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Dunford's 5 Components of Positioning

April Dunford's positioning framework from 'Obviously Awesome' strips positioning down to five interconnected components that must be defined in a specific order. Unlike traditional positioning statements, Dunford starts with competitive alternatives (not the target customer) because your positioning is always relative to what people would do instead. This framework is particularly powerful for technology products where the category itself may be unclear.

When to use this framework

  • →Positioning or repositioning a technology product
  • →When customers keep comparing you to the wrong competitors
  • →When your category is new or confusing to buyers
  • →Preparing for a product launch or pivot
  • →When sales cycles are long because buyers don't understand what you are
Related:Positioning Statement Template Value Proposition Canvas Competitive Battlecard Template

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Worked Example

Notion

1. Competitive Alternatives

What would customers use if your product didn't exist? This is NOT just direct competitors — include spreadsheets, manual processes, hiring someone, or doing nothing.

Google Docs + Sheets (for documents/wikis). Trello or Asana (for project management). Confluence (for team wikis). Evernote (for personal notes). Combination of 3-4 separate tools stitched together with integrations.

2. Unique Attributes

What features or capabilities do you have that the competitive alternatives do NOT? These must be genuinely unique and verifiable.

Single workspace that combines docs, databases, wikis, and project boards in one tool. Flexible block-based editor where any content type can be embedded anywhere. Powerful relational databases that non-technical users can build. Template gallery with 10,000+ community templates. API that lets teams build custom workflows without code.

3. Value (for customers)

What value do those unique attributes enable for the customer? Map each unique attribute to a tangible customer outcome.

Teams eliminate tool sprawl — one subscription replaces 3-4 separate products. Information lives in one searchable place instead of being scattered across tools. Non-technical team members can build their own workflows and systems. Teams ship faster because docs, tasks, and knowledge are connected, not siloed.

4. Target Customer Segments

Which customers care the MOST about the value you deliver? These are the people for whom your unique attributes matter most. Define the characteristics that make someone an ideal buyer.

Small-to-medium tech teams (10-200 people) who are frustrated by switching between multiple productivity tools. Product, engineering, and design teams that want customisable workflows without IT overhead. Startups that need enterprise-grade organisation without enterprise-grade complexity or cost.

5. Market Category

What category do you position in to make your value obvious? The category sets buyer expectations. You can: (a) dominate an existing category, (b) create a new subcategory, or (c) create an entirely new category.

Connected workspace — a new subcategory Notion has defined. Not a note-taking app (too limited), not a project management tool (too narrow), not a wiki (too static). By claiming 'connected workspace,' Notion sets the expectation that everything a team needs is in one place, which is exactly where their unique value lies.

6. Positioning Summary

Bring it together: in one paragraph, articulate your positioning using all five components.

For growing tech teams frustrated by juggling Google Docs, Trello, and Confluence, Notion is the connected workspace that brings docs, databases, wikis, and project boards into a single tool. Its flexible block-based editor and relational databases let non-technical teams build custom workflows without code — eliminating tool sprawl and keeping everyone's knowledge in one searchable place.
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