of the consumer to determine what makes your product unique. It is best to build your product according to a positioning thesis based on information about your competitors and consumers. However, the thesis is usually wrong, so use your initial launch to improve it. The essence of product marketing is product positioning. Producing positioning can only succeed when the market managers work harmoniously with the product managers and sales team, to truly understand the products' place in the market. If we don't have an actionable segmentation, it doesn't matter if we have product market fit.  April shares her expertise on what product teams and marketing teams should be doing to truly understand and leverage their product positioning. Resources April Dunford on the web | Twitter

Amy Hardison White has been in the startup world since before the bubble, with a background in copywriting and content marketing. Her focus today is helping accounting startups and payment providers acquire new users with targeted content strategy. Recap / Takeaways Take notes on what is happening in customer conversations. Where are your target customers hanging out online? Consider the strengths and weaknesses of your team (writing, video, etc) Repurposing your content (make your podcast into an article or video) If you don't have time to write it, have someone on your team interview you. It's okay to lower your own expectations on production value—just get it out there! Check out "Obviously Awesome" book (about product positioning) Links:https://www.amyhardisonwhite.comAmy's Podcast: Scrappy Fintech Marketing https://www.amyhardisonwhite.com/podcastObviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love ItGo to TheFridayHabit.com where you can also find links to our websites and ways to get in touch. At the bottom of the page you can download our guide to the Friday Habit system that will show you how to set aside one full day each week dedicated to working on your business instead of in your business.Subscribe & ReviewIf you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave us a review in the Apple podcasts 

Amy Hardison White has been in the startup world since before the bubble, with a background in copywriting and content marketing. Her focus today is helping accounting startups and payment providers acquire new users with targeted content strategy. Recap / Takeaways Take notes on what is happening in customer conversations. Where are your target customers hanging out online? Consider the strengths and weaknesses of your team (writing, video, etc) Repurposing your content (make your podcast into an article or video) If you don't have time to write it, have someone on your team interview you. It's okay to lower your own expectations on production value—just get it out there! Check out "Obviously Awesome" book (about product positioning) Links:https://www.amyhardisonwhite.comAmy's Podcast: Scrappy Fintech Marketing https://www.amyhardisonwhite.com/podcastObviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love ItGo to TheFridayHabit.com where you can also find links to our websites and ways to get in touch. At the bottom of the page you can download our guide to the Friday Habit system that will show you how to set aside one full day each week dedicated to working on your business instead of in your business.Subscribe & ReviewIf you enjoyed this episode please subscribe and leave us a review in the Apple podcasts

Everyday, people choose to spend money with your business for a REASON.Do you know what that reason is?Are you clear on that thing that sets you apart from your competitors?My guess is that many of you listening are thinking, well I kinda know… I think… I could figure it out. But without clear positioning right now, you are leaving money on the table while your customers choose to work with a competitor, because they don't know what sets you apart.Let's not let that happen any longer.April Dunford is a globally recognized leader in positioning and she has a deep curiosity about what makes the difference between a winning product and a loser. And she's here today to share exactly how we can ALL become winners, through proper positioning.I want you to listen to this episode, maybe twice, if you're a business owner who has ambitions to grow over the coming months.This is something I struggled with for SO long - but NOT anymore!In this episode, April Dunford and I talk about:Why positioning is so important for growing your businessThe 5 components of effective positioningThe 10 step process to writing your positioning statement and how to use itThe most important parts of your statement and specific tips on how to write itWhy niching down is actually doing to help you reach MORE peopleHow she determined and packaged up her unique methodologyHer favourite marketing booksBe sure to grab a copy of April's book, Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It anywhere books are sold and head to https://www.aprildunford.com/ for all her work.And for the past 3 months, I've been working on something really epic for Service Providers, Coaches and Consultants who want to Become Fully Booked, and it all begins with an Implementation Workshop for 15 people, at the end of August.If you want Early Access to admissions, just fill out the (short) application and I'll tell you about it first.https://www.becomefullybooked.com/Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcast, or YouTubeLet's connect on Instagram or find out more about Private Business Coaching on my Website

