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  • 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!

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

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

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    Klik hier om de feed te vernieuwen.

  • 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!

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

    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!

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

    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

    —

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

  • I get asked a lot by people about today’s topic on how to manage a positioning change within an organization. It applies to big and small companies and even those going through acquisitions.

    In today’s episode, I cover:

    The times when your positioning might change How to figure out the frequency of assessing your positioning The complexities of changing your positioning after an acquisition How to test your new sales pitch after you change your positioning And more

    I also want to mention my new book, Sales Pitch, is out!

    If you’d like to learn more or order a copy, you can go to https://www.aprildunford.com/books

    —

    If You Want To Skip Ahead:

    (00:00) I launched my book and today’s topic

    (01:25) What happens when your positioning changes and specific examples

    (07:40) The unplanned reasons for why your positioning might change and how to check it

    (12:02) If you need to change your positioning, what you should do

    (15:10) How to be careful testing your new sales pitch

    (17:19) Why acquisitions require more work

    (24:51) The funniest thing I learned from going through 6 acquisitions

    (26:45) A few updates from me

    —

    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

    —

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

  • Today, I’m joined by Bruno Aziza, who has an incredible background in data and technology and is a dear friend of mine. He has held previous positions at Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and AtScale. He’s currently a Partner at CapitalG, which is Alphabet's independent growth fund.

    In today’s episode, we cover:

    The importance of starting with first principles. This means defining your set of beliefs, particular identity, and your core center of design for your product. Why you should be competing at the service level for your customers, not the feature level. The biggest learning from Bruno’s time as the Head of Data & Analytics at Google Cloud. How to approach confrontation in the workplace.

    I’m very excited for you to listen.

    And by the way, my book has officially launched!

    You can order a copy of Sales Pitch by going to https://www.aprildunford.com/books

    —

    If You Want To Skip Ahead:

    (00:00) Meet my guest Bruno Aziza

    (01:50) Transitioning from a big company to a startup

    (06:59) Bruno’s big takeaways from his time at a successful startup

    (14:20) How Bruno applies the “center of design” concept to his thinking

    (21:00) Connecting with customer pain points

    (27:59) Lessons from leading Data & Analytics at Google Cloud

    (33:01) Handling workplace confrontation

    (35:24) Why being hyper-realistic is a great way to approach cross-functional meetings

    (38:18) Bruno’s role at CapitalG

    —

    Where To Find Bruno Aziza:

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brunoaziza

    CarCast: https://tinyurl.com/TheCarCast

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    CapitalG: https://www.capitalg.com/

    AtScale: https://www.atscale.com/

    —

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

  • My next book, Sales Pitch, is finally out! I’ve been working on this project for quite some time now and am beyond excited to share it with you all!

    If you’d like to support me and purchase the book, visit https://www.aprildunford.com/books to learn more. I’ve also included a free workbook on that page as well.

    Since my book came out this week, I figured today’s episode should be about why I wrote this book. I certainly didn’t start my career thinking I would end up helping so many businesses with their sales pitch, but here we are.

    In today’s episode, you’ll learn:

    My exact sales pitch structure How I adjusted my structure after my time at IBM What it means to start with a market insight Why you never talk about features in the first sales call And so much more

    Thank you again for supporting this podcast, my two books, and the other content I put out.

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Book launch week

    (00:57) My background in positioning and creating the sales pitch

    (07:25) IBM’s sales pitch structure

    (13:30) How April changed her approach after IBM

    (19:15) Why I got into sales pitches

    (24:45) My sales pitch structure

    (29:47) The book is here and how to get templates with the book

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    Corporate Executive Board: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEB_Inc.

    The Challenger Sale: https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Sale-Control-Customer-Conversation/dp/1591844355

    The JOLT Effect: https://www.amazon.com/JOLT-Effect-Performers-Overcome-Indecision/dp/0593538102

    —

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

  • Today, I go deep on how to approach aligning your marketing and sales teams. It’s a topic I repeatedly hear most companies struggling with, and I’m excited to discuss the following:

    The definition of what a good lead is How to get marketing and sales to collaborate on a sales pitch The importance of incorporating a sales pitch testing protocol Why you need structure to bring together marketing, sales, and product teams

    We’re getting so close to the launch of my next book, Sales Pitch! You can pre-order it today on Amazon with the links below:

    Amazon Canada

    Amazon USA

    Amazon UK

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Welcome and new book

    (01:05) Marketing and sales alignment

    (02:17) What is a good lead

    (06:10) How marketing builds sales pitches

    (09:05) Bringing marketing, sales, product, and executives together to craft positioning

    (13:40) Create a sales pitch testing protocol

    (20:19) Before you bring teams together, make sure you have structure

    —

    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

    —

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

  • Today, I explore how to position your sales pitch storytelling arch. You’ll learn:

    What people get wrong when starting their sales pitch How not to start a sales pitch Why you should start your sales pitch with an insight that is unique to your company How to structure your sales pitch storytelling arch

    Don’t forget you can now pre-order my next book, Sales Pitch, on Amazon! If you’ve enjoyed the content I’ve been sharing, this is the most wonderful way for you to show your support. I sincerely appreciate it!

