Postman's Positioning Journey: 500K Customers & $5.6 Billion Valuation with Abhinav Asthana

In today’s episode, I talk with a technology entrepreneur about lessons related to his product initially being mispositioned in the market and also the challenges of positioning both free and paid versions of software solutions. 

Joining me is Abhinav Asthana, founder and CEO of Postman, an API platform for software developers to build and use APIs.

In today’s episode: 

* How Postman's positioning evolved from a product-focused approach to a platform-focused approach, with different positioning for end-users and executives.

* Building Postman with the conviction that modern software is built on APIs, and evangelizing (positioning) this idea to investors.

* Why top-down positioning needs to align with company strategy. 

* The value of working with analysts to understand customer needs and improve products.

* Positioning software in terms of satisfying customer needs.

* The importance of staying ahead of competitors in the enterprise software market.

* The challenges of competing with free products and prioritizing user experience.

* Abhinav advises talking to 50-100 customers per year to gain insights and build conviction in product decisions.

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If you want to skip ahead: 

(2:24) Origin story of Postman. 

(7:19) Postman's growth, fundraising, and positioning challenges. 

(12:57) API platform growth and top-down sales strategies. 

(18:03) Taking an API-first approach in software development and marketing strategies. 

(28:19) Scaling velocity, competitors, and customer engagement in the enterprise software space. 

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Connect with Abhinav Asthana on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhinavasthana/ 

Learn about Postman’s API platform: https://www.postman.com/ 

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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 Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/aprildunford 

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Mentioned in this episode: 

“Breaking Changes,” a podcast where Postman Chief Evangelist Kin Lane and guests talk about the API universe: https://www.postman.com/events/breaking-changes/

“The API-First Transformation,” a book by Kin Lane with a foreword by Abhinav Asthana: https://amzn.to/3PZzEOy 

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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

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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.

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 

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This episode was produced by Story On Media & Marketing: https://www.SuccessWithStories.com