Positioning: Turning a Potential Liability into an Asset

When is a liability not a liability? When you can turn it into an asset through clever positioning! Sometimes whether something is a positive or a negative is really just a matter of perspective. To illustrate this concept, let's look at some examples…

Lack of Experience

Perhaps you just started a business. Some might consider your inexperience to be a liability. Maybe business is still a little slow. How can you put a positive spin on things? You're not "inexperienced," you're…

• Affordable
• Flexible
• Offering a fresh perspective
• Ready to tackle the client's project immediately

High Prices

Not everyone wants to be the low-price leader. But you also wouldn't want to tout that you've got "the highest prices in town"! You're not "expensive," you're…

• A highly-skilled expert
• In demand nationwide
• Providing customized and unique solutions
• Catering to those with discriminating tastes

"Me Too" Service

What if you're in an industry where all of the players offer essentially the same thing – or it at least appears this way to the average consumer? How can you position yourself to stand out from the crowd? You're not "just the same as your competitors," you're…

• A specialist in a particular niche of the market
• The organization with the most longevity
• The go-to provider in a given geographic area
• The one that provides the best value

Many businesses try to hide their potential negatives completely, hoping that no one will notice them. This approach tends to back-fire. It's often far better to confront these potential negatives head-on, by spinning them around and turning them into positives.

Comments