April Dunford Competitive Alternatives Audit

Identify what your customers would actually do if your product did not exist using an April Dunford competitive alternatives audit.

5 time blocks, 95 minutes in total.

Time blocks

List Status Quo and Workarounds: 20 min
Document manual processes, spreadsheets, or doing nothing at all
Identify Direct Competitors: 20 min
List products customers evaluate when actively shopping around
Isolate Unique Capabilities: 20 min
Note features or assets you have that alternatives lack
Map Capabilities to Customer Value: 20 min
Translate technical features into concrete customer outcomes
Pinpoint Best Fit Customer Segments: 15 min
Define who cares most about your unique value drivers

About this routine

Positioning strategist April Dunford emphasizes that competition is defined by the buyer, not the founder. Running an April Dunford competitive alternatives audit forces product teams to identify what prospective customers would actually do if a product disappeared tomorrow. This includes manual workarounds like spreadsheets, hiring extra staff, or simply doing nothing.

Traditional competitive analysis often focuses on feature comparison grids against direct category rivals. Dunford argues that true differentiation starts by understanding the full set of real alternatives buyers consider. Once these options are mapped, teams can isolate their own unique technical capabilities and connect those capabilities directly to business value.

This 95 minute sprint walks through the diagnostic steps outlined in Dunford positioning methodology. It helps founders, product managers, and marketers clarify product differentiation before spending money on sales or campaign messaging.

Why this routine works

Uncovers true customer workarounds beyond direct product rivals
Isolates unique product capabilities that matter to prospective buyers
Connects technical feature sets directly to business value
Clarifies target customer profiles for go-to-market execution

FAQ

What is an April Dunford competitive alternatives audit?

It is an audit method created by positioning expert April Dunford to identify what customers would use if your product did not exist.

How long does a competitive alternatives audit take?

This structured working sprint takes 95 minutes to complete across five focused beats.

Sources

Obviously Awesome: How to Nail Product Positioning, April Dunford