Most tech companies push product, well, not even product, an acronym like UCaaS, CCaaS, AI, SD-WAN.
They don’t have Positioning.
They think their Target Market is Everyone, but that is neither a target nor a market.
They don’t explain Value. They don’t explain Why You over Everyone else (including status quo).
Positioning is where your advantage, uniqueness and value lies. Messaging is the story you tell to your market about that position.
Seth Godin says that you get to define what you are the best in the world at. Maybe it is just 50 companies that you will be best in world for. Start there!!!
An exercise in Positioning is to list features, then ask Who Cares about those features until you identify the Differentiated Value that your Customers will benefit from.
When they are asking for a drill bit, find out why they are making the hole.
When they are asking for a quote, why are they shopping? What are they trying to achieve, improve, get to?
It isn’t selling unless you are helping. Help your customers with the outcomes they seek. Help them be competitive by leveraging the technology. Are you providing impact to your customers? What is it?
Know who your ideal customer is. Understand their Pain. Explain how you can help them and frame it about Them, not you.
If everyone targets everyone, then it is a Red Ocean and a price war. If you target a Blue Ocean, the word of mouth is louder; no price war; value based sale.
The 5 steps to positioning:
- Competitive Alternatives (including status quo or no decision)
- Unique Attributes
- Differentiated Value
- Best-Fit Customers
- Market Category
Two books on it: Positioning by Ries & Trout; and Obviously Awesome by April Dunford.
From April’s book: “Storytelling, messaging, a tag line, your vision, branding – these are all examples of things that happen after positioning. Each of these things requires positioning as an input or the starting point. Put simply, positioning defines what market you intend to win and why you deserve to win it.”
11 minute video by April on “Why Your Positioning Sucks And How to Fix it”. [Longer version 47 minutes]
Position your product today for the current market as it now. Tell the story (sales narrative) to resonate with your best-fit buyer (target).
In other words, if you know your benefit to a select group, they will be your best customers and easiest sale.