I've already had some feedback that the links in yesterday's posting have been useful to some people in creating a new, more effective positioning statement (elevator pitch, inspiring proposition, whatever).
That's terrific news. Thinking about what you do from the customer's point of view is always a great focusing exercise, and can reveal new ideas, opportunities and talking points.
Now I'm thinking there's a follow-up column in this. If you've read my FP column this week and worked on your seven words, or if you've tried the PitchWizard I linked to, please let me know what your results were. It may even earn you some publicity in a national newspaper.
(But I have to strike while the iron is hot, so please get back to me by Feb. 20.)
Thanks!
One more link you may find useful: Toronto-based Michel Neray has been helping people develop their "Essential Message" for years. Click here for Michel's self-marketing tools.
Showing posts with label positioning statements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label positioning statements. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
A proposition you can't refuse
My Financial Post column this week deals with an age-old problem: composing a brief, powerful positioning statement that explains what you do and engages listeners’ attention without burying them in detail.
This should be Job One for Canadian entrepreneurs, but sadly, very few know how to do it.
There’s lots of information in books, magazines and websites on how to do this right (click here for a random example). But there’s always room for more.
So this week I wrote about marketing consultants Ian Chamandy and Ken Aber of Toronto-based Blueprint, who came up with the idea of seven-word positioning statements – which they call Inspiring Propositions. Then they take it a step farther by helping you build a complete customer dialogue and corporate “architecture” around your IP.
Excerpt:
When they started Blueprint three years ago, Chamandy and Aber weren't hooked on "seven words." They were trying to help companies plan better. But when they met with management, they found no one could ever answer the question, "Why should a customer choose you?" As they helped organizations develop mission statements, they realized the best were also the simplest. At seven words or less, Chamandy says, "they're easy to understand and articulate." And they're short enough to remember -- not just for the client's staff, but for their clients, too.
You don't need to hire a consulting firm to develop an IP, although Chamandy insists it's not something you can do by yourself. The process involves reviewing rigorously -- and from an outsider's perspective -- everything you do. "It's the difference between what you're selling and what the customers are buying."
Click here for the full Post column.
Click here for Blueprint’s website to get more information.
And here’s a bonus: a website that helps you produce your own positioning statement in five minutes. It’s pretty low-tech (and it’s a lot more than seven words), but if you don't know what to say, it’s a good place to start.
Click here to begin.
Thursday update: Reader Rob MacArthur of Halifax sends along a link to another site geared to help you pitch and promote more effectively. Click here for Vator.tv!
This should be Job One for Canadian entrepreneurs, but sadly, very few know how to do it.
There’s lots of information in books, magazines and websites on how to do this right (click here for a random example). But there’s always room for more.
So this week I wrote about marketing consultants Ian Chamandy and Ken Aber of Toronto-based Blueprint, who came up with the idea of seven-word positioning statements – which they call Inspiring Propositions. Then they take it a step farther by helping you build a complete customer dialogue and corporate “architecture” around your IP.
Excerpt:
When they started Blueprint three years ago, Chamandy and Aber weren't hooked on "seven words." They were trying to help companies plan better. But when they met with management, they found no one could ever answer the question, "Why should a customer choose you?" As they helped organizations develop mission statements, they realized the best were also the simplest. At seven words or less, Chamandy says, "they're easy to understand and articulate." And they're short enough to remember -- not just for the client's staff, but for their clients, too.
You don't need to hire a consulting firm to develop an IP, although Chamandy insists it's not something you can do by yourself. The process involves reviewing rigorously -- and from an outsider's perspective -- everything you do. "It's the difference between what you're selling and what the customers are buying."
Click here for the full Post column.
Click here for Blueprint’s website to get more information.
And here’s a bonus: a website that helps you produce your own positioning statement in five minutes. It’s pretty low-tech (and it’s a lot more than seven words), but if you don't know what to say, it’s a good place to start.
Click here to begin.
Thursday update: Reader Rob MacArthur of Halifax sends along a link to another site geared to help you pitch and promote more effectively. Click here for Vator.tv!
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