In terms of sales strategy and sales process, positioning essentially refers to the angle at which you want to approach the prospect; and more directly, approach the sale. In essence, if your prospect was to describe your business or brand in a single sentence, statement, or phrase what would you want it to be? Do you want to be viewed as an industry expert with an exceedingly high level of industry knowledge? Or perhaps as a valued resource whose trust and integrity is absolute? The list could go on and on with potential positioning stances, and deciding on which one suits you best depends on your prospective clientele, your service capabilities, and your desired branding overall.
Some may be wondering, “Well shoot, why can’t I be all of these and more?!” And the truth of the matter is it’s simply not believable, and as such not as strategic. While we don’t like to use the word ‘impossible’ for any business goals, it’s very improbable that a single brand provides the best technical solution, has unflappable customer service, and is the cheapest on the block by 10X fold.
What is possible however, is to truly differentiate yourself in the marketplace through meaningful language, process, and empathy.
This creates a brand position, a thesis if you will, of who and what your brand is all about.
So where do we start? When does this come into play during our sales cycle? Simply put, awareness of your positioning must be present throughout every phone call, email, and interaction with any prospective clientele. Let’s take trusted and valued resource as an example. Would we want to lead with features and benefits, or rhetoric on how much cheaper we are than the competition? Absolutely not!
If your goal is to be viewed as a trusted strategic resource, the focus must be on the prospect themselves, and understanding their specific business challenges and goals, and thereby their specific needs.
A commitment to a specific positioning approach throughout a sales process, will dramatically increase your chance to close, and the conversion rate from prospect to customer overall.