In this episode of "Reel Talk: The Customer Insights Show," we are talking about positioning. Why is it so hard How can we get it right How do we know we are done with it? To discuss that topic, Jennifer Vogel is joined by April Dunford, founder of Ambient Strategy and author of “Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It.” Join us and check out April's book here: https://lnkd.in/gZpZzqyi Catch previous episodes: https://site.voxpopme.com/reel-talk-market-research-podcast/ "Reel Talk" is presented to you by Voxpopme, the leader in video surveys. Learn more about how you can use video surveys in your market research here: http://site.voxpopme.com. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/customer-insights-show/message

April Dunford is the author of the 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 today’s episode, you’ll learn:1. How does April define positioning?2. How do you assess if your product’s positioning is weak? And strong?3. What are some examples of great products with weak positioning?4. What are the essential five steps to figuring out your product’s positioning?5. What is the difference between positioning vs. messaging vs. branding?6. What’s the difference between segmentation and persona? 7. When should you bring in a professional? 8. Is it essential for a company to always figure out a differentiator and be different?9. How does this concept help you nail sales for enterprise software?Where to find April:Website: https://aprildunford.comTwitter: https://twitter.com/aprildunford LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford Book: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It April’s guest post: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/positioning Get full access to Lenny's Newsletter at www.lennysnewsletter.com/subscribe

النسخة المصورة: https://youtu.be/O2JhdJHNu28 غيثة منير هي شريك مؤسس و مديرة العمليات بشركة Allthenticate، و هي شركة ناشئة أمريكية توفر حلول لها علاقة بالأمن المعلوماتي. Rita Mounir is the co-founder and Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Allthenticate. Allthenticate is a US-based startup that offers software and hardware solutions in the cybersecurity space that target authentication and access control. الكتب المقترحة: - The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It - No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention - Atomic Habits - Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future - Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist - Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It - Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike محاور الحلقة: (00:00) - مقدمة - Introduction (03:00) - العيش في كاليفورنيا - Living in California (10:34) - الشركات الناشئة - Startups (14:28) - الشغف و الموهبة في مقابل العمل و التعلم - Passion and Talent vs Hard-work and Learning (24:35) - إدارة العمليات في شركة ناشئة - Being a COO in a startup (29:24) - متلازمة المحتال - Imposter syndrome (36:54) - الرياضيات المالية و علوم البيانات - Financial mathematics & data science (39:34) - Allthenticate & Security threats (01:14:04) - ثقافة شركة Allthenticate - The culture inside Allthenticate (01:17:31) - نحن فريق و لسنا عائلة - We're a squad not a family (01:18:47) - البحث عن تمويل لشركة ناشئة - Fundraising for a startup (01:22:30) - التوازن بين العمل و الحياة - Work-life balance (01:26:44) - تعريف النجاح لدى غيثة - Definition of success for Rita (01:29:03) - كتب تستحق القراءة - Books to read (01:32:30) - الفروسية - Riding horses (01:36:38) - تعلم اللغات - Learning new languages (01:40:32) - إقتراحات الضيوف - Guest recommendations (01:41:57) - رأي غيثة في كاس أتاي بودكاست - Rita's feedback on KAP Rita Mounir: Living in California, Allthenticate, Security threats, Startups, Passion vs Hard-work, Imposter syndrome, Squad vs Family, Fundraising, Work-life balance, Horses, Learning new languages

In this special episode, Anf handed over the mic to his good friend and Influence By Design podcast host Samantha Riley. Sam asked Anf questions about business and life. Topics Discussed: 0:00 Sam Riley welcome 01:05 A look into Anf's corporate career 05:30 Launching a side hustle in Toronto, Canada 08:26 Partnership lessons from a failed FB Ads agency business 16:16 How to find your mojo after you've lost it 17:11 An important lesson about getting what you want from Anf's mentor 18:42 Two lessons from working in a call centre that apply to business 22:49 Why authentic marketing is so important 29:20 Benefits of niching down a product or service 36:25 Anf's 3 favourite travel destinations and why Resources: Samantha Riley's website Influence By Design podcast Long Term Success In Business (Mic Takeover with Anfernee Chansamooth) Sam Riley's “Coaches, Course Creators & Speakers: Community & Collaboration” FB group Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford Join our upcoming B2B Podcast Party to learn awesome content tips, connect with cool businesses, and pitch your business on our podcast. Register now. Be a guest on Authentic Influence & get a free 30-min content audit with expert advice on how to get more traffic and leads for your business. Apply today. Connect with me: - Join the Authentic Influence community: https://www.simplecreativemarketing.com/community/ - Subscribe to my newsletter: https://anferneec.com/newsletter - Grab my free case study guide: http://simplecreativemarketing.com/caseStudyGuide - Want free coaching? Submit your question: https://anchor.fm/authenticinfluence/message #authenticinfluence #b2b #podcast --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/authenticinfluence/message

