Stand your ground, stake your claim and pick a side – by crafting a position statement. You have a prospective customer that has a problem that needs to be solved, you can provide a solution, but how does the prospect know that if they haven't talked to you. By reading all your content? That would be your ultimate outcome, but it is not reality, because your prospect is busy. You need a few lines that state whether you are for or against an issue, topic, method or idea.
Have you ever been asked what you do? You open your mouth and wonder where to start, only to talk about yourself. NOT! You answer with a position statement!
In this article, part five of the series, you will learn how to carefully craft a solid position statement.
What does this have to do with Infusionsoft?
Infusionsoft helps you deliver a new product, a new service or a message about your startup. How can you effectively and efficiently educate and nurture your Infusionsoft list without a concise position statement?
First let's recap. Keep in mind, that at this stage, you have already defined your perfect prospective customer (avatar) and you know what their problems are – you even completed your own SWOT analysis. Now you need a concise, compelling statement that says it all – without rambling or grasping for words.
Furthermore, a great position statement will help your writers, designers and campaign creators stay on point. Your position statement is an internal tool that helps you maintain focus on your brand.
Your position statement is intended to garner a reaction when a prospect asks you, “what does your company do”?
REMINDER: The secret sauce to successful use of Infusionsoft, or any other SaaS automated marketing platform, does not contain tactical marketing knowledge as its key ingredient. The most successful users of Infusionsoft are smart digital marketers that have a defined strategy. They do not start with a bunch of widgets, gadgets, plugins, API or other integration tools in order to succeed at digital marketing. They start with strategy, not with tactics!
Here is how you avoid paying tens of thousands of dollars going to seminars, live events, paid webinars and corporate universities in order to be successful with digital marketing while using Infusionsoft as one of your tools.
Infusionsoft Secret Sauce: Crafting a Position Statement
Creating a position statement from scratch is not an easy task. However, armed with a well defined avatar, knowledge of what problems they have and how your core offer can provide a viable solution to their problem – this critical ingredient to your Infusionsoft Secret Sauce – will become much easier by following a formula that has those components at its foundation.
Be mindful of the following items when crafting your position statement:
- Keep it simple. You must be able to recite this at the snap of a finger. It must be memorable and tailored to the tone and words your target market uses.
- Paint a picture for the mind. Your well crafted position statement will paint a picture in the mind of your prospective customer that differentiates you from those who claim to be as good as you are.
- It states what you deliver and is credible. One of the components of the position statement says what you do and without being said, it states what you do not do. Your company can deliver!
- It is yours and you own it. When you shout out your position statement, you have to feel like this is you and it is what you believe. It is yours regardless of who helped you create it. Now own it!
- Your staff can now use it to make decisions. A well crafted position statement says what you do and who you do it for. It also alludes to and hints at what you do not do and who you do not work best with. That helps immensely with your marketing decisions and makes sure your team is consistent, which are key components to a stable and sustainable organization.
- Fuel for growth. When you nail it, it becomes central to your differentiating claims. It gives you confidence in the space you own. It supports the products and services you choose to add. It helps you hire the right people who get what you do. That is fuel for growth. A great position statement becomes something you paint on the walls, put on your web site and plaster on your printed media.
The Formula for crafting a position statement
“For [target customers with these problems], the [company or brand name] is the leading [category differentiation] that provides [unique benefit] unlike [competitors] because [this is what we believe] and [this is how we are unique].”
It is important to understand that the above formula is to be used as a guide, not as an absolute flow of your position statement. Before we show you some samples of well crafted, on-point position statements that make sense and paint a picture into the mind of a prospective customer we would like to thank Greg Head, Chief Marketing Officer Forever at Infusionsoft, who helped guide Viral Solutions deeper into excellence through his brilliance and willingness to collaborate and refine our own strategy.
Five Sample Position Statements
“Viral Solutions helps overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves so business can be fun again.”
“Infusionsoft is the leading sales and marketing software that helps true small businesses to get organized, grow sales and save time.”
“For those seeking relief from digestive issues, Dr. Liz Cruz, is the leading expert in digestive health, teaching you the truth on how to alleviate your symptoms, unlike others who just want to put a miracle pill in your hand. This is your life, it is your time – get it back!”
“For the franchisee that feels misunderstood and it time strapped, Funding Solutions makes the financing process feel smooth and painless. Funding Solutions knows your brand and how unique your challenges are. We work for you to properly structure transactions that help fuel your growth and keep you on the road to success.”
“For CFO's, audit executives and other leaders fighting fraud, John Hall is your best choice for tailored turn-by-turn instructions to your Anti-Fraud Battle Plan. Unlike the big firms, we have the answers that will unshade the truth and manage your fraud risks.”
As you can see the formula helps you find the words that are meaningful to your preferred audience. The formula is then used to rearrange the statement so it flows. It must be effective, it must contain the key components that are relevant to your brand and core offer. Most importantly, your position statement has to be your point of differentiation. It must be meaningful and convincing.
It is not designed to answer all your prospects questions. You know you have nailed it when you answer the question, “what does your company do?” – and you get one of two reactions:
- What do you mean by [insert benefit to learn more about]?
- While answering with your position statement, they gaze over your shoulder or act disinterested. [perfect – they are not your prospect – you just segmented your list]
In thirty seconds or less you just segmented your list of perfect prospective customers. After all, segmentation is the key to building your digital marketing machine.
Reference Links for Infusionsoft Secret Sauce Articles:
- Defining Your Target Market
- Pain Problem Solution
- Online Buyer Psychology
- Determining Your Advantage
- Crafting a Position Statement
- Digital Marketing Excellence
- Automated Relationship Marketing
Copyright 2016 Viral Solutions LLC
by Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant, a Google Partner – Certified in AdWords.