Positioning with April Dunford

How to Turn a Competitor's Strength into a Weakness


Listen Later

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 

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Positioning with April DunfordBy April Dunford

  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9
  • 4.9

4.9

86 ratings


More shows like Positioning with April Dunford

View all
Hidden Brain by Hidden Brain, Shankar Vedantam

Hidden Brain

43,719 Listeners

The McKinsey Podcast by McKinsey & Company

The McKinsey Podcast

382 Listeners

Coaching for Leaders by Dave Stachowiak

Coaching for Leaders

1,460 Listeners

Social Media Marketing Podcast by Michael Stelzner, Social Media Examiner

Social Media Marketing Podcast

1,453 Listeners

HBR IdeaCast by Harvard Business Review

HBR IdeaCast

1,851 Listeners

Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips by Eric Siu and Neil Patel

Marketing School - Digital Marketing and Online Marketing Tips

1,265 Listeners

Up First from NPR by NPR

Up First from NPR

57,023 Listeners

Creative Confidence Podcast by IDEO U

Creative Confidence Podcast

127 Listeners

The Game with Alex Hormozi by Alex Hormozi

The Game with Alex Hormozi

4,468 Listeners

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett by DOAC

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett

8,864 Listeners

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg by All-In Podcast, LLC

All-In with Chamath, Jason, Sacks & Friedberg

10,264 Listeners

GTM Live by Passetto

GTM Live

202 Listeners

SmartLess by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, Will Arnett

SmartLess

58,927 Listeners

The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

The Ezra Klein Show

16,261 Listeners

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce by Wondery

New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

18,179 Listeners