A Buyer-Centric Approach to Competitive Positioning

In today’s episode, I explore the different types of competitors you face and how you can position yourself against each of them. You will learn: * How different departments or groups in a company (e.g. sales, product development, etc.) view and define competitors differently. * The 3 types of competitors: (1) status quo competitors, (2) direct competitors, and (3) “do nothing” competitors.* Positioning yourself against status quo competitors requires nailing your value versus the status quo, and understanding a customer’s pain of changing from the status quo over to you. * Positing yourself against direct competitors entails leaning into your differentiated value, as compared to your competition. * Positioning yourself against “do nothing” competitors involves understanding why customers evaluated you and your competitors, yet became indecisive and didn’t pick any solution/product/service.—If you want to skip ahead: (4:36) Positioning against competitors in B2B sales. (9:59) Winning strategies for B2B sales, including disqualifying unqualified leads and addressing indecision in purchasing decisions. (14:45) Handling objections, increasing confidence in purchase decisions, and educating customers on trade-offs. (19:56) Ways to reduce customer indecision in sales deals. (24:53) Sales strategies for tech companies, focusing on positioning, best-fit customers, and risk mitigation. —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 —Mentioned in this episode: * April Dunford’s article/newsletter about this topic: https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/a-buyer-centric-approach-to-competitive * To get the free templates related to April Dunford’s two books, go to https://www.aprildunford.com/books and sign up for the newsletter; then you’ll receive an email to download the free templates. —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: https://www.youtube.com/@positioningshow —This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com