Positioning, Where Are You In Your Prospect's Mind?

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In a nutshell, Positioning is the place that a product occupies in your mind. If you cut your finger, most people will ask for, or say to themselves, “I need a Band-Aid”. Not stopping to think that Band-Aid is actually a “brand” name. The term has become so generic, so commonplace in every day language that we never question the source. Most of us have also said will you “Xerox” this document. There are literally dozens of paper copiers on the market, but Xerox holds a “position” in our mind. We have applied values and attributes to these words. When you think about it, what is Xerox? It is a strange word, that’s it. But Xerox Inc. has done an amazing job of positioning, of fixing this word in your mind and making it a living breathing entity.

Aren’t all of the markets already taken because of the Internet?

The only way to achieve success is to be selective, to concentrate on niche markets, to practice segmentation. The human mind is bombarded constantly with advertising, Internet, T.V, News Paper, Radio, Billboards, Bumper Stickers, City Buses, and Taxis. We even advertise brands by the type of clothes we wear. So, what does the mind do, it ignores it.

When selling a product or a service, you need to concentrate on the perceptions of the prospect, not the reality of the product. Luck is usually an outgrowth of successful communication. Saying the right thing to the right people at the right time.

How do I get noticed? How do I get into my prospects over crowded mind?

The easiest way into a persons mind is to be first. A great example of this is Xerox. When you say Xerox, the mind automatically replies with “copier”. Xerox owns this position in your mind because it got there first, and then secured the deal with a massive marketing campaign. A new example of this is Google. Instead of saying you need to look up “xyz” on the Internet or via a search engine, you now hear “Just Google it”. And we all know that means to perform a search for “xyz” on Google.

One mistake that can be made is over-extending the name of a product, when that product already holds a certain position in the consumer’s mind. Have you heard of Kleenex diapers? Neither have most people, it was a dismal failure. If you say the word “Levis” usually the first thing that pops into your head is blue jeans. Not shoes, not casual-wear, just simply jeans. Levis decided to try to use the “Levis” name to also extend it to Levis shoes. This was a dismal failure. Levis occupied the “jeans” position in the prospects mind, and the shoes extension of this brand just did not make sense in the prospects mind. What could Levi’s have done differently to be successful?

Levis could have done what many companies do; they create another brand that is not a direct extension of their current brand. They need to create their own separate identity. Most companies don’t realize that the amazingly successful Proctor and Gamble company is also Joy, Crest, Charmin, Duncan Hines, Bounty, Pampers etc… Each of these products from the same company, but each has it’s own powerful identity. Just say the word “Pampers” and automatically you say diapers. They have magically achieved positioning of a product in your mind.

You will actually find this to be the case whenever you use the brand name to represent the product. “Can you Xerox this for me”. “Where is the Bayer”? “I need a Band-Aid”.

What If my competition pre-empts me and launches first?

So if your competition launches first, how can you be successful when releasing a similar product? To be successful, you will need to reposition the competition. There are several brilliant examples of repositioning competition. Tylenol repositioned the aspirin market with an advertisement that spoke about all of the side effects of aspirin. Luckily for all of us, there is Tylenol. Tylenol moved into the number one position and has held it.

Pringles potato chips are another great example being repositioned. Pringles struck out with a massive advertising campaign. They immediately won over 18% of the chip market. Wise intelligently countered their advertising with a simple ad. The ad was great; Wise simply read the ingredients of their potato chips, all natural ingredients. They then read Pringles ingredients: Dehydrated Potatoes, Butylated hydrox-anisole, diglycerides etc… Is this what you want your child to eat? Do you want your child to consume all of these chemicals? Pringles sales crumbled after this simple reposition from “Wise”.

To be successful, you have to find an innocent mind, a pure mind, one that is totally unscathed by the idea that you are trying to promote. Your idea has to be fresh, unique. It has to be first. In nature this is called imprinting.

It’s not enough to be better than the competitor, you must announce your product before someone else has a chance to establish leadership. Our mind remembers the first, as the most important. History is full of firsts, Neil Armstrong and Charles Lindbergh. Rarely do we see, or remember second and third.

