Preparing for a Positioning Exercise

18 snips

Feb 5, 2026

A practical dive into what must happen before a positioning workshop. Short guidance on assembling the right cross-functional team and keeping group size manageable. Advice on identifying obvious bad-fit customers so positioning stays clear. Tips for shedding legacy positioning baggage and aligning on shared vocabulary before work begins.

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ADVICE

Invite Cross-Functional Decision Makers

Include marketing, sales, product, customer success and a founder/CEO in positioning workshops.
Involve the right cross-functional voices early so positioning survives handoff to sales and product.

INSIGHT

Different Teams Hold Different Market Knowledge

Sales knows who actually shows up in deals and understands the real competitive landscape.
Product understands differentiated capabilities that marketing and sales may miss.

ADVICE

Keep The Room Small And Strategic

Limit the core workshop to about 10–15 people to keep it facilitable and focused.
Add a few observers who will do the downstream work so they learn the rationale without derailing decisions.

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In today’s episode, I dive into what needs to happen before you ever start a positioning exercise. I explain why positioning fails when teams skip preparation, ignore alignment, or try to make positioning work for every customer they’ve ever had. I also walk through how to assemble the right team, let go of outdated assumptions, and create shared language so positioning decisions actually stick.

You will learn:

(01:53) How the second edition of my book Obviously Awesome restructures positioning into pre-work, core work, and post-work.

(03:12) Why positioning is not a marketing-only activity and requires cross-functional input.

(05:54) What sales, product, founders, and executives uniquely contribute to positioning decisions.

(10:29) How to assemble the right-sized positioning team without derailing facilitation.

(11:56) Why identifying obvious bad-fit customers upfront improves positioning clarity.

(18:56) How to let go of legacy positioning baggage that no longer fits your market reality.

(21:58) Why aligning on positioning vocabulary before the workshop prevents costly confusion.

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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 Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/aprildunford/

April’s Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford

April’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@positioningshow

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Mentioned in this episode:

* Obviously Awesome, Second Edition (forthcoming).

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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

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3xihSzC

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/search?q=%22April%20Dunford%22&c=books

Barnes & Noble: https://www.bn.com/s/%22April%20Dunford%22

Bookshop: https://bookshop.org/contributors/april-dunford

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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.