Today I'm discussing a particular madness that masquerades as “clever marketing,” but is anything but that. It's unnecessarily confusing and complicated. If you're caught up in it, you're probably losing customers. What is it? The “Website Madness,” our obsession with writing flowery website copy instead of being clear about who we are and what we do. In this episode, I discuss why marketers write flowery copy, what customers really want to see, and how you can update your website to be customer-centric. SOURCES AND REFERENCES Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford CONNECT WITH BRYCE AT MCNABB STORYTELLING Turn Strangers Into Advocates [FREE Guidebook] Instagram YouTube Twitter Website

April Duford is the Founder and Chief Strategist for Ambient Strategy. She's also the author of “Obviously Awesome” which is focused on nailing product positioning. April has held various roles in start-ups such as CEO, COO, VP of Marketing and Sales, and now she's transitioned into doing her own consulting work. She specializes in helping B2B Tech Companies find their positioning strategy and getting to market with success.   In this episode, April tells us what product positioning is and what the benefits to nailing your positioning are.   Here are some topics covered in this episode: What the fundamental differences between branding and positioning are How long the process of positioning takes The role sales plays in positioning Common mistakes that sales teams make when it comes to positioning   More From the Guest: LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford  Website: www.aprildunford.com Book: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It   Listen to more episodes of the Outside Sales Talk here and watch the video here! https://www.badgermapping.com/podcast     Start Selling More Today with Badger Maps - The #1 Route Planner for Field Sales See Badger in Action: https://www.badgermapping.com/outside-sales-talk-listener/    If you love the Outside Sales Talk podcast, you'll also love Badger's newsletters!  Our 95,000+ subscribers stay at the top of their game with actionable tips from top sales experts.   Are you in? Subscribe to Badger Maps' newsletters now! https://www.badgermapping.com/newsletters/

In episode #2027, Neil and Eric unpack their methods for how to drastically improve customer retention. If you're struggling with customer retention then there are several things that could be causing it, from your positioning to your customer service. Tune in to find out how to identify what is causing more churn than you'd like and how to turn things around! TIME-STAMPED SHOW NOTES: [00:20] Today's topic: How to Drastically Improve Customer Retention. [00:30] A summary of our definition for customer retention. [01:11] The recommended metrics for customer retention in B2B and SaaS businesses. [01:36] Seven Powers, the concept of switching costs, and how they help retention. [02:27] How communicating with customers and finding out about their needs can improve retention. [03:02] How to use LinkedIn to improve customer retention through your hires. [03:20] Why you need to do continual customer development to ensure retention. [04:18] Why product customer fit and positioning are essential for retention. [06:16] That's it for today! Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe! [06:26] Go to https://marketingschool.io/live to learn more!   Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:   7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It Subscribe to our premium podcast (with tons of goodies!): https://www.marketingschool.io/pro   Leave Some Feedback:     What should we talk about next? Please let us know in the comments below Did you enjoy this episode? If so, please leave a short review.     Connect with Us:    Neilpatel.com Quick Sprout  Growth Everywhere Single Grain Twitter @neilpatel  Twitter @ericosiu

