The Marketing Expert: Sell Anything with this Trick
At the core of this discussion is a simple B2B truth: positioning is not just about the product, but about choosing the market context in which that product makes sense. Speaker: April Dunford | Podcast: The Knowledge Project Podcast | Views as of post date: > 860,000
About this video
April Dunford is a globally recognised positioning expert and successful tech-industry executive turned consultant, founder of Ambient Strategy, and bestselling author of Obviously Awesome and Sales Pitch, who has helped hundreds of B2B tech companies sharpen their market position and drive growth.
Most SMEs don’t have a marketing problem—they have a positioning problem. If customers don’t instantly understand what you are, who you’re for, and why you’re better, they default to “no decision” or pick the safer incumbent.
The winning move isn’t broader appeal—it’s narrowing to a segment where you are clearly the best, then expanding from there.
Full Video at the end of page
Core Insight (Plain English)
If you try to sell to everyone, you lose to someone bigger.
You win by choosing a specific customer with a specific problem you solve better than anyone else, even if that market looks small at the start.
Positioning isn’t branding or messaging—it’s the decision of where you win.
7 Practical Lessons
Stop trying to be “for everyone”
If your pitch sounds like it could apply to any business, you’ve already lost—especially in SEA markets where trust favours incumbents.Pick a niche where you can be the obvious best
Not “good enough”—the best. Even if it’s small (e.g., “accounting software for F&B chains in Singapore,” not “accounting software”).Translate features into business value
Customers don’t care what your product does—they care if it makes money or saves money.Design your positioning to reduce buyer risk
In B2B, the real competitor is not another company—it’s indecision driven by fear.
Your job: make the decision feel safe.Don’t confuse clarity with simplicity
Your message doesn’t need to appeal to everyone—only to your buyer. The “grandmother test” is irrelevant in B2B.Position before you scale marketing
Running ads or campaigns on weak positioning is like pouring water into a leaky bucket—wasteful and ineffective.Start narrow, then expand strategically
Dominate a small segment → expand to adjacent segments → only then compete broadly. This is how most successful tech companies grow.
Summary & Reflections
This approach works best for products with clear differentiation. If your product is genuinely commoditised, narrowing alone won’t save you—you still need a real edge.
Also, in Southeast Asia, some markets are fragmented or relationship-driven. A niche strategy must be paired with distribution and trust-building, not just messaging.
Finally, overly narrow positioning can limit early revenue if the segment is too small—so you need a clear expansion path, not just a niche.
Who should watch the full video
SaaS founders and startup operators
B2B sales and marketing leads
SME owners struggling with unclear messaging or low conversion
Decision Rating
Decision Usefulness: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Highly actionable. Directly impacts go-to-market strategy, sales conversion, and product focus—core decisions for any SME.
Strategic Value: ★★★★★ (5/5)
This reframes how to compete against larger players—critical for SMEs in crowded or mature markets.
Practical Applicability: ★★★★☆ (4/5)
Very usable, but requires discipline and sometimes tough trade-offs (e.g., narrowing market focus, rejecting broader opportunities).
Until next time,
The SME Signal editorial Team
