April 26, 2023

Twisting The Dials

When you have a quiet moment, please read through the following positioning statements and notice how you react to each one.

(Bonus points if you take notes and send the my way!)

1) I empower top managers in SMEs by providing clarity on success-critical challenges, enabling them to make informed decisions and achieve improved outcomes.

2) I empower top managers in SMEs to make informed decisions and achieve improved outcomes.

3) I help CEOs of US-based manufacturing companies make better strategic decisions.

4) I help CEOs of manufacturing companies make better decisions.

5) I help CEOs make better decisions.

6) I help executives make better decisions.

7) I help people make better decisions.

8) I help people find happiness.

Here’s the thing...

In my mind, these positioning statement could accurately (but perhaps not effectively) all apply to the same business.

The only differences between them come from me twisting the dials back and forth on my “Positioning Etch-A-Sketch.”

In this case, one dial represents the level of focus on “who you help” and the other represents the level of focus on “what you help them with.”

Like all fine-tuning adjustments, you can go too broad or to narrow with your positioning.

There’s no right or wrong when it comes to positioning, but there is effective or ineffective.

As an exercise, play around with the dials on your Positioning Etch-A-Sketch and see what you come up with.

Purposely go too far in both directions with each knob and then dial them back to something less extreme that feels like it might be worth testing.

Yours,

—J

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