Imagine having a marketing coach, consultant and accountability partner all wrapped up in one podcast. That's exactly what you get when you listen to the Marketing Hotline with Kelsey Reidl and her guests as they discuss topics such as how to stand out on Social Media, how to attract your ideal clients, growing an Email List, and anything else related to Marketing and Growth! - Everyday, people choose to spend money with your business for a REASON. Do you know what that reason is? Are you clear on that thing that sets you apart from your competitors? My guess is that many of you listening are thinking, well I kinda know… I think… I could figure it out. But without clear positioning right now, you are leaving money on the table while your customers choose to work with a competitor, because they don't know what sets you apart. Let's not let that happen any longer. April Dunford is a A globally recognized leader in positioning and she has a deep curiosity about what makes the difference between a winning product and a loser. And she's here today to share exactly how we can ALL become winners, through proper positioning. Be sure to grab a copy of April's book, Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It anywhere books are sold and head to https://www.aprildunford.com/ for all her work. We talk about: Why positioning is so important for growing your business The 5 components of effective position The 10 step process to writing your positioning statement and how to use it The most important parts of your statement and specific tips on how to write it Why niching down is actually doing to help you reach MORE people How she determined and packaged up her unique methodology April's favourite marketing books (they are must-reads!) Mentioned in the show: IBM UofT U Waterloo Jobs to be done interview Clayton christiansen Product line growth The original book on positioning - Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. Book by Al Ries and Jack Trout The challenger sale April Dunford's 5 Components of Effective Positioning: Competitive alternatives Unique attributes Value Target market characteristics Market category p.s. Whenever you're ready, here are 3 ways we can work together: 1.

This episode's guest is April Dunford, product positioning leader and author of the book Obviously Awesome - How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy it, Love it. Unsurprisingly, April has a tremendous amount of product positioning experience. She spent the first 25 years of her career as a start-up executive, leading marketing, product and sales teams. Six of her seven startups were acquired by brands including IBM, SAP, and Siebel. Through it all, she positioned, re-positioned and launched 16 products. Today she is an author and consultant. Of course, we're thrilled that she decided to share her knowledge and wisdom through the book Obviously Awesome, which captures her ideas about positioning and a methodology for doing it that anyone can follow. As she says, positioning is the foundation of everything we do in marketing and sales -- and we would say it is a key part of everything we do in innovation and design as well. In this episode, Chad and Steve dig into all things positioning with April. Look forward to learning: How April approached the development and writing of her book as if she was developing a new product.  Why April feels traditional positioning statements are not useful, and how she now approaches positioning as a result - including her five components of effective positioning.  How April has seen the COVID-19 pandemic affect how companies approach their positioning.  Visit April's personal website: https://www.aprildunford.com/Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/Obviously-Awesome-Product-Positioning-Customers/dp/1999023005/Sponsor info: Cast & HueWebsite: castandhue.comLink to more information on in-depth interviews: https://podcast.castandhue.com/interviews

This week on the Human Insight podcast, we interview April Dunford, a tech executive, board member, CEO and founder of Ambient Strategy, and author of Obv!ously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It. In her interview with Janelle Estes, UserTesting's Chief Insights Officer, Dunford discusses:  Is positioning just for startups How has the pandemic changed the role of positioning  How our biases inhibit our positioning efforts Who should be involved in positioning The importance of customer feedback in developing your positioning And how to identify your best fit customers

This week on the Human Insight podcast, we interview April Dunford, a tech executive, board member, CEO and founder of Ambient Strategy, and author of Obv!ously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It.In her interview with Janelle Estes, UserTesting's Chief Insights Officer, Dunford discusses: Is positioning just for startupsHow has the pandemic changed the role of positioning How our biases inhibit our positioning effortsWho should be involved in positioningThe importance of customer feedback in developing your positioningAnd how to identify your best fit customers