    Amazon Canada

    Amazon USA

    Amazon UK

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Today’s topic and book announcement

    (01:52) The initial sales pitch

    (04:30) Sales discovery

    (07:38) Starting with the problem

    (09:18) Change in the world

    (12:00) How to start your sales pitch

    (16:20) Leading with expertise

    (18:35) The sales pitch storytelling arch

    (22:20) Thanks for listening

    —

    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

    TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow⁠

    —

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

  • Today, I share everything you need to know about how to use positioning in your sales qualification and discovery. I discuss:

    The different forms of qualification and BANT criteria The difference between qualification and discovery Why discovery is so important for your first sales call How buyers and sellers find out more about each other during discovery My unique sales pitch structure

    Also, you can officially pre-order my next book, Sales Pitch, on Amazon! I’m incredibly proud of this book and can’t wait to share it with you.

    Here are the links for pre-order:

    Amazon Canada

    Amazon USA

    Amazon UK

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Intro and today’s topic

    (01:40) Sales and qualifying leads

    (06:07) The importance of quality

    (07:10) What is qualification

    (08:50) BANT criteria

    (11:38) A breakdown of discovery

    (13:20) My sales pitch structure

    (16:52) LevelJump example

    (21:18) Thanks for listening

    —

    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

    TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow

    —

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

  • Today’s episode is all about how to position startups and big companies. While there is some overlap, the two can be very different. I cover a lot of ground, including:

    The three things startups need to focus on for positioning Why half of B2B purchase decisions end in no decision How not to mistake marketing problems as positioning problems Determining when a positioning shift is needed for a big company Why the size of a company can complicate positioning The difference between company, division, and product positioning How to handle positioning when an acquisition occurs

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Welcome to today’s show!

    (01:32) How to position for startups

    (05:43) Startups must try this

    (07:55) Investor pitch creep

    (10:00) Marketing vs positioning problems

    (13:25) Category creation for startups

    (15:00) How to position for big companies

    (19:20) Umbrella, division, and product positioning

    (23:20) Positioning after an acquisition

    (25:10) What isn’t different between the two

    (26:50) A big announcement

    —

    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

    —

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

  • Today I’m joined by Bob Moesta, the co-creator of the Jobs To Be Done framework, a concept he developed alongside the late Clayton Christensen. Bob's expertise spans a wide range of accomplishments, including the successful launch of over 3,500 new products, services, and businesses. He's also the CEO and founder of the Re-Wired Group, as well as the brains behind several other startup ventures. We discuss:

    Why context matters as much as the product Why people don’t buy products, they hire them. And how you can then design better products once you understand this The famous milkshake story and how it led to a whole new category of yogurt smoothies The importance of looking for the causes someone buys something, rather than convincing them to buy something Why you need to be problem-aware The distinction that positioning should be about guiding and helping customers to buy, rather than selling

    I’m beyond excited for you to listen to today’s episode.

    You’ll also hear that my latest book is launching soon! If you want to find out more, you can sign up for email updates here https://www.aprildunford.com/books

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Our guest, Bob Moesta

    (04:50) What is jobs theory

    (08:49) The famous milkshake story

    (12:38) Competitive alternatives and their importance

    (15:36) Why the camera industry failed

    (17:01) How Intercom scaled massively

    (22:20) Always be problem aware first

    (24:12) Why positioning is about buying, not selling

    (29:20) Bob’s take on product market fit

    (35:01) Thanks for listening

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    • Competing Against Luck: https://www.amazon.com/Competing-Against-Luck-Innovation-Customer/dp/0062435612

    • Jobs To Be Done: https://hbr.org/2016/09/know-your-customers-jobs-to-be-done

    • Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/

    • Disruptive Theory: https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation

    —

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

  • Today I dive deep into how to avoid bad marketing and sales and why sometimes this includes actively sharing who your product isn’t for. I go into greater detail about the following:

    Understanding that your product is only a part of your business

    How to craft great marketing and sales

    Why a formal positioning process impacts your sales and marketing strategy

    The core of sales and marketing is understanding your differentiated value

    How to build the story for your positioning

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Today’s topic: how to avoid terrible marketing and sales

