A few more thoughts, about Positioning
Posted on June 1st, 2010 by Paul McArdle – 1 CommentAs noted previously, we’re continuing the ongoing Autopsy 2 process to give some consideration about how we’re perceived in the marketplace, and (to the extent that it is different from how we wish to be perceived) what we need to do to move this perception.
Hence, it was with interest that I rocked up to today’s Brisbane session of the “Thought Leaders” breakfast series held by the AIM.
Perhaps I’m not too quick on the uptake, but it was not until the breakfast had started that I realised I had been lured into a session that was part real information, and part infomercial for a consulting/coaching firm that runs by the name of (you guessed it…) Thought Leaders.
Today our presenter was Darren Hill, on of their mentors.
The 90 minutes of my time, and the few dollars it cost was an investment that proved worthwhile today – not least of which because the topic of the morning’s session was about “Positioning”.
A. Nine Competencies of Thought Leadership
To put this session into context, the AIM (in Brisbane) is running nine different sessions about different aspects of thought leadership, along the following lines:
Session 1 = Uniqueness
Session 2 = Expertise
Session 3 = Foresight
Session 4 = Positioning (today’s session)
Session 5 = Perspective (or comprehension)
Session 6 = Communication
Session 7 = Pitching
Session 8 = Execution
Session 9 = Enrolment (or commitment)However, it’s not clear to me which event will be on which day in the future (I think two have already been held, and unfortunately I missed those).
B. Another definition of Positioning
Using slightly different language, Darren defines “Positioning” as reputation (for an individual, for a company, or for whatever thing it is that is being positioned).
He uses this term with respect to his concept of a “reputation economy”, which sounds similar to the concepts advanced in “The Speed of Trust”.
C. Three Ways to Influence Reputation
With a focus on reputation, Darren states that there are only three main ways in which to enhance our reputation.
1) Give Away Value
Darren mentions that this has become the quickest way for new businesses (or people) to establish a valued reputation in the marketplace.
Discussion shifted to the consideration of how new economies have emerged based on the delivery of such products as Freeware.
What can we give away to our clients (and potential clients) for free?
We offer free trials of all of our software, and provide (when we have the time) some commentary about the NEM on our WattClarity ® blog. What else can we do?
2) Be Consistent
Darren noted that inconsistency is the easiest way to ruin a reputation.
How can we be more consistent?
This is a double-edged sword for us. Once they reach final release, our software is consistent in delivering value to clients – with particular focus on clarity, convenience and cost-effectiveness.
However, our software development process has been disappointing in more recent years – which is why I have recently recruited Derrick Hill as our General Manager for DDD WCW.
3) Originality is King
In my view, this is similar to the view espoused by Al Ries and Jack Trout that a company needs to be first into the customer’s mind, or perhaps second.
How can we be more original?
When we look at our products (such as NEM-Watch, NEM-Review and deSide®), each of them has been an original offering in the marketplace, in their own ways.
However (related to facet #2 above) we have not done all that we could have to build on this originality, and this is something we need to redress for the future.
D. A few books recommended
Finally, Darren recommended a few other books - hence I walked out of the session with a few others to be added to our growing library.
Stay tuned for more reviews on this blog, when we have the time…
[...] have noted elsewhere, our customers mostly like us, and what we do – the results we received from the survey we recently conducted were largely what we expected, in this sense. When I find a bit more “spare” time, I’ll [...]