Daniel Stancke stieg die Karriereleiter eines großen deutschen Automobilherstellers hinauf. Seine Aussichten im Unternehmen waren sehr gut. Dann entschied der frisch gebackene Vater zu kündigen, um mit Eigenkapital das Unternehmen JOBMATCH.ME zu gründen. Trotz der Unsicherheit, die eine Gründung mit sich bringen kann. Der gebürtige Hamburger wollte nach seinem Geschichtsstudium die Welt kennenlernen. Er entschied sich deshalb für einen Job in Mexiko. Dort lernte er seine Frau Yesica Rios kennen, mit der er mittlerweile zwei Kinder hat. Gemeinsam mit Alireza Shahbaghi und Felix Kühl gründete das Ehepaar 2016 JOBMATCH.ME. Eine Onlineplattform auf der sich vor allem Fachkräfte im Bereich Pflege und Logistik mobil auf Stellenausschreibungen bewerben können. Ein Algorithmus matched Arbeitnehmer*in und Arbeitgeber*in, um den richtigen Arbeitsplatz zu finden. Am Anfang stand der persönliche Austausch mit Lkw-Fahrenden auf Rastplätzen rund um Hamburg. Mittlerweile ist jede*r dritte LKW-Fahrer*in in Deutschland auf JOBMATCH.ME registriert. Das Konzept geht auf. Diese Folge wurde in HQ Remote aufgenommen www.podcast-inkubator.de Erwähnungen: Eine kurze Geschichte der Menschheit (Buch von Yuval Noah Harari) Homo Deus (Buch von Yuval Noah Harari) Lean Startup: Schnell, risikolos und erfolgreich Unternehmen gründen (Buch von Eric Ries) Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It (Buch von April Dunford) Diese Folgen 0 auf 1 werden erwähnt: #011 – Christina Haneberg – Doppelerfolg mit Blutsgeschwister und Mama Spa https://0auf1.com/unternehmer/011-christina-haneberg-blutsgeschwister-mama-spa/ #019 – Jochen Schöllig von Steuerbot – Die Steuererklärung mit einer App revolutionieren? https://0auf1.com/unternehmer/019-jochen-schoellig-steuerbot/ Zitate: 10:25 Daniel: „Es ist nur vermeintlich gut, wenn jemand den Job nicht wechselt, obwohl er unglücklich ist.“ 10:40 Daniel: „Viele Gründer sind getrieben von einer Mission oder von etwas, das sie innerlich antreibt. Das ist bei mir auch so. Ich bin fest davon überzeugt, dass Arbeitszeit auch Lebenszeit ist, die dir mutmaßlich keiner wieder zurückbringt und deshalb ist es wichtig, dass du damit etwas Sinnstiftendes und Gutes tust.“ 37:58: Daniel: „Ich habe schon immer viel geträumt und das tue ich immer noch.“ 38:25 Daniel: „Das tolle am Gründen ist, das man es nicht alleine macht. Man nimmt sich Menschen an die Seite die einen ergänzen in den Stärken und den Schwächen. Ich könnte nicht stolzer auf das Team sein, und das ich mit solchen Leuten zusammenarbeiten darf, schon das allein ist blessing.“ 42:10 Daniel: „Ich bin großer Fan davon sich im Zweifel für die positive Seite zu entscheiden.“ 57:49 Daniel: „Anfangs habe ich jeden Fahrer und jede Fahrerin angerufen, die sich registriert hat. Ich habe mit Tausenden von LKW-Fahrern telefoniert und Unternehmen erzählt, dass das jetzt die neue Art ist, wie man Bewerbungen bekommt.“ 1:13:02 Daniel: „Lebenslauf und Anschreiben sind total egal für die Qualifikation einer Fachkraft. Das sagt dir gar nichts und es ist gefährlich sich darauf zu verlassen.“ 1:19:16 Daniel: „Ich habe nicht gegründet um jetzt irgendwann mal sehr reich zu werden. Es ist eher so, dass ich meinen professionellen Traum lebe.“ 1:27:15 Daniel: „Ich bin stolz auf mich, das ist wahrscheinlich lächerlich, wenn ich das jetzt sage, dass ich es schaffe Kollegen nicht in ihrem Urlaub zu kontaktieren. Das habe ich früher nicht gemacht, jetzt glaube ich, dass ich das zu 99,9% schaffe und ich glaub, man muss Menschen auch mal in Ruhe lassen.“ 1:28:17 David: „Eins habe ich in diesem Podcast gelernt, es gibt so viele unterschiedliche Arten ans Ziel zu kommen und die funktionieren alle.“

Neeraj is the founder of Snackwyze. Snackwyze is a software product to help SaaS sellers create interactive walkthroughs, step-by-step guides, tours & demos from screen recordings in seconds.   Before starting his own company, he was the Product Marketing Lead at Cisco for 8 years.   In this episode, Neeraj tells us what his role is as a product marketer, how it’s different from corporate marketing and somewhat similar to sales engineering, how he founded his own company, and what Sales Engineers can learn from product marketing as a skill.   Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It --- https://amzn.to/3xFMkzi (Affiliate)   Course: The Road to Sales Engineer (https://wethesalesengineers.com/r2se)   This episode is sponsored by Consensus: go to GoConsensus.com/demofest to register for the demofest. use code df21marjaba to register for free and Success: Go to Success.app/wetheses to see how you can stay on top of your proof of value, and make sure that you and your customers are working together to be successful.

