Positioning Your Business For Success

Just browse the internet or open up the Yellow Pages. How many solicitors are listed in your town? How many plumbers? How many dentists? The list is long in most cases.

The dilemma that immediately confronts the thinking business owner is: "Why should anyone select me, rather than someone? We all have about the same level and quality of service, we all have prices within the same basic range, and we're all equally accessible, and so on."

What is the answer to this dilemma? Many people might jump in and say: "Prospects tend to choose the one with the lowest price."

But this is simply not true. Study after study shows that price is seldom the primary factor in making a decision to choose one dealer over another. If it were so, no luxury, premium or high quality goods or services would ever be sold.

The fact is, many factors enter into why people choose one business over another, and often the choice is merely random. Not everyone is a discriminating shopper who weighs every factor before choosing a product or service.

This is where positioning comes in. If you want customers to choose you, then you need to position yourself against the competition in a way that makes you stand out, and which gives good reason for people to choose you.

One of the best ways to do that is to foster an image of yourself as being "an expert in your field." In other words, you want people to think: "Sure there's a lot of good solicitors in this town, but Liz Smith is a solicitor's solicitor - she's an expert, she knows more about the law than the average solicitor."

How would people obtain that view of Liz Smith? Well, what if she published a book of tips on workplace law?

What if Liz Smith also conducted free seminars in law, or offered her services to local schools to come in and talk to young students about the law and how it affects our lives? And what if she also used those opportunities to promote her book? And since Liz Smith has published a book on local laws, it's likely a local radio station and newspaper will grant her an interview to talk about her book, and why she wrote it.

She may also get invited onto TV and radio programming when basic law topics are discussed - reporters usually invite the person who's an expert, and the person who "wrote the book" book is mostly likely to be that individual.

Positioning yourself as an expert means doing something that makes you stand out as an expert. That can be:

Writing a book.

Publishing a regular newspaper column on your area of expertise.

Giving seminars.

Getting yourself listed in key directories, such as "Who's Who".

Getting yourself invited on TV and radio talk shows.

Getting to know editors and reporters and telling them they can call you when they need information involving a story that involves your expertise. They'll then quote you and get your name into news stories, which is among the very best kind of free publicity you can get.

Establishing a "hot line" to answer questions in your field of expertise.

Issue press releases related to the latest development in your field, and list yourself as a resource for further information.

You don't have to be a solicitor or a professional. A car mechanic, a plumber, a builder - anyone can do all of the above and establish themselves as the "go to guy" when it comes to questions or information in any particular field.

Don't think you can write a book, or don't have time? Hire a ghost-writer to write it for you - it's a time-honoured tradition used by thousands of people all the time. The bottom line is, in today's strenuously competitive marketplace, becoming viewed as the "expert in your field" can be the ultimate positioning tool. Better yet, once you establish your position as "expert" you may never have to compete on price again. Many people will be glad to pay premium prices for "the best".

Finally, your positioning activities can actually earn you money while you promote and bolster your image. Sales of your book can mean a healthy additional income, and you can charge admission for seminars. When you are interviewed by local media representatives, it's like getting top-notch advertising for free.

The benefits of positioning are many. We urge you to start considering and planning to put your positioning strategy into play right now!

Article Source: http://www.dummiesguideto.com

Power Marketing System is an audio and web based marketing program designed to help small to medium enterprises increase their profits and outsell their competition. Explode your business today. Get the FREE audio now. Visit: www.powermarketingsystem.co.uk

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