Positioning for tech companies. Author of the best-selling books Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch.

April Dunford is the world's foremost authority on product positioning for B2B technology companies. As a consultant, April helps companies make complex products easy to understand and love. After a 25-year career as a VP of Marketing at various fast-growing technology firms, she has consulted with 300 technology companies, including Google, Epic Games, Postman, and others. April is the acclaimed author of the best-selling book, "Obviously Awesome," which delves into the art of positioning, and the newly released, "Sales Pitch," which unveils the secrets to crafting a winning sales narrative in the market.

April Dunford

ANNOUNCEMENT - The new updated and expanded Obviously Awesome is coming!!! 🎉 🎉 

I've been sitting on this one for a while, so I'm SUPER EXCITED to get this out into the world!! 

Almost 7 years ago, I published Obviously Awesome, my attempt at describing the process I use to position B2B tech products and companies. I didn't expect many people to read it. I was wrong. 

Since then, more than 100,000 people have bought the book, and countless companies have used the process. A few hundred did that with me directly, and many, many more of you worked through the process on your own using the book. I've learned a LOT over the past 7 years, and I decided it was time to bring those learnings back to the book. 

The new edition is coming in FEBRUARY (don't ask me for a specific date - it's Amazon's world, we're just living in it). Here's what's new:

📙 5 STEPS (not 10) - In the first edition, I describe 5 components of positioning and a 10-step process for doing it. Some of you really hated that the number of steps in the process wasn’t equal to the number of components. The first few steps were pre-work, and the final steps are work that follows the exercise. I have repositioned those steps (see what I did there), and we now have 5 components and 5 steps. 

📙 The PRE-WORK section has been expanded to include key decisions a team should make before beginning a positioning exercise. This is based on my work with clients, and I think it will greatly improve any team’s chances of success when following this process.

📙 I have included sections that are more relevant to MULTIPRODUCT companies grappling with how to position their products in a company with multiple offerings. 

📙 Some steps in the process have been significantly expanded—particularly the Differentiated Value step. Most teams told me they got stuck there. I hope this new, improved section helps to clarify the concept.

📙 The final section, What Happens AFTER a Positioning Exercise, has been greatly expanded. This new section reflects my current thinking on how best to create a sales pitch to test positioning and then turn that positioning into messaging.

📙 For the first time, there will be a HARDCOVER edition. Most of you won't care, but I have seen some seriously well-loved (but also beat-up and scraggly) paperbacks at conferences, and I decided some of you need a copy that’s a little more durable!

🎙️ To go with the book, I'm reviving the Positioning PODCAST and will release a new series of episodes that dive into the book's new material. 
✍ The same goes for the NEWSLETTER (always the best way to follow my stuff). 

A new podcast episode and newsletter article drop TOMORROW - links in the comments.

TPG Telecom

Digital Marketing Manager

BAI Communications

Managed end to end digital marketing strategy
      -	Increased leads acquired by 120% for an annual campaign by implementing digital marketing best practices
      -	Increased ToFu metric: site visits: 140%+, social following: 50%+, time on site: 20%
       -Owned and implemented marketing automation practices using Pardot: email marketing, lead scoring and lead nurturing campaigns

Established a strong analytics and reporting structure
      -	Created and implemented a brand tracking methodology to track performance which is reported to the executive team and the Board on a monthly basis
      -	Managed performance through tracking cost per click, acquisition and conversion

Group Digital Marketing Manager

Techforce Services

Completely overhauled the corporate website based on WordPress
      -	Created fresh copy for more than 50 pages; created a fresh look with strategic use of images 
      - Designed and built landing pages optimized for conversion for target product/audience
Successfully revamped the paid media campaign strategy
      -	Revamped the Google Ads Account to weed out unnecessary traffic; executed a robust keyword strategy; created relevant campaigns, ad groups and ad content 
      -	Achieved a CTR of 2%+ across LinkedIn Marketing campaigns

Lead Generation: Acquired 200+ leads in 6 months through innovative digital campaigns and event activities

Implemented innovative and audience relevant automation campaigns to guide audience towards the journey of becoming a customer.

