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!

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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

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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

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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

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

It's frustrating to see the widespread misuse of business terminology in the corporate world. Terms such as strategy, positioning, and vision are frequently interchanged or confused. Today, I'll clarify these terms, discussing when and how to use them. I’ll share with you:

• The difference between strategy, vision, and positioning 
• Pitching to investors vs. pitching to potential customers
• The importance of adapting positioning
• An explanation of Geoffrey Moore’s “bowling pin” strategy
• Examples of implementing the “bowling pin” strategy earlier in my career
• Why you don’t need a story for your strategy
• The importance of having a shared vocabulary within your organization

Thanks for listening! 

If You Want To Skip Ahead:

(00:17) How the book tour is going

(01:02) A brief overview of vision, strategy, and positioning 

(04:02) The difference between pitching to investors and potential customers 

(06:30) How positioning evolves as your strategy progresses

(07:18) How to use the “bowling pin” strategy 

(08:21) “Bowling pin” strategy examples from Janna Systems and Tulip Retail

(13:51) Common pitfalls people make in discussing strategy

(17:24) The importance of clarifying terminology with your team members

(18:55) Closing thoughts

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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

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Referenced:

Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters: https://www.amazon.com/Good-Strategy-Bad-Difference-Matters/dp/0307886239

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-3rd-Disruptive-Mainstream/dp/0062292986

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

Every business wants to cash in on the latest trend, and for good reason. Trends can be powerful tools to enhance your positioning. However, it's crucial to recognize that not all trends are a universal fit for every company. Blindly adopting trends without thoughtful messaging can lead to disastrous outcomes for your business.

Today, I’m diving deep into the world of trends. You’ll learn the following:

• The difference between markets and trends
• How trends can be layered on top of your differentiated value
• Why it’s a risky move to chase trends that aren't relevant to your business
• Real-world examples of companies incorporating trends, both successfully and poorly
• An overview of AI technology and how to address it in your business 

Thanks for listening! 

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If You Want To Skip Ahead:

(00:27) Information about Sales Pitch and a reader’s review

(01:19) The difference between markets and trends

(04:34) How and when to layer trends on top of your differentiated value

(06:36) The three circle mental model of product, market, and trend 

(07:38) How Redgate Software took advantage of the DevOps trend

(09:50) Trends don’t always align with your product (and why you shouldn’t force them to)

(13:41) Long Island Blockchain: an example of a company latching onto an unrelated trend

(16:39) An overview of AI technology 

(18:28) The right way to address AI if it is relevant to your business and customers

(19:42) Announcements 

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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

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Referenced:

Pantone: https://www.pantone.com/

Redgate Software: https://www.red-gate.com/

Long Island Iced Tea Soars After Changing Its Name to Long Blockchain: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-12-21/crypto-craze-sees-long-island-iced-tea-rename-as-long-blockchain

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

Today, I will talk about how to address your competition, which is commonly mismanaged. Once again, you’ll see it all comes back to positioning and differentiated value. I’ll share with you:

• Why it’s almost always a bad idea to name the competition when you’re the market leader
• Real-life examples of companies naming their competitors
• The benefit you gain from naming and positioning your competitors when you’re small
• How to combat lies and negativity from your competitors

Thanks for listening!

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If You Want To Skip Ahead:

(00:21) How my book launch went

(01:47) Addressing competition by putting them into buckets

(03:43) Why market leaders should never mention the competition

(05:03) Slack’s letter to Microsoft that named them as a competitor

(09:16) DocuSign's ad mentioning Dropbox

(10:36) Why you might build a custom landing page based on a search query

(11:24) The benefit of naming the competition if you’re small

(13:08) Positioning your competitors

(16:57) Combating negative positioning from competitors

(21:41) Closing thoughts

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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

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Referenced:

Sales Pitch: How to Craft a Story to Stand Out and Win: https://www.amazon.com/Sales-Pitch-Craft-Story-Stand/dp/1999023021

Slack’s “Dear, Microsoft” letter: https://slack.com/blog/news/dear-microsoft

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