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# Lessons from April Dunford
- URL: https://www.antoinebuteau.com/lessons-from-april-dunford/
- Published: 2025-08-17T01:37:31.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-05T03:27:34.000Z
- Description: April Dunford is a product-positioning expert who has helped technology companies articulate their value to customers. Her work gives marketers, entrepreneurs, and leaders a practical framework for the central positioning challenge: helping customers understand why a product matters.
- Author: Antoine Buteau
- Tags: Profile, GTM, Sales & Marketing, Sales, GTM & Marketing Profiles

April Dunford is a globally recognized positioning consultant who has worked with more than 200 technology companies to help customers understand the value of complex products. She is the author of *Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It* and *Sales Pitch*, practical guides for marketers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders.

![Infographic for "Lessons from April Dunford".](https://www.antoinebuteau.com/content/images/2026/07/e769d5dc-d4b4-4fb1-9ede-df310cc19f9b-0f284b0e-20e7-4f4e-bcad-febcc78c2294-optimized.webp)

## Core Principles of Positioning

1. **Positioning as Context-Setting:** "Positioning is like context-setting for products. It's a bit like the opening scene of a movie." [\[1\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/an-introduction-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com) This initial framing answers the big questions for the customer: What is it? Who is it for? And why should I care?. [\[1\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/an-introduction-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[2\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **The Goal of Positioning:** "Positioning defines how your product is the best in the world at delivering some value that a well-defined set of companies care a lot about." [\[3\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjlCLb9Hl8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **Positioning is a Business Strategy:** "While most people think of positioning as a marketing concept, a shift in positioning feels more like a shift in business strategy." [\[4\]](https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com) It underpins your entire business approach and can be the difference between success and failure. [\[4\]](https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Deliberate vs. Default Positioning:** "We generally fail to consider other—potentially better—ways to position our products because we simply aren't positioning them deliberately." [\[5\]](https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7316360.April%5FDunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com) Many companies fall into the trap of accepting a default positioning rather than making a conscious, strategic choice. [\[5\]](https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7316360.April%5FDunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **Positioning and Messaging are Different:** "Positioning is an input to messaging... The positioning template should not be a way of documenting your value proposition or approved messaging." [\[6\]](https://www.howtoweb.co/product-positioning-that-works/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[7\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-product-positioning-exercise?ref=antoinebuteau.com) Positioning comes first, defining the market and value, while messaging is the consistent communication of that position. [\[6\]](https://www.howtoweb.co/product-positioning-that-works/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On A market point of view:** Give buyers a clear view of where the market is heading and how to navigate toward it; uncertainty makes this part of the sales and positioning job, not optional thought leadership. — [*Positioning in the Age of AI*](https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/positioning-in-the-age-of-ai)

## Understanding Your Customer and Competitors

1. **Focus on Your Best-Fit Customers:** "The first step in the positioning exercise is to make a short list of your best customers." [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com) These are the customers who "get" your product, buy it quickly, and become advocates. [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[9\]](https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/book-summary-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford-7edd824117bd?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **The Litmus Test for Happy Customers:** "Think about your best customers. Everything about doing business with them is different. They understood your product immediately and couldn't wait to get their hands on it." [\[10\]](https://matthewsison.medium.com/summary-how-to-nail-product-positioning-by-april-dunford-3-takeaways-2-quotes-1-question-fcc07c608a39?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **Understanding True Competitive Alternatives:** "You need to understand who your real competitors are in the minds of customers." [\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com) To do this, ask the crucial question: "What would our best customers do if we didn't exist?". [\[9\]](https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/book-summary-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford-7edd824117bd?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Competitors Aren't Just Direct Rivals:** The alternative to your product isn't always another company; it can be "using a pen and paper," "hiring someone," or doing nothing at all. [\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com) In B2B, you often lose deals to the status quo, like spreadsheets or interns. [\[3\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjlCLb9Hl8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **The Customer's Perspective is Key:** "It's important to really understand what customers compare your solution with, because that's the yardstick they use to define 'better.'" [\[5\]](https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7316360.April%5FDunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Real versus future competitors:** Position against the alternatives prospects actually put on their shortlist now, while using the roadmap to prepare for credible future threats. — [*Positioning in the Age of AI*](https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/positioning-in-the-age-of-ai)

## The 5 Components of Effective Positioning

Dunford breaks down positioning into five interconnected components. [\[2\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[12\]](https://lbkconsulting.fr/en/2023/08/22/how-to-find-your-positioning-the-april-dunford-way/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

1. **Competitive Alternatives:** What your customers would use if your product didn't exist. [\[2\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **Unique Attributes:** "Your unique attributes are your secret sauce, the things you can do that the alternatives can't." [\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **Value (and Proof):** Customers don't buy features; they buy the value those features deliver. [\[7\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-product-positioning-exercise?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Target Customer Segmentation:** Identifying the customers who care deeply about your unique value. [\[2\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **Market Category:** The frame of reference that makes your value obvious to your target customers. [\[2\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

## Crafting Your Positioning

1. **Start with Competitive Alternatives:** The first step is to understand what you have to beat to win a deal. [\[3\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjlCLb9Hl8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **From Features to Value:** "Customers don't care about your unique features, they care what those features can do for them." [\[7\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-product-positioning-exercise?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **Find Who Cares—A Lot:** Once you understand your unique value, you must determine which segment of the market cares most about that value. [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Choosing Your Market Category Wisely:** "If you choose your category wisely, all the assumptions are working for you." [\[5\]](https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7316360.April%5FDunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[13\]](https://itstheresechua.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/quotes-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com) It tells customers who your competitors are and what features to expect. [\[13\]](https://itstheresechua.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/quotes-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **Market Frame of Reference is Crucial:** "The frame of reference that a potential customer chooses can make or break a business." [\[10\]](https://matthewsison.medium.com/summary-how-to-nail-product-positioning-by-april-dunford-3-takeaways-2-quotes-1-question-fcc07c608a39?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Distinguishing a point of view from product vision:** A market point of view should explain what good solutions will look like and inform roadmap choices, while avoiding the trap of selling an unfinished future instead of today’s product. — [*In the Age of AI, You Need a Point of View*](https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/in-the-age-of-ai-you-need-a-point)

## Common Positioning Pitfalls

1. **The Flaw of Positioning Statements:** The traditional "fill-in-the-blanks" positioning statement is dangerous because it assumes you already know the answers and doesn't help you discover the best positioning. [\[1\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/an-introduction-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[14\]](https://durmonski.com/book-summaries/obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **Sticking to Your Original Idea:** A common trap is being stuck on the initial idea of what the product is or who the market is, even after the product and market have evolved. [\[15\]](https://www.maxmednik.com/blog/notes-on-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **Ignoring Market Shifts:** "Sometimes a product that was well positioned in a market suddenly becomes poorly positioned, not because the product itself has changed, but because markets around the product have shifted." [\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Positioning Against Competitors Customers Don't Know:** "You will weaken your positioning by trying to position against competitors your customers never even consider." [\[2\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **Confusing Boring with Baffling:** "It's always better to be a little boring than completely baffling." [\[16\]](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/69868600-obviously-awesome-how-to-nail-product-positioning-so-customers-get-it?ref=antoinebuteau.com) Clarity is paramount.
6. **On Adapting positioning during technology shifts:** When technology, buyer priorities, and competition all change at once, revisit positioning because differentiated claims may no longer hold. — [*Positioning in the Age of AI*](https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/positioning-in-the-age-of-ai)

