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April 3, 2024

Why Positioning Does Not Make the Jump From Marketing to Sales

Why Positioning Does Not Make the Jump From Marketing to Sales

Welcome to Season 2! In today’s episode, I explore why positioning fails to make the jump from marketing to sales in many companies, and what common misconceptions and mistakes in positioning work should be avoided.

You will learn: 

* Why sales teams often lack a deep understanding of positioning and its importance in the sales process.

* Communicating value and positioning product consistently across all sales calls, even for new sales reps.

* What happens when marketing creates positioning without consulting sales, leading to disconnect between the two teams.

* The disconnect between sales teams and marketing teams, as marketing decks often don't account for the need for discovery and objection handling during sales calls.

* Two common unspoken objections in sales pitches: pricing and change management.

* Common challenges in transitioning positioning from marketing to sales, including inadequate decks. 

* In enterprise and B2B deals, multiple stakeholders involved in a deal can lead to multiple pitch decks, making the process more complicated.

* Customizing pitch decks for the champion, with a focus on resonating with their needs and concerns, rather than trying to address the objections of other stakeholders in the deal.

If you want to skip ahead: 

(0:01) Positioning in B2B marketing and sales. 

(4:25) Sales strategy and customer understanding. 

(8:55) Why marketing and sales positioning often doesn't align. 

(13:18) Sales pitches and unspoken objections. 

(18:00) B2B purchase process and positioning for sales. 

(23:24) Customizing sales pitch decks for different personas. 

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 

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