Failure to communicate is the single most common and most universal reason people cite for their problems. Communication itself is a challenge. We have become the world’s first #overcommunicated society. Each year, we send out more information but receive less engagement.
Now that I’ve identified a challenge we all experience, let’s talk about a new approach.
Instead of talking at, sending out a blitzkrieg of texts/emails, or becoming the teacher from Charlie Brown, what if you could position yourself within the mind of your prospect?
To do this, you need to start by identifying your product or service. Positioning is about gaining mindshare from your prospect. In its simplest form, your goal is to position your product/service as the first thing that the prospects associates with when thinking of that item. Positioning addresses the challenge of being heard in our overcommunicated society. Changes to name, price, or packaging are easy tasks that most businesses do first to change position—but rarely have the desired effect.
To be successful today, you must touch base with reality. The only reality that counts is what’s already in the prospect’s mind. The basic idea behind positioning isn’t to create something new and different, but to manipulate what’s already in the mind of the prospect, and retie connections that already exist. Advertising is not a sledgehammer; it’s more a light fog that envelops your prospects. In the oversaturated world, we live in, the only hope to score big is to be selective; to concentrate on narrow targets and practice segmentation.
The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s communications, screens and rejects much of the information provided to it. In general, the mind accepts only that which matches prior knowledge or experience. The average mind is already a dripping sponge that can only soak up information at the expense of what’s already there. Yet we continue to pour more information into this saturated sponge and are disappointed when our messages fail to be absorbed. Because of this, most messaging is too general, as we are trying to be all things to all people. No real memorable position has been created in the mind of the prospect.
Sharpen your message to cut into the prospect’s mind. Jettison the ambiguities, simplify the message, and then simplify it even more to make a long-lasting impression. Select the material that has the best chance of getting through. The enemies that keep your messages from hitting pay dirt are the sheer volume of other communications. The solution to your positioning challenge is already waiting inside your prospect’s mind! Instead of trying to send out your message and hope it gets through, focus on the receiving end. Attach your messaging to a belief, thought, or value that is already there. Concentrate on the prospect’s perceptions.
The sender is always wrong, and the receiver is always right. By focusing on the prospect rather than the product, you simplify the selection process. Learn the principles and concepts that matter to them. This will greatly increase your communication effectiveness.
#themoreyouknow