Read more articles by Eugene Moreau.
In the crowded mall, one sound pierced the wall of noise: "Psst! I’m over here!”
My head turned, and so did about 50 others. We searched for the source, for the one person who had made time stand still.
I couldn't see who'd said "Psst!". But – getting strategic now – maybe I could find who the message was for? Sure enough, within a matter of only seconds….. I saw him.
He was so easy to spot. A sheepish looking, middle-aged man, emerging from a store on the other side of the walkway.
In seconds he was in front of me. Our eyes met.
He shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows as if saying, ‘I’ve been summoned, know what I mean, brother?’
I smiled back and nodded, as if to say, ‘I sure do brother. Peace be with you because I know how you feel’.
For that one fleeting, never-to-be-repeated five seconds, we had a connection. We shared something only recipients of the Psst! can know.
My eyes followed my new ‘soul brother’ – this was my strategy, following the recipient to the source.
She was wonderfully attractive, and turning bright red as she realised how loud her Psst! had been.
This was the first time I truly began to understand the absolute power of positioning. Before you hang up the phone, let me take it a little deeper for you. This is the kind of positioning that makes a product, service or brand stand out in a crowded mall.
The activity and noise in this current marketplace is busy and noisy for anyone. Everyone from the dentist to the fast food provider is bustling and hustling, raising their voice to be heard above their competitor.
However, every now and again someone simply goes ‘Psst! I’m over here’ and the crowd stops and takes notice.
It’s called positioning and it’s probably one of the single most important elements in the business-winning suite of principles and practices – and one of the most misunderstood.
So, today, I want to bring some clarity to……positioning.
First, let’s define what we mean by ‘positioning’.
Let’s try these statements on for size:
- Positioning is differentiating from the clatter. Standing out. Being noticed.
- Positioning is establishing identity and desirability
- Positioning is creating and sustaining an emotional connection.
Now, let's craft a positioning statement.
Crafting A Position Statement
Crafting a positioning statement is not complex, but many businesses struggle to shape it and use it effectively. There are three steps.
Step One
Identify who are you communicating with then tell what can you do for them and then show them how you do it for them and follow that up with a convincing reason as to why do you do it better anyone else.
Let’s create an example using a software development company as our business.
Who: Professional service industry.
What: Help them increase their client retention ratios.
How: An easy to use CRM system.
Why: More affordable, comprehensive, robust and cost effective with free lifetime upgrades.
That's just the first step. Now for step two.
Step Two
Shape the who, what, how and why points into one single statement.
This step is critical – and easy. In fact, some people find this step so easy, they ignore it and just leave things in step one. This is a big mistake and the end result is always a loss of identity in the market.
You need to have one single, succinct and powerful statement that clearly defines your position in the market and everyone who knows you, deals with or has relationship with you, is crystal clear on.
This can only be done if it is written and defined. (Note: Some people call this an “elevator pitch” because it is concise enough to articulate in 10 seconds or less.)
For example: "We help the professional service industry increase their client retention ratios with our powerful, easy to use CRM system. We are more affordable, comprehensive, robust and cost-effective than any of our competitors and we provide a free lifetime upgrade service."
Once you have completed your positioning statement you then turn to crafting a series of critical supporting messages, which is step three.
Step Three
Delve deeper and provide critical supporting messages.
A critical supporting message is a succinct message that goes beyond the key words in the positioning statement, providing a deeper, more personal and emotional meaning, addressing either a pain to be removed, a problem to be fixed or result to be gained.
One of the primary tools I use when coaching a client to ‘delve deeper’ is the Nine Critical Statement Tool.
Here’s what I say: “If you could only make nine statements about your business to convince me whether or not to do business with you, what would those nine statements be?”
This question forces us to find the power words in our positioning statement and go deeper. Every effective positioning statement will have certain key words that really stand out and help make it unique.
For example, let’s say that ‘increase retention’ are two of the two power words we want to leverage.
The critical message could be: “With our CRM system, you can increase client retention by keeping your finger on the pulse of every relationship in the business, updated as an interaction or event occurs, which in turn gives you the power to build and maintain strong and lasting relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors, manufacturers and any other category of relationship you wish to manage and grow.”
Once you have applied this simple 1-2-3 step process you will have in your hot little hands an effective positioning statement that will soon become the single most important sentence in your marketing arsenal.
Use this positioning statement wherever you can. Let the everybody in your world know what you can do for them.
Psst! I’m over here!
Remember, keep it simple. There is nothing more powerful than a position statement that takes seconds to read, process and most importantly memorise.
Until next time…..
Eugene