Positioning with April Dunford

In this episode, we sit down with April Dunford, founder of Ambient Strategy and author of the books “Sales Pitch” and “Obviously Awesome”. She is most known for her expertise in market positioning, having personally launched 16 products and influenced many others. Our conversation covers several key insights from Dunford’s work:

• The disconnect between how marketing and sales teams communicate product value, with marketing focused on perfect messaging while sales reverts to feature-dumping demos.
• The importance of crafting a sales pitch that tells a compelling story about why a customer should choose your product over competitors, rather than just listing product capabilities.
• Her experience launching her own positioning-focused podcast, where she was able to dive deeper into niche positioning topics than is typically possible as a guest on other shows.

This episode offers valuable lessons for anyone involved in product marketing, sales, or positioning – whether at a tech company or any other type of business. Dunford’s insights provide a framework for crafting more effective, customer-centric sales and marketing narratives.

Resources

• Obviously Awesome
• Sales P!tch

Episode Guests

Josh Colter | CEO, Cardboardit.com

Josh is an experienced marketing leader and now CEO with many years of building comprehensive and strategic programs in competitive markets. He is known for his ability to craft compelling strategic narratives and lead cross-functional teams. Josh’s background includes roles spanning sales, product marketing, product management, and marketing leadership. He has a track record of driving results by bridging the gap between quantitative and qualitative analysis to reduce sales friction and amplify business impact.

Josh’s LinkedIn

April Dunford | Author, Founder, Marketing Leader

April is an experienced startup executive with a deep interest in how companies bring new offerings to market and get them into the hands of customers that are willing to pay for them. She has deep expertise in Market Positioning and has launched 16 products into market. She has experience creating new markets, expanding markets and positioning new products in existing established markets.

April’s LinkedIn

Episode Host

Zac Darnell | Host of Behind The Product & Manager at SEP

With his diverse background and expertise, Zac brings a unique perspective to discussions around innovation, leadership, and the ever-evolving tech landscape. His ability to bridge technical and business domains makes him a valuable voice in the industry.

Zac's LinkedIn