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.

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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.

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Connect with April Dunford and learn about practical positioning that accelerates marketing and sales:

Work with April: https://www.aprildunford.com/consultant

April’s newsletter: https://aprildunford.substack.com/

April’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aprildunford/

April’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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Connect with Abhinav Asthana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhinavasthana/

Learn about Postman’s API platform: https://www.postman.com/

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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

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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: https://amzn.to/49l0ZRY

Amazon Canada: https://amzn.to/4ac9hgt

Amazon UK:

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.

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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 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: