April Dunford
The global positioning authority who turns B2B product positioning from fuzzy slogans into an executable methodology
April Dunford is a Canadian-born global positioning authority, consultant, and bestselling author based in Toronto. She studied Engineering at the University of Waterloo and spent the first 25 years of her career as a marketing, product, and sales executive at seven B2B technology startups—living through acquisitions including DataMirror to IBM and Janna Systems to Siebel, totaling over $2 billion in deal value, while positioning, repositioning, and launching 16 products. After leaving her seventh VP Marketing role in 2015, she became a consultant—initially as a fractional CMO, then specializing in positioning, serving 200+ growth-stage tech companies and larger enterprises. She self-published Obviously Awesome in 2019, whose 10-step positioning process became the B2B positioning bible; Sales Pitch followed in 2023, translating positioning into an eight-step sales narrative. Her core thesis: positioning is strategic context-setting built from five components—competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, target market, and market category—and must be co-created by internal teams in facilitated workshops, not outsourced to a consultant to 'do for you.'
Methodologies
- 10-Step Positioning Workshop Method - Guide cross-functional teams through ten structured steps from competitive analysis to positioning tests
- Positioning Canvas Five-Component Fill-In Method - Fill competitive alternatives, attributes, value, target market, and category in sequence—ensuring logical interlock
Key decisions and timeline
- 1980s Studied Engineering at the University of Waterloo - Positioning is an engineering problem—requiring components, process, and testable hypotheses, not pure creativity.
- 2000 Janna Systems Acquired by Siebel Systems - Positioning must win customers and keep product context clear through M&A integration.
- 2007 DataMirror Acquired by IBM - Launch is not a single day—it is year-long momentum management, whether for products or books.
Beliefs and mental models
- Positioning Sets Market Context—It Is Not a Brand Tagline or Messaging Exercise - Dunford repeatedly stresses that positioning determines how customers understand your product, what they compare you to, and why they buy. It is not logos, taglines, or feature lists—it is the foundation of go-to-market strategy. Weak positioning makes great products invisible in the market.
- Competitive Alternatives Define the Starting Point—Including 'Do Nothing' - Dunford makes 'what would customers do if they didn't choose you?' the first positioning question. Competitive alternatives include not just direct rivals but spreadsheets, internal builds, outsourcing, and the status quo—ignoring 'do nothing' leaves sales narratives without an anchor.
- Positioning Must Be Co-Created by Internal Teams—Consultants Cannot Do It For You - Dunford argues internal teams always know more about the product and market than outside consultants. The consultant's value is objectivity, process, and asking the right questions to overcome internal politics—not producing positioning conclusions on the client's behalf.
- Five Components of Positioning Model - Competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value, target market, and market category interlock—miss one and positioning fails
- Three Styles of Positioning Model - Make a deliberate choice among head-to-head, big fish small pond, or create-a-new-game positioning styles
- 10-Step Positioning Process Model - From understanding what customers love to testing positioning hypotheses—a structured workshop turns positioning from art into a repeatable process