Article · 14 min read

A Guide to Positioning with Multiple Products, Segments and Personas

April Dunford · aprildunford.substack.com Free Intermediate

Dunford's rule that you build for the champion rather than for every persona in the account settles the buyer versus user argument faster than any framework. It also stops teams building four sets of messaging they will never maintain.

  • April Dunford's view: multiple target segments rarely need separate positioning, because the differentiated capabilities are the same.
  • A single-product company does not need distinct company positioning and product positioning.
  • Position for the champion, since the champion is the only person who can make a deal happen while everyone else can kill it.
  • The simpler the positioning, the stronger it is and the easier it is for the team to make it real in the market.
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It answers 3 questions

  1. The person who uses our product every day is not the person who pays for it. Which one is the ICP?
  2. Does our name actually matter? We keep arguing about it and I cannot tell if it is important or a distraction.
  3. We have three products now. Do we message them separately or tell one platform story?

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  4. Names the roles precisely (end user, champion, economic buyer, influencer, veto power, procurement) so you stop calling... Disciplined Entrepreneurship (MIT) Article · 10 min read The Decision-Making Unit: The Who-is-Who of Your B2B Sales Process Martin Giese and Matthias Hilpert
  5. Walks an Indian SaaS team from positioning through story, style guide and proof, with Keka and Chargebee as worked examples... Inc42 Article · 10 min read Indian SaaS Startups' Guide To Brand Marketing Komal Ahuja
  6. Explains why the category word next to your name does more work than the name itself: call yourself email and you inherit... aprildunford.com Article · 8 min read Don't let Customers Decide What Your Product Is April Dunford
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