No matter what type of business you’re in, you want to sell more. By selling more, you’ll increase your profits, increase your market presence and see better results. However, you don’t have to rely on spending more money on advertising to see greater returns. These three secrets to positioning will not only help you sell more products or services, but will also help you transform your organization into one which provides true support and benefit to your clientele. (Now that is a win-win!)
1. Position your company as selling solutions and not selling products.
When someone buys a widget, they aren’t really looking for a widget, they are looking for the solution that the widget brings. Accounting services are a solution to the nightmare of dealing with your own books. Shared office space is the solution to trying to keep your costs of business small while still looking professional. Help your customers honestly evaluate your product to see if it is a solution for them. After all, if your product isn’t a solution for someone, why would you want to sell it to them?
2. Position your company as a helpful advisor.
Social media has changed the way people shop for products online or in their local community. They come online looking for information and not necessarily looking to be sold to. The key in leveraging this for your business is to be a helpful source of information. You can use your company’s website to create a resource for your market. By publishing helpful articles, frequently asked questions databases or creating a blog, you’re becoming more than just another seller in the market. You’re becoming a valuable resource that your potential customers can trust and who helps them succeed. At Pacific Business Centers, our mission is not just about selling our services, but also in helping small businesses succeed – lending to the core company belief that the success of our clients will lead to our own success.
3. Position your company as a more experienced provider.
Experience matters in a crowded market place, and if you have the training or the track record to stand ahead of the pack, you should point it out. You can prove your experience in a variety of different ways. You can use social proof by displaying customer feedback on your website. You can also use case studies to show how your products or services have helped customers in the past with solving the problem that your market needs solved. For example, if you are a law firm that deals with tax issues, you can include case studies from clients that you’ve helped with their tax issues. Audio testimonials, videos and graphics can all lend to credibility and help prove your experience in the field. The more resources and proof you have on your website, the more you’ll position yourself as more experienced than others in your market.
Positioning is a long term process and can be implemented in several different steps. Once you choose your position in the market, use tools and techniques to implement it across the board for better exposure and more impact.
Courtney Ramirez
Research Analyst, Pacific Business Centers (rebranded as Pacific Workplaces)
Courtney’s research for Pacific Business Centers focuses on tracking emerging business trends and best practices – with an emphasis on how they affect business operations, technology, and office space infrastructure