Does Your Firm Have a Compelling Position?

Does Your Firm Have a Compelling Position?
Based on studies conducted by the American Marketing
Association, the CMO Council, and Booz Allen Hamilton:

• Salespeople are spending approximately 40% of their time
preparing customer-facing deliverables while leveraging
less than 50% of the materials created for them by
marketing.

• Only 10-20% of salespeople create deliverables that are
both compelling to their customers and consistent with
their corporate brand.

• 85% of a company's external BRAND image is determined by
direct interaction between the sales force and target
buyers. Not surprisingly, 85% of PURCHASE decisions are
influenced by this direct interaction.

A "NON" compelling position!

Think of a lighthouse for a minute. This lighthouse is on
the shore of a very rocky coastline. The lighthouse has a
critical job to do with its messaging system. Ships
passing by rely on the lighthouse to provide direction and
safety. But, imagine for a moment that this lighthouse is
very "different." It has tiny little feet! And, when it
sees a ship coming, it reacts by running up and down the
shore hollering and screaming, attempting to shine its
light in the right direction to get the attention of nearby
ships. Unfortunately, for these ships passing by and for
their weary crews, the lighthouse has created a very
dangerous dilemma. There is simply no way to gauge which
maneuvers to make because there is no stable consistent
messaging from the crazy lighthouse. Many firms operate
just like this lighthouse! They follow a shotgun approach
to their messaging and how they position themselves in the
marketplace. They send out inconsistent communication
about what they do best, what sets them apart from the
competition and why. Their sales people are lost and can't
produce results because they are not given consistent
messaging from management to communicate to potential
customers. These firms, like the ships in the example, end
up on the rocks because of it. Brand positioning is about
identifying your brand's real value and competitive
difference and communicating this information consistently
to customers so that they have good reason to buy your
products and services. Think of Timex! "Takes a licking
and keeps on ticking." A solid message and position
communicated clearly and consistently over a period of time
becomes foundational.

Communicating sameness is a waste of time and money!

Let's look at two common mistakes of brand positioning:

1. Lack of Differentiation: Highlighting what may be true
but what is not a key differentiation point (i.e. "you'll
like working with us"). Differentiation defines the
compelling reasons to buy.

2. Lack of Focus: A generic marketing message to a generic
target market. Remember the old adage "jack of all trades
master of none". Customers need to know what your unique
solution is and how it solves their unique pain points.

And remember, that what positions a brand, is not simply
concrete, tangible and easily defined. Coke's brand
position is refreshment and fun times, not just cola.
Apple's brand position is built around great innovation and
beautiful design, not little black or white boxes.

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With more than 20 years experience in corporate turnaround
environments, John Males brings expertise to clients in the
areas of management, sales and negotiations. His customers
include some of the world's most successful firms and
recognized brands. John can be reached at
info@fathomtraining.com or http://www.fathomtraining.com