B2B brand positioning: April Dunford's five components and a template
Brand positioning defines which market category a company competes in, which alternatives it is compared with, how it differs from them and for whom that difference is most valuable. The article describes April Dunford's five elements of positioning, a completed template for a B2B company and common mistakes.
Dominik Dębski · Lemur Media · · reading time: 4 min
Reviewed by Dominik Dębski, 1 November 2026
What is brand positioning in B2B?
Brand positioning is a set of decisions that defines how the customer should understand the company's offer against the alternatives: which category to place it in, what to compare it with and why to choose it. In B2B, positioning usually concerns a product or service line, and only secondarily the brand as a whole. Positioning is the basis for marketing messages, the sales presentation and the website.
April Dunford described a method for positioning B2B products in her book "Obviously Awesome" (2019), an expanded edition of which was published in 2026. In her approach, positioning consists of five interrelated elements.
Positioning needs reviewing after entering a new customer segment, after a product change, when a new alternative appears on the market or when the share of won deals falls. In companies in the direction phase, an annual review helps catch any gap between the message and what customers actually pay for.
What are the elements of positioning?
The five elements are competitive alternatives, unique attributes, value with proof, the characteristics of best-fit customers and the market category. The elements depend on one another: value comes from attributes the alternatives lack, and the market category should make that value obvious to the customer.
| Element | Working question | Source of information |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive alternatives | What customers would use if the company did not exist | Customer interviews, lost deals |
| Unique attributes | What the company has that the alternatives do not | Product comparison, team capabilities |
| Value and proof | What outcome these attributes give the customer | Implementation results, product data |
| Best-fit customers (target market characteristics) | For whom this value is greatest | Analysis of the best customers |
| Market category | In what context the value is obvious | How customers search for solutions |
What does a completed template look like?
The example concerns a supplier of production planning software for plants with 50–249 employees.
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| Competitive alternatives | The planner's spreadsheets, the planning module in the ERP system, advanced APS systems for large plants |
| Unique attributes | Implementation in 6 weeks on data from the existing ERP, a schedule recalculated after every order change, support for machine changeovers |
| Value and proof | Shorter planning time and less downtime; proof: results from three implementations measured before and after |
| Best-fit customers | Make-to-order manufacturing plants with 50–249 employees, at least 20 machines and frequent order changes |
| Market category | Production planning for mid-sized make-to-order plants |
The template produces a single positioning statement, e.g.: "Production planning for mid-sized make-to-order plants, implemented in 6 weeks on data from your existing ERP". The statement goes on the home page, into the sales presentation and into the company's profile on external platforms.
How do you run positioning work?
- A team made up of the board, sales, marketing and product, because each of them knows a different part of the picture.
- A list of the best customers: those who bought fastest, stay longest and recommend the company.
- Interviews with 8–12 of these customers about the alternatives they considered and the results they achieved.
- A workshop (1–2 days) completing the five elements in the order given.
- Testing the new message in a dozen or more sales conversations before changing the website and materials.
How does positioning translate into communication and sales?
Each of the five elements of positioning has its place in marketing materials and in the sales conversation, so implementation involves both teams.
| Element | Website | Sales conversation |
|---|---|---|
| Market category | Home page headline and company description | The first sentence introducing the offer |
| Competitive alternatives | Comparison of approaches on the product page | Questions about the customer's current solution |
| Unique attributes | Description of features and how implementation works | A demo focused on differentiators |
| Value and proof | Implementation case studies with figures | An example of a customer with a similar profile |
| Best-fit customers | Sections for industries or segments | Opportunity qualification criteria |
The effectiveness of the new positioning is measured by, among other things, the share of won deals in the target segment, the length of the sales cycle and the average discount before and after the change.
What are the common mistakes?
- Positioning based on attributes that all competitors have, e.g. "end-to-end service" or "high quality".
- Overlooking alternatives that are not competitors, e.g. a spreadsheet or the work of an in-house team.
- Too broad a target group: a message for everyone convinces no one.
- Changing the positioning only on the website, without changing the sales presentation and training the sales reps.