They stop arguing about opinions and go find the buyer's view, because the only competitive alternative that matters is the one the prospect would actually pick if you did not exist, and that is a research question, not a debate. They run the exercise as a cross-functional working session rather than a marketing deliverable, with sales in the room, since sales already knows which strengths land. They also watch for product pessimism, teams get so close to their own gaps that they discount advantages customers find remarkable. And they treat positioning as something revisited as the product and market move, not carved once at launch.
4 hand-picked resources, 4 link-checked. Pick how you want to dig in.
Why we picked it The clearest single hour on how positioning, segmentation and personas differ and how they connect to the sales call. Dunford has done this with 200+ companies including Postman, so the examples are concrete.
On Lenny's Podcast by April Dunford ~60 min
Open lennysnewsletter.com →Why we picked it This is the piece for teams that already know the theory and are stuck on the human problem: nobody agrees on the competitors, and everyone is pessimistic about the product. Her line that only the prospect's view of alternatives counts settles most internal arguments.
From Lenny's Newsletter by April Dunford ~20 min read
Open lennysnewsletter.com →Why we picked it The argument for treating positioning as iterative and cross-functional rather than a one-time launch decision, which is what separates companies that keep it sharp from ones whose story rots. Also the case for reframing a market instead of accepting its boundaries.
From aprildunford.com by April Dunford ~8 min read
Open aprildunford.com →Why we picked it A five step exercise you can actually run in a room this week, ending in the market frame of reference that makes your strengths obvious. This is the working session, not the theory.
From aprildunford.com by April Dunford ~12 min read
Open aprildunford.com →How positioning and messaging reads from a different seat.
The same ground, over in Understand your customers, our Starting Up track.
