content jam 2014 - susan silver - who are you? 5 keys to positioning your business
DESCRIPTION
“I still don’t know how I got Yanni on my home page.” – True quote from a CEO who didn’t position his company before investing in marketing. Don’t let this very unhappy client be you! Most companies know that a positioning statement can help them, but oftentimes it’s low on the priority list. This workshop focuses on the 5 key things everyone should know when they talk about and write about their company – whether it’s to potential customers, investors, agencies or even employees. In this workshop you'll learn: The 5 key things everyone should know when they talk about their company Using your positioning statement to create personas How to refine and tighten existing positioning statements Even if you already have a positioning statement and personas, we'll help you tighten your positioning and will give you some new ideas for painting a richer picture or your personaTRANSCRIPT
Who Are You?
5 Keys to Positioning Your Business
October 2, 2014
A tight value proposition provides focus for all of your sales & marketing efforts
• Sales: • Which customers to talk to • What to say when you talk to them
• Marketing: • Where to spend your money to reach
customers • What key message point to focus on
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
5 Key Elements of every value proposition
Unmet Need
Competitive Set
Point of Difference
Reasons to Believe
Target
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Basic Positioning Formula
To ________ with ______, your company is the ____________
that __________________________ because ___________,
___________, and ___________.
Target Need Competitive Set
Unique Point of Difference Evidence 1
Evidence 2 Evidence 3
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Filling in the template for
To ________ with ______, Give Forward is the ____________
that __________________________ because ___________,
___________, and ___________.
Target Need Competitive Set
Unique Point of Difference Evidence 1
Evidence 2 Evidence 3
People who have friends with cancer who are in
financial need
wish they could help
in a meaningful
way online medical
fundraising tool
empowers people to help financially easy to use
process
fundraising coaches
Has helped people raise more than $2M in the last 6
months
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
1. Unmet Need
Definition: What customer problem does your product solve?
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Running Example: Allen Brothers Steaks
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Allen Brothers Unmet Need
Want to eat the very best steaks possible
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
2. Target
Definition: Who is the customer who has this need?
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Who is your bull’s eye customer?
X X X X X
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Examples of solid target descriptions
Property managers of dwellings with 500+
units
Upper income moms with kids 2-‐12
Owners of businesses
with under 1K employees
People touched
by Dystonia
People who have friends with cancer
Owners/operators of mulD-‐unit
health club chains w/ 5-‐40 locaDons
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Target is the first step in building a persona
Age
Role/Function Geography
Size or Income
Behaviors
Kids
Attitudes
Activities & Interests
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Use basic research to gather facts about your key buyer
• Customer interviews • Zip codes from online shipping info • Call reports from sales people • Survey data* • Tallying shoppers by hand • Trade show observaDon
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
But I have several targets…
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Targets tie directly to your Marketing Plan
Single Focused Target Two
s Single Focused Target
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Allen Brothers Target
Affluent men 55+
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Allen Brothers: More detailed target
Demographics • 55+ • Male • Income $200K+ Attitudes • Great steak is worth paying more for • It’s possible to purchase great food online
Behaviors • I am comfortable shopping online for food • My wife and I eat out frequently • I shop in gourmet stores in addition to chain grocery stores • We primarily eat Allen Brothers for special, but non-holiday
meals • I often give Allen Brothers steaks as gifts
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
3. Competitive Set
Definition: What are you?
Kids’ Meal
Family Dinner
Teen Snack
Side Dish © 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Allen Brothers Competitive Set
The online prime meat company
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
4. Point Of Difference
Definition: Why is your company/product unique?
It’s NOT Your Price!
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
The best Points of Difference clearly meet the Unmet Need
Unmet Need Point of Difference
Company A Want the Dme their kids spend without them to be enriching
Company B Spending too much Dme recruiDng and hiring
Company C Need to provide appropriate healthcare in a correcDonal environment
Helps kids become beNer thinkers
Never read an unqualified resume again
Experts in correcDonal healthcare
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Allen Brothers Point Of Difference
Delivers to your home the very best steaks you can get anywhere
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
5. Reasons to Believe your Point of Difference
Definition: What evidence do you have that this is true?
Awards/CredenDals QuanDfiable Proprietary Process
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
5. Reasons to Believe your Point of Difference
Definition: What evidence do you have that this is true?
Have in-‐packed over 1B 2D and 3D items
Only 1 in 40 qualified teachers is
hired
They write the ads for
you
Proprietary easy-‐to-‐use hiring soWware
CerDfied 6k+ correcDonal healthcare
professionals including a former surgeon general
Proprietary contract
aNorney veYng and training process
One click/5 minutes to switch
Consistent monthly
bill
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Allen Brothers Reasons to Believe
1. Leading purveyors of USDA prime beef in the US
2. Their meat served in the very best steakhouses in America
3. Every piece of meat is hand selected, hand cut and aged by their master butchers
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.
Allen Brothers Positioning Statement
To affluent men 55+ who love steak and want to eat the very best steaks possible, Allen Brothers is the online prime meat company that delivers to your home the very best steaks you can get anywhere because
1. They are the leading purveyors of USDA prime beef in the country 2. Their meat is served in the very best steakhouses in America, and 3. Every piece of meat is hand selected, hand cut and aged by AB’s
master butchers
© 2014 Argentum Strategy Group. All rights reserved.