In this week’s Thought Sparks Podcast episode, Rita McGrath, a Columbia University Business School Professor, C-Suite strategist, business founder and best-selling author, speaks with April Dunford, expert on brand and product positioning, and author of Obviously Awesome, recently rereleased in its second edition, and Sales Pitch. Their conversation covers how good positioning unlocks value and helps to clarify organizational purpose.  

0:19 – Welcoming April Dunford 

1:59 – The Classic Positioning Statement and What Leaders Get Wrong 

5:18 – April's Journey: Tech Exec → Consultant → World-Class Positioning Expert 

6:24 – Software vs. Consumer Goods Positioning 

13:00 – April's Definition of Positioning 

14:45 – The Five Components of Positioning 

16:44 – The Investment Banking CRM Story 

20:07 – Discovering the 'Reason to Call' 

28:11 – Misreading Who the Competition Really Is 

29:03 – 'If You Didn't Exist, What Would a Customer Do?' 

31:04 – Horizon Competitors: The Vibe Coding Debate 

35:17 – 'We Can Only Sell What's on the Truck' 

36:01 – AI Excitement vs. Where Customers Actually Are 

38:25 – Telltale Signs Your Positioning Is Off 

45:27 – The Positioning Workshop 

49:13 – What Changed in the New Edition of Obviously Awesome 

54:46 – Strategic Centering and Positioning 

56:58 – IBM Software Group: Positioning Thousands of Products 

59:51 – Where to Find April Dunford 

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Learn more about Rita, her books and ideas at RitaMcGrath.com.