“I’m number one” Rule

When you talk about your business, it is a good idea not to play the “I’m number one” game. The psychology behind this idea is very simple. If you are number one, the prospect already knows you are number one and wonders why you are so insecure as to have to remind them. Or the prospect doesn’t know that you are number one, and if so why not? Maybe you defined your position as being number one in your own terms, not your prospects.

You still have a chance even if you aren’t first!

Being first is very important, but also setting a standard by which all others are judged is just as important. A great example is Coke. Coke set-up this standard in one of their advertisements. The ad was simple and only needed four words, “Coke-a-Cola The Real Thing.” So, if Coke is the real thing, then all other soft drinks are simply imitations of the real thing.

What’s in a name?

Positioning your name with a customer. Your name is extremely important. When I first created FMWebschool 5 years ago I was aware of the importance of the company name in a specific industry, but I had not applied a 5-year plan to the name. The name did not speak to the expansion of our products. What do I mean by this?

When FMWebschool began, we were mainly an instructional facility, teaching classes and writing training materials. Then, about 5 years ago we began developing database driven websites in earnest. Our consulting division began to grow, and then we added developer tools and plug-ins. None of the newer additions to our solutions and services were reflected in our name. Still, we receive emails and phone calls where individuals are surprised to find out that we offer much more than training. But the name FMWebschool sounds like it should be a “school”, and therefore people associate school with learning.

A small lesson here is when choosing a name; choose a name that fits into your 5 year to 10-year game plan. Yes, names can be changed, and usually it takes a lot of time, but it may need to be done.

Names can be an extremely limiting factor as to what services and products you offer, as well as geographically limiting. A good example is Standard Oil of New Jersey. Doesn’t sound very worldly does it? You probably know Standard Oil of New Jersey as Exxon. Remember, a name becomes a living, breathing entity of its own. Your prospects will begin to add their feelings, their dislikes and likes to your name.

What about naming your product? Once again in the Proctor and Gamble example, if you have a new product, give it a new name. The new product needs to create a unique position in your prospects mind. How many products have confused consumers by adding so many different embellishments to a product line that you don’t know what’s what. They simply give the product name and then add the word “plus”. One name cannot stand for two distinctly different products. Xerox found this out when they tried to launch the Xerox computer systems. What you never heard of the Xerox computer? Surprise! Not many have, it was a miserable failure for Xerox and cost them millions of dollars. You have to remember that Xerox is more than a name; it is a “Position”.

While a great name is helpful in anchoring and positioning a product in the prospects mind, we need to remember that our prospects spend their hard earned dollars on benefits. You may have a great airline company that offers great food, service and pricing, but if the location is unknown, or doesn’t hold a strong position in the prospects mind, chances are you wont be selling many tickets.

So, what can you do to help this airline sell more tickets and gain a greater share of the market? Simply re-position, or help create a position for that particular location. You can offer all of the amenities you can think of for the flight, but the destination is what is actually being purchased. So, it is your job to market the destination. If the destination is a beautiful island, begin describing the island as a little known paradise, and now this is your chance to visit before the “rest” of the world finds out.

Strategic marketing is not embracing and promoting the embellishments; it is understanding the benefits and presenting them in an appealing way to your prospects.

Here are a few key questions that you can ask yourself.

What position do you currently own in your prospects mind?
Is there enough of a market to support your product or service?
If not, do you have the tenacity, the perseverance, the capital to create a new niche?
Who is your competition?
Is your competition successful? Is it a viable market?
What are my 5 year, my 10 year goals?

Don’t be disheartened with these questions. At a time when the grocery aisles were packed with cold remedies and decongestants, Nyquil stepped forward powerfully as a new product. All of the other products focused on daytime relief. Nyquil was the first to step in with the “Night-Time so you can sleep medicine”. Nyquil created it’s own niche and it’s own position in our mind. Another would be 7-Up. 7-Up touted itself as the un-cola. Both Nyquil and 7-Up made wise decisions, but they also made sacrifices to move forward. Nyquil when first released gave up the Daytime market and 7-Up gave up the cola market. Since then, after years of success, Nyquil has ventured into the daytime cold medicine with Dayquil.

Answering these questions will give you a great head start in positioning yourself in your prospects mind.