November 9, 2018
Where my aspiring groups at?
When trying to define what exactly it is that you do for your clients, it can be tempting generalize.
The rationale is that you don’t want to turn away potential clients for whom you could potentially do good work.
So you spend untold hours trying to craft a positioning statement that is technically accurate but extremely abstract.
Things like:
We move aspiring groups toward great outcomes.
Or
We embrace technologies in both web and mobile to create engaging user experiences.
Or
We are designed to meet the needs of every client’s vision.
Did any of these statements cause you to think:
“Oh! I know someone who needs that! I should let them know!”
I doubt it.
Why?
Because these are all examples of the kind of soggy word salad that results from trying to alienate no one. From trying to leave all your options open. From refusing to take a stand.
Counterintuitively, leaving your options open in your positioning statement does not result in more lead. It results in fewer leads.
In fact, a soggy positioning statement probably results in zero leads. If you get any at all, they’re likely to be random word of mouth referrals that you receive in spite of your marketing efforts.
Yes, I know that you can help all sorts of clients with all sorts of things. But if you’re not getting as many leads as you’d like, try picking a particular type of client with a particular type of problem and marketing directly to them for a little while.
I think you’ll see a marked difference almost immediately.
Yours,
—J