STRATEGIC MARKET POSITIONING OVERVIEW:
The Big Picture

Here's the state of most companies - from large to small:

Most Companies Have NO IDEA How to Differentiate
Themselves from Their Competitors.

So, what do they do?

More importantly, what do YOU do to strategically position yourself or your firm in the marketplace?

The typical response is to spend more money on advertising.

But, advertising what?

If you have no compellingly different strategies ... products ... services ... designs ... packaging ... or innovations, then you are almost always forced to advertise lower prices (rarely profitable) or resort to the familiar "Hey, we're here too" approach (WOW - that should pull them in).

Car dealerships, banks, medical establishments, and many others that concentrate on mass media to get their message out often fall into this trap.

You've seen it (maybe even done it yourself) - they get in a collective "shouting match" of sorts that attempts to disguise the fact that they DO NOT HAVE any new ideas about how to treat patients ... deliver service before the sale ... innovate a way to connect with their customer in a more relationship-oriented way ... or get creative in providing REALLY unique banking, auto, medical, retail, professional, etc. products or services. (Are you paying attention car dealers? Don't you know that the majority of auto buying decisions are made by women, and when was the last time they were panting to know how much horsepower the engine had? When was the last time you discussed hiring a predominately FEMALE sales force?)

Let's face it. While getting your message out and making your presence known is important, simply throwing a bunch of cute or not-so-cute advertising up against the wall and hoping something "sticks" is usually an expensive waste of time.

No, there's much more to it than this and the animation at the top begins to share the answers:

Listen. Intently.
Be Passionate About Something.
Take a Look Around. Design Matters.
Innovation is Often an Accident.
Forget "Out of the Box." Try "Out of this World."
"WOW" Them. With Something.
Nobody Knows it All. BRAINeLINK™

If you, as a sole proprietor ... corporate CEO or Marketing Manager ... employee in a seemingly unimportant role (although there are no such positions) - would seriously latch on to only these 7 principles, your business ... your career ... your firm would never be the same.

The problem (echoed internationally) is that most of us get so bogged down with the "urgent" that we don't have time or energy to tend to the "vital."

The other SIGNIFICANT problem that we see constantly in our practice is that while MOST companies and their leaders WANT to differentiate themselves in the marketplace, they don't know HOW. It doesn't mean that their people aren't creative. They're buried already to the point that coming in with fresh perspectives and ideas requires a "jump start" from those who aren't so drained and constrained by the day-to-day stuff.

In many cases, that's our role. We're catalysts for change. Do we execute some of our ideas, too? Sure. We know how design unusual and compelling logos ... printed promotions ... electronic media ... and one-on-one marketing approaches.

But, the most important part of the entire process is having a long-term strategy for setting your business apart from the competition. Without that, you're just going to chase the same buyers with the same lame approaches as everyone else and eventually compete on price since your business (even a service business) has become a commodity.

If you need this help NOW, let us know. If you need our more in-depth STEP-BY-STEP analysis, feel free to check it out.