{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Future Around & Find Out","title":"Is It Cake or a Muffin? How to Position Your Product and Drive More Sales | April Dunford (bestselling author and advisor) ","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2064,"description":"April Dunford is an expert at product positioning. She’s advised hundreds of B2B companies on how they can make their products Obviously Awesome  — that’s also the title of her bestselling book on positioning.\nOn this episode of CRAFTED., April shares tips on how you can make your product standout and how you can drive more sales — that’s the focus of her latest book, Sales Pitch.\nApril says great positioning starts when you truly understand the answer to this question: “If you didn't exist, what would a customer do?” \nAnd the answer may surprise you: “We lose half of our deals in B2B to ‘do nothing!’” \nDo nothing – the status quo – is a fierce competitor and April has identified ways to help customers gain the confidence they need to make a scary purchase decision (e.g. buying a new CRM). Key here: don’t sell to your customer; help them buy. \nApril is fun and has a knack for sharing colorful anecdotes and analogies that will stick with you. e.g. Tune in to find out what buying a toilet has to do with B2B SaaS. \nTakeaways from this episode:\nPositioning defines how your product is the best in the world at delivering something to a defined group of people\nGreat positioning starts with understanding the competition. Not what you think the competition is, but what your customers actually evaluate you against. e.g. Is your product cake (dessert) or a muffin (breakfast)? They’re both made of bread and pretty similar, but they’ve got totally different competitors.\nStartups often have great positioning at the outset, but then it slips over time as new competitors copy what you do and your uniqueness gets lost. You need to pay attention to your positioning as the market changes.\nDon’t sell! Help your customers buy. Don’t assume they know how to! Imagine you’re selling a CRM… When was the last time your customer bought one? Ten years ago? If ever. Help them contextualize your product among the others out there.\nLead with business outcomes! Not features.\nKey Moments:\n...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/HUxsFUd2l2IpBZewHzlZlthVWOmLB5qSDYnIlkRo0LE/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS82YTcx/YWIxYzkxYjgwNWI4/MTc5NGYyNjliZjU5/NzQ4MC5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}