## Advanced Positioning Strategies

1. **Head to Head:** Positioning to win in an existing market. [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **Big Fish, Small Pond:** Positioning to win a subsegment of an existing market. [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **Create a New Game:** Positioning to win a market you create. This requires educating the market on the problem first. [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[13\]](https://itstheresechua.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/quotes-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Layering on a Trend (Carefully):** "A trend helps customers see your product as an urgent or strategic...purchase." [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com) However, don't force-fit your product into a trend. [\[9\]](https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/book-summary-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford-7edd824117bd?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **Marketing Jiu-Jitsu:** "The art of transforming competitor strengths into weaknesses." [\[17\]](https://www.positioning.show/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Grounding a point of view in strengths:** A credible future narrative should arise from the capabilities a company can genuinely deliver better than other vendors, rather than from generic market prediction. — [*In the Age of AI, You Need a Point of View*](https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/in-the-age-of-ai-you-need-a-point)
7. **On Linking future promise to present value:** During major technology transitions, discuss the future honestly, but connect it to what a customer can buy and benefit from today. — [*Positioning in the Age of AI*](https://aprildunford.substack.com/p/positioning-in-the-age-of-ai)

## Quotes on Sales and Growth

1. **The Impact of Weak Positioning on Sales:** If you have long sales cycles or low conversion rates, you likely have a positioning problem. [\[4\]](https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **Win Analysis is Crucial:** "Every deal you win you should treat that like the little miracle that it is. And find out why the miracle occurred." [\[18\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROlOU1hBbMI&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **The "No Decision" Loss:** Losing to "no decision" means you lost to the status quo. Your positioning must effectively argue against doing nothing. [\[3\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjlCLb9Hl8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Economic Shifts and Value Propositions:** In a good economy, "make money" pitches often outperform "save money" pitches. In a downturn, the reverse can be true as companies focus on survival. [\[18\]](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROlOU1hBbMI&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **Positioning and Pricing Power:** "Clear positioning helps prospects understand that you are a leader in your market segment and that you offer considerable value, making it easier for you to charge a premium." [\[13\]](https://itstheresechua.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/quotes-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Treating price objections as risk signals:** When a buyer says the price is too high, diagnose whether the real barrier is commitment risk; reduce that risk with a phased engagement instead of reflexively discounting. — [*Conquête: April Dunford on the Positioning Mistakes That Kill B2B Deals*](https://news.bulldozer-collective.com/p/april-dunford-the-positioning-mistakes?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

## Actionable Learnings and Advice

1. **Keep Positioning Loose Initially:** "When a product is first released in a market, you should keep your positioning loose until you start to see patterns in who loves your stuff and why." [\[19\]](https://www.howtoweb.co/5-questions-with-april-dunford-author-and-product-positioning-expert-part-2/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. **Form a Positioning Team:** Involve people from across the company to get a holistic view. [\[8\]](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. **Let Go of Your Baggage:** The team needs to align on vocabulary and be open to abandoning old assumptions about the product's position. [\[4\]](https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. **Capture and Share Your Positioning:** Create a messaging document that translates your positioning into a narrative that can be used by sales and marketing. [\[7\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-product-positioning-exercise?ref=antoinebuteau.com)[\[9\]](https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/book-summary-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford-7edd824117bd?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. **Positioning is Not a One-Time Event:** "Great positioning rarely comes by default. If you want to succeed, you have to determine the best way to position your product. Deliberate, try, fail, test and try again." [\[16\]](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/69868600-obviously-awesome-how-to-nail-product-positioning-so-customers-get-it?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. **On Turning positioning into a sales conversation:** Once the company has defined its competitive context, differentiated capabilities, value, and best-fit customer, turn that work into a first-call story that gives buyers a reason to progress. — [*Data Faces: The death of SaaS is a myth*](https://tinytechguides.com/data-faces-podcast/april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

