by: Daniel Levis
Here are 4 product positioning tips to differentiate your business.
Luckily, it’s not all that hard to stand out from the crowd, as long you realize the importance of product positioning. Positioning is the art of matching your marketing message, with the desires, feelings, & beliefs of the particular type of customer that you know you can service better than anybody else. You make yourself "visible" as the kind of business this individual would naturally be attracted to.
Why would I say that it’s not that hard?
Well, you really don’t have to look very far to see that effective product positioning is about as common as caviar at a McDonald’s outlet. Just look in the yellow pages, look on the net, and you’ll soon see what I mean.
It’s more of the same old same old, look at us were #1 for pricing, service & selection nonsense. It’s just meaningless drivel. Anyone can say these things & everyone does, & I ask you this.
Are you guilty of spouting these "buy from us for no apparent reason" platitudes? Don’t feel guilty if you are. Just take these product positioning tips to heart.
What happens when everybody in your industry says the same thing? Customers don’t know how to tell the difference between one product & another, so they make their decision based on price. And everybody loses. The customer doesn’t get the product that best fits their needs. You don’t make nearly as many sales as you could, and those that you do make, are at less margin than you would like.
Listen, if you can just get the principle that I’m about to reveal hammered into your head, you’ll have more business than you can handle, and you won’t worry about having to undercut the competition.
That sounds pretty good doesn’t it?
Here’s the secret. Just take the time to communicate, clearly, specifically, & thoroughly why you‘re different & how that difference makes a difference in your customer’s perception of his or her life. Such a simple concept, but so rare, it can’t help but differentiate you.
You see, people really don’t buy on price at all. They buy on value. If they bought a cheaper product, it’s because you didn’t demonstrate the value of yours. Admittedly, there is a certain percentage of the market that is best served by an inferior low end product, but this segment is much smaller than it appears. More often than not, people cannot differentiate, buy based on price, & live to regret it. This is a crying shame, & were not going to stand for it much longer, are we?
As you absorb this material you will become intimate with the following 4 product positioning principles that will set your business apart.
Unique Selling Proposition
Something unique, that you have to offer. Not necessarily entirely unique. You can appear unique by simply packaging your product or service in a unique way. For example, a lawyer, might advertise flat rate incorporation, and attract a lot of customers because the market fears the open ended legal bill. In reality, it is all of the other "back end" services that come about as a result of incorporation that generate incorporation revenues. But who do you think will end up getting more of that lucrative business, the flat rate USP savvy attorney, or Mr. Conventional?
Risk Reversal
Differentiate yourself with outrageously bold guarantees, that you're competition don't have the guts for. Most people are genuinely honest, and if your service is what you say it is, you've got nothing to worry about. The increased sales volume will be well worth it.
Inordinate Value
Leverage your advertising, by offering to let complimentary businesses come along for the ride, in exchange for a free sample of their wares. Then bundle those into your offering. Cut the right deals, & your offer will appear "irresistible", compared to your competition.
Clear, Complete, & Concise Customer Education
Here's were most advertisers fall down, and you can stand head & shoulders above the crowd. Tell your full story. Don't make people try to figure out on their own why they should be doing business with you. Spell it out for them.
Spend some time thinking deeply about these product positioning ideas, and how you can use them to your advantage. Your market share is predicated on how well you assimilate them, & apply them to the promotion of your business.
Copyright 2005 Daniel Levis