Discover and sell your secret sauce
with April Dunford
March 18-26,2024
1-week sprint
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Welcome to the Positioning Sprint
You know your product is awesome, but does anyone else? In this sprint, bestselling author April Dunford teaches you how to determine what makes your product the best in the world and communicate that value to the right set of customers.
Module 1
Positioning defines how your product is the best in the world at providing some value that a well-defined set of customers cares a lot about. To unleash the power of positioning, learn why context matters, what inputs you need, and how to get started with the positioning process.
Lesson 1: Context matters
Positioning is like context-setting for products. Re-contextualizing your product changes all your assumptions about it. Figure out what the best possible context for your product is by following a deliberate positioning process instead of filling out the blanks of a positioning statement.
Lesson 1 case study: Janna Systems
Janna Systems demonstrates how adjusting the context of a product can be transformative for business. Through a deliberate repositioning, Janna changed its context from “CRM for big businesses” to “CRM for Investment Bankers.” The repositioning resulted in a rapid growth of revenue and a successful exit.
Lesson 2: Overcoming misalignment
Misalignment is the root cause of most poorly positioned products. Overcome misalignment by feeding four inputs into a positioning process: make it a team sport, create a shared language, let go of the past, and gain access to customer knowledge.
Lesson 3: Your uniqueness
The first component of the positioning process is “Competitive Alternatives”. Knowing what you are positioning your product against is crucial. Competitive alternatives serve as the basis for the second component: “Unique Attributes” in the form of differentiated features and capabilities.
Lesson 3 case study: ScreenCloud
ScreenCloud offers digital signage for modern workplaces. The company identified competitive alternatives and listed all unique attributes. In doing so, ScreenCloud arrived at a compelling differentiated value that separated it from the growing pack of other providers.
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Module 2
Differentiated value is the holy grail of product positioning. It is rooted in your product’s unique attributes and connects to a goal your customers are trying to achieve.
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Module 3
You have determined the differentiated value of your product. Next, ask yourself: Who cares a lot about that value? Identify your best-fit customers and find the context that makes the value obvious to them.
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Module 4
Companies tell many stories. The one that truly matters for positioning is the sales story. Build a sales story to validate your product positioning and test it in real sales situations.
Sample 2-week Sprint Calendar
Section courses are build around the tight schedules of busy, full-time professionals.
Mon
Tues
Weds
Thurs - Pre Sprint
Meet your TA and cohort
Fri - Pre Sprint
Watch a welcome video from your professor
Mon - Week 1
Watch your day 1 lesson content
Tues - Week 1
Weds - Week 1
Watch your day 2 lesson content
Thurs - Week 1
Fri - Week 1
Watch your day 3 lesson content
Mon - Week 2
Watch your day 4 lesson content
Tues - Week 2
Weds - Week 2
Livestream
Thurs - Week 2
Attend the guided project workshop
Fri - Week 2
Mon - Post Sprint
Submit your project
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Professor and TA interaction. Our world-class professors and teaching staff are here to help you make the most of the experience.
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Lifetime network. Connect with professionals from 60+ countries and across industries to gain fresh perspective from like-minded leaders.
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High-impact project. Apply the frameworks and strategies from the sprint to a real problem at work.