Quest Events Pty Ltd

Owned design & content of 6+ events websites covering Artificial Intelligence, Crypto Currencies, Supply Chain, Infrastructure and Travel industries

Created compelling, relevant and data backed email campaigns aimed at driving delegate sales, promoting event sponsorship opportunities and speaker acquisition

Senior Digital Marketing Coordinator

Simply Customer

Working as a freelance marketing consultant for small businesses

Projects

- Worked with a telecom equipment company:  developed their website content & prepared a market entry strategy for a new product
- Worked with a digital technology agency:  developing internal marketing plan, creating annual social media strategy for a healthcare brand
- Worked with a recruitment company, to develop their social media (LinkedIn) & e-mail marketing strategy
- Worked with a mortgage broker to create an annual marketing plan aimed at achieving the desired revenue goals

Freelance Digital and Content Marketer

Embassy Services

Embassy Services is a real estate services company with a portfolio size of 30 million square feet

- Managed a Value Added Services portfolio of $3 Million with a team of 5
- Manged development of 3 mobile & web applications for communities
- Strong expertise in e-mail marketing; Ran 100+ email campaigns on MailChimp; Used analytics to increase open rates by 50%
- Increased monthly active users on the site by ~60%
- Increased NPS from -11% to +30% for one of the services
- Branded and launched 2 B2C services
- Performed executive responsibilities for the CEO by leading strategic initiatives from research till execution. 
- Hands on with different aspects of marketing such as brand positioning, strategic story-telling, UX improvements, social media marketing, e-mail marketing, content marketing, newsletters, event based promotions, agency relationships, and more

Embassy Services is a $100 million real estate services company

- Managed development of a customer service application used by 80% of B2B clients; Developed into a platform and sold as a value added service to clients
- Marketing responsibilities for a B2C community portal; increased user base 12x in 18 months; conducted offline events and online engagement activities for the community

Manager - Corporate Initiatives

Indus Towers Limited

Indus Towers is a $3 Billion passive telecom infrastructure company

Responsible for acquisition to implementation of In Building Solutions for entire state

IBS Head, Karnataka

Indus Towers is a $3 Billion passive telecom infrastructure company

I was attached to the circle CEO's office as a business manager. My role was to help him manage the circle P&L and ensure operational efficiency through sharp reporting and red flag management. I also undertook short term projects in operations, acquisition, finance and process excellence verticals.

I worked with 4 circle CEOs and had the opportunity to observe and learn various leadership styles from close quarters.

Business Manager - Kolkata Circle

Reuters Market Light

At RML, I worked in sales and marketing roles for the first 10 months. I learned from the challenges and the opportunities available while working in a start up. 

Subsequently, I worked as the EA to the MD and founder of RML for a period of 8 months where I was closely involved with the planning of the growth phase of the organization.

Assistant Manager, Business Analysis

Management Trainee

ITC Limited

ITC Limited is a FMCG to hotels conglomerate

Was part of a 8 member team responsible for analysis of Business Plansof all the divisions of the company and preparation of the Integrated Company Business Plan

Analysed the weekly and monthly review reports of the Food and Apparel divisions 

Conducted competitor analysis of Hotels, Paper, Apparel and Food industries

Commercial Trainee - Corporate Planning

A specialist in digital marketing & analytics with big picture thinking and hands on execution abilities.

I have experience in B2B service organisations across real estate, technology and telecom industries. Having built products and business units from scratch, I am comfortable working well in uncertain environments. Strong in matching structured execution with relevant analytics to achieve business goals.  

I believe that my USP is that I am someone who can deliver on tasks by using my people skills to set up collaboration channels with multiple stakeholders across domains and hierarchies. 

Having learnt the importance of customer centricity, I have developed expertise in nurturing customers through the buying journeys. 

Key skills: Digital Marketing, Marketing Analytics, E-mail Marketing, Content Management, LinkedIn Marketing, Facebook Marketing, Google Ads, Google Analytics, Search Engine Optimization, Display Advertising, Demand Generation, Lead Nurturing, Salesforce CRM, Pardot, Agency Management.

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April Dunford

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taplio

The Battle

April Dunford

Gaurav Bhandari

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}April Dunford's LinkedIn Performance

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