    (01:55) Why thinking the product is the only thing is dangerous

    (03:35) Ask yourself this question

    (07:24) How to craft great marketing and sales

    (10:37) Understand your differentiated value

    (11:05) How to craft the story for your sales team

    (17:05) Thanks for listening

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    Everybody Hates Marketers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/everyone-hates-marketers/id1221256195

    —

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

  • Today I cover how to know if you're getting good marketing and sales advice, and why it’s so important to carve your own path. I discuss:

    • What I learned from traditional marketing advice

    • Why traditional marketing advice falls short

    • The story of how a fax machine campaign became my best-performing initiative

    • Why you should not blindly follow popular marketing trends

    • The importance of figuring out what works for YOU

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) Today’s topic: how to know if you’re getting good marketing and sales advice

    (02:42) What I learned from traditional marketing education

    (06:46) Specific examples of how traditional marketing education falls short

    (13:52) Why you should be wary of blanket statements

    (15:47) The story of how a fax machine campaign became our best-performing initiative

    (26:14) How to decipher good vs bad marketing advice

    (32:34) Why I’m always careful in the advice I give

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    • Chrysler: https://www.chrysler.com/

    • Volvo: https://www.volvocars.com/us

    • Pepsi: https://www.pepsi.com/

    • Liquid Death: https://liquiddeath.com/

    —

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

  • Today I explore developing a point of view for your business. I cover:

    How to build your company’s points of view What to do if you don’t know your point of view Two examples from IBM and Sampler Why features don’t matter, value does How to apply this to your sales and marketing

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) How to develop a point of view for your business

    (03:07) How Sampler built a point of view for their market

    (06:20) What if you don’t know your point of view

    (09:00) Why features don’t matter

    (10:11) How IBM handled its own point of view

    (15:15) How to apply point of view in sales and marketing

    (17:38) Thanks for listening

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    Sampler https://www.sampler.io/

    —

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

  • Today I dive into what to do with your positioning once you’ve nailed it. I cover:

    • How to capture positioning

    • How positioning makes its way into messaging

    • Why you should create a messaging document and what ends up happening if you don’t

    • What the market needs in order to understand our differentiated value

    • How to go from positioning to branding

    • How to take boilerplate messaging and apply it globally

    —

    If you want to skip ahead:

    (00:00) How to put your new positioning to use

    (01:00) A quick recap of building and testing your positioning

    (02:48) The messaging document

    (05:00) Messaging drift

    (06:13) The contents of the messaging document

    (07:24) Who should own the messaging document

    (08:03) How changes should be approached

    (12:38) Helping customers understand your POV

    (15:08) LevelJump’s calculator example

    (17:27) Postman example

    (19:50) How to go from positioning to branding

    (24:10) How to take boilerplate messaging and apply it globally

    (27:34) Proof of value and the importance of local proof

    (28:46) An example where core positioning varied regionally

    (30:11) Thanks for listening

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    • LevelJump: https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/leveljump

    • Postman: https://www.postman.com/

    —

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

  • I sat down with Nick Francis, the Co-Founder and CEO of Help Scout. A few years ago I worked directly with Nick and his team to tighten up their positioning and brought him on to share their story. Together we discuss:

    • What the positioning of Help Scout looked like during the early days

    • How their positioning evolved over time

    • Why they utilized outside help

    • How he took the sales narrative he worked on with me and turned it into a pitch

    • How their strategy has changed as they’ve moved upmarket

    —

    In This Episode, I Cover:

    (00:00) About my guest, Nick Francis

    (02:05) The origin story of Help Scout

    (04:50) How Techstars informed their messaging early on

    (06:00) How they differentiated themselves from other help desk companies

    (08:28) Where early inbound customers came from

    (09:58) Copycat competitors, and how Help Scout thinks about competition

    (11:57) Identifying key differentiators

    (13:20) Why they decided to bring in outside help (me) and what they learned

    (15:29) The evolution of their sales pitch

    (18:42) Why you should always test your sales pitch first

    (20:27) Who was responsible for building the sales pitch

    (21:24) Signals it was time to revisit the pitch

    (24:58) The future of Help Scout

    (26:27) How the product itself reinforces their positioning

    (28:42) How their strategy has changed as they’ve moved upmarket

    (30:17) Why positioning is so important

    —

    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

    —

    Where To Find Nick Francis:

    Website: http://nickfranc.is/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickfrancis1/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/nickfrancis?lang=en

    —

    Referenced:

    • Help Scout: https://www.helpscout.com/

    • Techstars: https://www.techstars.com/

    • David Cohen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgcohen/

    • Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com/

    • Intercom: https://www.intercom.com/

    • Front: https://front.com/

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

  • Today we continue our conversation on translating your positioning into a sales pitch. You’ll learn:

    • Popular pitch structures (discovery-led, problem-solution, venture-informed) and where they fall short