## Inspirational and Foundational Quotes

1. "You know your product is awesome—but does anybody else?" [\[12\]](https://lbkconsulting.fr/en/2023/08/22/how-to-find-your-positioning-the-april-dunford-way/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. "If people don't get what you're selling, they won't buy." [\[14\]](https://durmonski.com/book-summaries/obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. "Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it's about deliberately choosing to be different." [\[13\]](https://itstheresechua.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/quotes-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. "Great positioning makes our strengths obvious." [\[7\]](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-product-positioning-exercise?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. "You cannot be everything to everyone. If you decide to go north, you cannot also go south." [\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. "A world-class musician playing on a street corner will be ignored and not make much money." [\[15\]](https://www.maxmednik.com/blog/notes-on-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com) Context is everything.
7. "The future isn't a place we are going to go, it's a place we get to create." (quoting Nancy Duarte) [\[11\]](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. "Your customers are already telling you exactly how to position your product —you just need to follow their lead." [\[6\]](https://www.howtoweb.co/product-positioning-that-works/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. "The biggest mistake you can make is to think your offering could only be positioned in one market." [\[20\]](https://medium.com/hackernoon/obviously-awesome-a-product-positioning-exercise-604e8ced841e?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. "If you see a disconnect between how your happy customers think about your product and how prospects see it, you likely have a positioning problem." [\[13\]](https://itstheresechua.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/quotes-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)

---

Learn more:

1. [An Introduction to Positioning - April Dunford](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/an-introduction-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
2. [A Quickstart Guide to Positioning - April Dunford](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-quickstart-guide-to-positioning?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
3. [How to nail your product positioning | April Dunford (Obviously Awesome) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjlCLb9Hl8&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
4. [Book Summary - Obviously Awesome (April Dunford) - Readingraphics](https://readingraphics.com/book-summary-obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
5. [Quotes by April Dunford (Author of Obviously Awesome) - Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7316360.April%5FDunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
6. [Product Positioning That Works—with April Dunford, Global Positioning Expert - How to Web](https://www.howtoweb.co/product-positioning-that-works/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
7. [A Product Positioning Exercise - April Dunford](https://www.aprildunford.com/post/a-product-positioning-exercise?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
8. [How We Used April Dunford's 10-Step Method to Overhaul Positioning at Userlist](https://userlist.com/blog/positioning-overhaul/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
9. [Book summary: Obviously Awesome by April Dunford | by Bart Krawczyk - Medium](https://medium.com/design-bootcamp/book-summary-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford-7edd824117bd?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
10. [\[Summary\] How To Nail Product Positioning by April Dunford — 3 Takeaways, 2 Quotes, 1 Question. - Matthew Sison](https://matthewsison.medium.com/summary-how-to-nail-product-positioning-by-april-dunford-3-takeaways-2-quotes-1-question-fcc07c608a39?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
11. [OBVIOUSLY AWESOME: HOW TO NAIL PRODUCT POSITIONING SO CUSTOMERS GET IT, BUY IT, LOVE IT by April Dunford](https://durmonski.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Obviously-Awesome%5FApril-Dunford%5Fsummary%5Fand%5Fworksheet.pdf?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
12. [How to find your positioning (the April Dunford way) - LBk Consulting](https://lbkconsulting.fr/en/2023/08/22/how-to-find-your-positioning-the-april-dunford-way/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
13. [\[Quotes\] Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning so Customers Get It, Buy It, Love It by April Dunford - Therese's Little Corner](https://itstheresechua.wordpress.com/2021/11/24/quotes-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
14. [Obviously Awesome by April Dunford \[Actionable Summary\] - Durmonski.com](https://durmonski.com/book-summaries/obviously-awesome/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
15. [Notes on Obviously Awesome by April Dunford - Max Mednik](https://www.maxmednik.com/blog/notes-on-obviously-awesome-by-april-dunford?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
16. [Obviously Awesome Quotes by April Dunford - Goodreads](https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/69868600-obviously-awesome-how-to-nail-product-positioning-so-customers-get-it?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
17. [Positioning With April Dunford](https://www.positioning.show/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
18. [Meet the Queen of Product Positioning aka April Dunford (An Exclusive Interview) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROlOU1hBbMI&ref=antoinebuteau.com)
19. [5 Questions with April Dunford (author and product positioning expert) - Part 2 - How to Web](https://www.howtoweb.co/5-questions-with-april-dunford-author-and-product-positioning-expert-part-2/?ref=antoinebuteau.com)
20. [Obviously Awesome: a product positioning exercise | by April Dunford | HackerNoon.com](https://medium.com/hackernoon/obviously-awesome-a-product-positioning-exercise-604e8ced841e?ref=antoinebuteau.com)