April Dunford Positioning Jiu-Jitsu for B2B Marketers
Let’s be honest: most B2B marketers spend their days feeling like they’re in a Marvel movie, but without the superpowers or the budget for CGI. You’re up against Goliaths with war chests the size of small nations, platforms that promise to “do it all” (and sometimes do nothing well), and a sea of competitors who all claim to be “the leading solution.” It’s enough to make you want to swap your marketing dashboard for a yoga mat and a deep, cleansing sigh.
But what if I told you the secret to winning isn’t about being the biggest, loudest, or flashiest? What if it’s about using your opponent’s own momentum against them — a little marketing jiu-jitsu, courtesy of April Dunford?
Yes, that April Dunford. The one who’s made a career out of helping tech companies punch above their weight class, and who’s probably forgotten more about positioning than most of us will ever learn. Her latest take? Stop trying to outgun the giants. Start outsmarting them.
Let’s break it down, Jon-style.
The Art of Positioning Jiu-Jitsu (No Black Belt Required)
Here’s the gist: In jiu-jitsu, you don’t win by brute force. You win by redirecting your opponent’s energy, turning their strengths into liabilities. April Dunford applies this same principle to B2B positioning. Instead of obsessing over what makes the market leader “better,” you reframe the conversation so that their biggest asset becomes their Achilles’ heel — at least for the right customer.
Think of it like this: You’re not trying to beat Amazon at being Amazon. You’re showing your customers why being “not Amazon” is exactly what they need.
Let’s get practical. Say you’re a nimble SaaS startup and your main competitor is a sprawling enterprise platform. Their pitch? “We do everything!” Your counter? “We do one thing, and we do it better, faster, and without requiring a team of consultants or a blood pact with IT.” For some customers, that’s not just a difference — it’s a lifeline.
Or maybe you’re the platform, and your competition is a patchwork of point solutions. Their “best-of-breed” story sounds great until you remind buyers about the joys of managing six vendors, three integrations, and a support ticket system that rivals the DMV in efficiency. Suddenly, “all-in-one” looks a lot more appealing.
The secret sauce? Context. What’s a strength for one customer is a dealbreaker for another. Your job is to know your audience so well that you can flip the script at exactly the right moment.
Why This Matters (Spoiler: It’s Not Just About Winning Deals)
Now, you might be thinking, “Jon, this sounds clever, but is it really that big a deal?” Let me put it this way: In a world where every product demo looks like a TED Talk and every competitor claims to be “customer-obsessed,” differentiation isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s survival.
Positioning jiu-jitsu isn’t just a parlor trick for sales calls. It’s a strategic mindset. It forces you to:
- Actually understand your customers (not just the ones who love you, but the ones who walked away)
- Get brutally honest about your competitors — and yourself
- Align your entire company around a story that’s both true and compelling
And here’s the kicker: It works just as well for the Davids as it does for the Goliaths. Startups can carve out a beachhead by owning a niche the big guys can’t serve well. Giants can remind buyers that “cheap and cheerful” often means “unsupported and unscalable.” The magic isn’t in the feature list — it’s in the framing.
Jon’s Take: Why Marketers Need to Master the Grapple
Look, I’ve been in enough boardrooms to know that most positioning conversations go something like this:
- CEO: “Why aren’t we winning more deals?”
- Head of Sales: “The competition is undercutting us.”
- Product: “We need more features.”
- Marketing: “We need a new tagline.”
- Me (internally): “We need a drink.”
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: Most companies don’t lose because their product is worse. They lose because they let the competition define the playing field. They show up to a chess match when they should be flipping the board and suggesting poker instead.
April’s approach is a wake-up call. It’s not about being “better” in some abstract, arms-race sense. It’s about being better for someone — and making that someone see it, feel it, and believe it. That means teaching your customers how to buy, not just what to buy. It means being honest about your strengths, transparent about your trade-offs, and bold enough to say, “We’re not for everyone — but we’re perfect for you.”
And let’s not kid ourselves: This isn’t just a marketing problem. It’s a company problem. If your product, sales, and customer success teams aren’t all singing from the same positioning hymn sheet, you’re just adding to the noise.
The Punchline (Because Every Good Move Needs a Finish)
So, what’s the takeaway for the over-caffeinated, under-resourced B2B marketer staring down the competition this quarter?
Stop shadowboxing with the giants. Start learning their moves — and then use them to your advantage. Positioning jiu-jitsu isn’t about fighting fair. It’s about fighting smart.
Remember: In marketing, as in martial arts, the best defense is a great narrative. And sometimes, the best way to win is to let your competitor throw the first punch — then show your customer why that punch was never meant for them in the first place.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a dashboard to check and a story to tell. Because in this game, data tells you the what, but brand tells you the why. And the why is where the magic — and the margin — really happens.