    • Common problems to avoid when crafting your sales pitch

    • Why the “new way” doesn’t necessarily beat the “old way”

    • How focusing on the future of your product can backfire

    • What conventional storytelling techniques can teach you about pitching

    • A tried and true storytelling structure that works for sales pitches

    —

    In This Episode, I Cover:

    (00:00) Sales pitches and product walkthroughs

    (05:35) The discovery-led sales pitch

    (08:35) The problem-solution sales pitch

    (10:26) The venture-informed sales pitch

    (13:22) Old way vs new way

    (16:33) No decision losses

    (17:43) Takeaways from the standard pitch structures we’ve covered

    (18:29) Conventional storytelling: where it does and does not work

    (22:23) The IBM sales pitch structure (the challenger sales methodology)

    (25:23) How to start your pitch and the vital components to include

    (28:50) My upcoming book

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    • Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen: https://www.amazon.com/Building-StoryBrand-Clarify-Message-Customers/dp/0718033329/

    • Star Wars: https://www.starwars.com/

    • Matt Dixon on The Positioning Show: https://www.positioning.show/overcoming-customer-indecision-and-challenging-conventional-sales-wisdom-with-matt-dixon/

    —

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

  • In this episode, I talk about how to take your positioning and translate it into a powerful sales narrative. I cover the importance of testing your positioning and explain why it often fails to make the leap from marketing to sales. I analyze the software transaction process from the buyer's perspective and dive deep into the challenges buyers face when they encounter unfamiliar products. I also tell a personal story about buying a toilet, and share an encounter with a skillful toilet salesman who taught me invaluable lessons about guiding customers.

    —

    In This Episode, I Cover:

    (00:00) Welcome to the Positioning Show

    (00:15) Today’s topic: How to take your positioning and translate it into a sales narrative

    (00:50) The right way to test your positioning

    (03:00) Why I didn’t cover sales pitches in my book, Obviously Awesome

    (05:09) Why positioning often fails the jump from marketing to sales

    (06:26) Why product walkthroughs fall short

    (07:18) How to build a great sales pitch

    (08:20) Buying is hard

    (09:30) A story about the time I had to buy a toilet

    (13:34) Takeaways from my toilet search, and how it relates to buyers

    (14:21) How a typical software transaction goes

    (16:14) The product walkthrough from the buyer's perspective

    (17:12) What happens when the buyer gets overwhelmed

    (18:49) How a toilet salesman sold me on a toilet

    (22:54) What we’ve been taught in sales, and whether or not you should follow that advice

    (24:39) If you want to do a fantastic job of selling, you need to become a guide

    (25:49) What our positioning describes

    (26:10) What to expect in my next episode

    —

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    • Obviously Awesome: https://www.aprildunford.com/books

    —

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

  • Today I’m joined by renowned author and guest, Matt Dixon. We explore the concepts from his groundbreaking book, "The JOLT Effect," and uncover the secrets to winning deals and captivating customers. Matt shares how extensive research debunked a myriad of popular sales techniques, including dialing up FOMO and letting the customer do the talking. We talk about how downplaying impact can actually boost your sales, no decision losses and why they happen, why you should avoid discounts and limited-time offers, and specific tactics to improve your first-call deck. Join us as we challenge conventional sales wisdom and offer fresh perspectives that will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about successful sales strategies.

    —

    In This Episode, I Cover:

    (00:00) Welcome to the Positioning Show

    (00:15) About our guest Matt Dixon and his new book, The JOLT Effect

    (03:01) Behind the research for Matt’s book

    (8:00) Lessons on customer indecision

    (09:48) How dialing up FOMO increases the odds of losing the deal

    (12:27) Two reasons why no decision losses happen

    (15:58) The JOLT effect

    (19:46) Why your sales reps should offer specific recommendations

    (24:03) Why you should actually undersell the impact of your product

    (27:18) Debunking the myth that customers should do most of the talking

    (31:00) Discounts and limited-time offers

    (33:51) First-call deck recommendations

    (37:35) Matt’s company, DCM Insights, and how to get in touch

    —

    Where to Find Matt Dixon:

    Website: https://www.dixonspeaks.com/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewxdixon/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/matthewxdixon

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matthewxdixon/

    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

    —

    Referenced:

    • The Challenger Customer: Selling to the Hidden Influencer Who Can Multiply Your Results: https://www.amazon.com/Challenger-Customer-Selling-Influencer-Multiply/dp/1591848156

    • The JOLT Effect: How High Performers Overcome Customer Indecision:https://www.amazon.com/dp/0593538102

    • Tethr: https://tethr.com/

    • The Dreamforce Conference: https://www.salesforce.com/dreamforce/

    • DCM Insights: https://www.dcminsights.com/

    • The JOLT Effect website: https://www.jolteffect.com/

    —

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