The Power Of A Market Dominating Position

I'll never forget meeting my friend Kevin.

I was working as the CEO for a nonprofit that fights to bring girls out of human sex-trafficking in the state of Idaho. After a presentation, Kevin walked up to me and said, "I can't write you a $20,000 check but I can raise you $60,000!" 

That was it. That was literally all he said. 

But it wasn't enough. I had to hear more. 

So I said, "Tell me about it. I'd love to hear more!" 

I was hooked. 

It lead to an hour long coffee meeting where he told me about his professional life. He was an auctioneer and he raised money for nonprofits. 

Sure I had questions. But let's face it. I was sold from his introduction. 

That simple introduction taught me a lot about a market dominating position.

Here are some of the things I learned:

1) Keep it Short

Ain't nobody got time for a presentation. If you can't say it in a sentence you either don't know what you can truly offer OR what you have to offer isn't different from anyone else.

Use the 15 second rule. If you can't communicate your market dominating position in 15 seconds you'd better figure out how to. You have 1 chance to grab someone's attention for the first time.

Say it concisely.

And for the love of Pete don't overexplain! 

2) Make it clear

Think about one simple question. "What do we do and why should people care?"

Remember, nobody cares about your business. They care about them. They care about what they're going to get out of what your business has to offer. 

So tell them. And don't you dare tell them too much information. 

Sure you may do a lot of things well. But there's one thing you do better than anyone else. There's one thing people need to know about you. 

3) Be Confident

When you express your market dominating position in a confident fashion you gain instant credibility. People find you more trustworthy because you're confident in what you're saying.

If you're presenting it live, be aware of your body language. Body language says way more than your actual words. If you don't look confident no one will listen. 

If you're posting your market dominating position online make sure your language isn't wishy washy. Avoid words that instill doubt. Replace them with words that show confidence.

Remember, you're the expert. You know your industry.

4) Know Your Audience

Your market dominating position is not your jingle or your company tagline.

You can communicate your market dominating position to a group of CEO's differently than you do to a group of buyers. 

Kevin knew his audience. He knew I was the CEO of a nonprofit and he let me know in no uncertain terms that he could raise me $60,000. He had me at "hello".

Find the pain points of your audience and speak to that.  As long as it's Concise, Clear, and Confident.

In Marketing, I guide my clients through communicating the right offer, to the right audience, at the right time. Though there may be different kinds of campaigns with different kinds of goals and different kinds of companies, those three things never change.

Without a market dominating position it becomes a lot harder to market effectively. 

With a market dominating position you will position your company as the expert in your field. And you'll find yourself being the HUNTED as opposed to the HUNTER. 

More on that in the next blog.