Everything has a certain position in our minds. We perceive things in a context of everything we know and automatically relate them to each other. So, it is up to us, if we leave the destiny to decide which position is our product/service/brand going to take or if we play the game of positioning and use it to our advantage.
But why is the position even important? Imagine you establish a position in the customers mind, that your product is the best compared to your competition. For sure your business is going to thrive. The position is important. The way your customer perceives you is important because it determines if he is going to be your customer at all.
There are different positions. The best in quality, newest, for woman and all the other adjectives, that come to your mind, when you think about something. But these positions are all in the context of the reality they are in, for example in the comparison to the competition. It is important to find where you can stand in your environment, that is going to give you an advantage.
To do that, you do not change the product, you just change its position in the mind of the prospect (customer).
There are many different strategies to do that. The easiest one is to be the first to enter the market with something successful. But that is very hard nowadays. So, we must find a different way to win the battle of the prospect’s mind, against an established leader. Just do not go head on head – find a way around, over or under.
When I think about my projects, I ask myself a question: “What position has my project in the mind of the customers?” What do they associate it with? I have always concentrated on the product, instead the customers, when thinking about the position. I Imagined what position or vibe I want to have but forgot on the reality and objectivity. Now I think about the advice to “find a way into the mind by hooking it to something, that already exists,” and to “narrow the focus of your expertise.”
The name is important in this whole game as well because language is the currency of mind. Words by itself are useless - they are triggers of a meaning in our minds. So, “you must select the words that trigger the meaning you want to stablish.”
I think we did that accidently with KAAMOS. We have amazing friendships in our team, we like to spend time together and are friends for life. I wouldn’t dare to give credit for that just to the name we chose, but I am sure it had a big impact on the approach we have. Because when I think about a word “kámoš,” I imagine friendship, nice time and support – the same way I feel about my team.
This knowledge really comes in hand to me, with my project Team4Learning. The name does not speak for the event at all and when the name is too far away from the reality – customers refuse it. So, should we change it? Well, the Team4Learning already has a position in some of my customers minds, it is a memory on the event but I can use the Team4Learning position to my advantage and reposition it with maybe a newer concept with a newer name, that will take the knowledge from this book into a reality! With a name, that speaks for the conference of teampreneurs from all around the world. A name that can establish a position in their minds.
Even though positioning is a new concept to me, I have been doing it subconsciously my whole life as a prospect and a creator as well. Now I know that the key to a success on the market is knowing how to play the game of positioning opposite to getting passively dragged to a position I do not want to have. And do it smarter, by using what is already in the mind !
Moudra:
“Positioning is thinking in reverse – from yourself to a mind of a prospect.”
“Trying harder is rarely a pathway to success. “
“Success in life is based more on what others can do for you, that on what you can do for others.”
“Never be afraid of conflict.”
“An idea or concept, without an element of conflict is not an idea at all.”
“Creativity by itself is worthless.”
“The mind makes the world of reality fit the name.”
“The obvious is often hard to find, because its too easy to see. Its too obvious.” - Allan Edgar Poe