Today, we are in conversation with April Dunford to explore the importance of starting with a well-defined product or service positioning. Too often, customer experience friction develops when the positioning hasn't been done well. April presents simple ideas to help better define a product or service from her recent book Obviously Awesome: How to Nair Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It. April Dunford is a consultant and author who helps companies make complicated products easy for customers to understand and love. She is a globally recognized expert in Positioning, having launched 16 products across her 25-year career as VP Marketing at a series of successful startups. She is the author of the best-selling book Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get it, Buy it, Love it For more information about April: aprildunford.com Listen more episodes: https://thecustomer.guru/ Powered By Propulo Consulting: https://propulo.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Product positioning is essential to sales, and you simply can't scale without getting it right. Yet most marketers and executives can't even tell you what positioning means, much less how to do it. April Dunford is on a mission to change that. As an internationally recognized product positioning expert, April helps startups get their positioning straight. She has written a bestselling book on the subject: "Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It."According to April Dunford, positioning defines how a product is the absolute best at delivering specific kind of value for which a well-defined set of customers deeply cares. Only by conveying THAT value to THOSE customers can you achieve product success. It's a process best guided by analytics, research and market intelligence. Software product brands typically achieve it by studying sales figures, surveying customers and learning what value is sought by true best-fit customers. It makes a lot of sense. But what about new and innovative physical products, for which best-fit customers don't yet exist, let alone gigabytes of customer data? How can you perfect positioning for a product the world has never seen, and de-risk gambling a fortune on a massive launch?In this episode, April explains her 10-step process for perfect positioning she has taught to over 100 business leaders and used to lead numerous product businesses to acquisition. April tells how she has used multi-layered launch techniques to reduce the risk of physical products, a technique she even leveraged for her own bestselling book, in defiance of conventional publishing advice. There is no more respected mind in product positioning than April Dunford, and you'll find this an engaging and richly informative interview.Buy "Obviously Awesome" at Amazon in Kindle, audio book or paperback formatsLearn more and schedule a hands-on workshop at April Dunford's websiteGraphos Product official website

This episode was supposed to celebrate some of the great stuff in the US marketing world. Then George Floyd was murdered. I nearly binned the whole episode but thought it would be more useful to use the platform to say something about his murder, and also discuss what it's like being black in the UK. Along with that discussion, we also feature Rand Fishkin and Greg Gifford. Rand Fishkin is the cofounder and CEO of SparkToro, a new tool for audience intelligence and market research. Rand talks about what it's like in the US during COVID, the launch of SparkToro and the marketing lessons he picked up along the way at Moz. He also talks about his future predictions for Google and what that might mean for the rest of us. He previously cofounded and led Moz, the SEO software company. You can find Rand on Twitter and please do check out his new venture SparkToro, a seriously impressive tool. Rand's book recommendations are: Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford No Hard Feelings: Emotions at Work and How They Help Us Succeed by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy Great By Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos and Luck - Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins And Rand's own book, which I'm recommending not him! Lost and Founder A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World Greg Gifford is the Vice President of Search at SearchLab and has over 17 years of online marketing and web design experience. He's an in-demand (and hilarious) conference speaker who lives for an obscure movie quote. Watch his T.O.P.T.I.P if you want to know how you can use Google My Business to help your local rankings. Greg is on Twitter and LinkedIn and his Local Search Tuesdays is well worth checking out. Andi Jarvis Best place to get me is on Twitter or LinkedIn - I'd love to hear what you think of the show and if you'd like to discuss any of the issues raised today. Want to see examples of the different approach the media takes with the Royals. See Noel Clarke's tweet about his movie and read my post about being black in Northern Ireland and my experience of being cropped out of a press photo. Not sounding white on your CV / resume - press report covering all the studies. “The Windrush scandal was not an accident” read more here. The stats for Black and Ethnic Minorities being fined more for COVID related violations. Make sure you subscribe to get the podcast every fortnight and if you enjoyed the show, please give it a 5* rating. Andi Jarvis, Eximo Marketing.