While conducting research for a client, I made the
connection that determining positioning also requires answering four
questions. They are:
· Why do our prospects
want/need what we offer?
· What are the important
purchase decision drivers?
· How do we rate on those
drivers?
· Where do our prospects
get the information they need to make decisions?
Before we look at the specific questions, we would recommend
that the questions be asked by an objective third party, and be anonymous. The reason is simple: people will be more
honest.
Now let’s look at each question in more detail.
Question 1: Why do
our prospects want/need what we offer?
For some companies, the answer is easy:
· Airlines: To get to my
destination quickly and safely
· Hospitals: To maintain
or improve my health
· Plumbers: To fix a leaky
faucet
For design-build companies, the answer might not be so
simple. Sure, it would be easy to say “to
create my dream home” or “to have my restaurant be a destination.” But you really need to understand much more:
· How important are
factors such as technology, sustainability, aging in place, etc.?
· For a residence, is the
client downsizing or upsizing? Do they
have kids? Do they entertain a lot?
· For a business, what do
you want your site to “say” when clients walk in the door?
Question 2: What are the important purchase decision
drivers?
To understand the purchase process, quantitative research
(telephone interviews, online surveys, more sophisticated methodologies such as
discrete choice, etc.) can be conducted to determine how important specific
attributes are. Attributes can include:
· Reputation
· Professional or personal
referral
· Price
· Expertise in those
things identified as important in Question 1.
· Chemistry with the
people I will be working with
· Size of company
· Ability to make the
process easy
But if you do not have the budget to do that, you can also
use qualitative research to ask open-ended questions. Ask them to describe your
organization. Find out what three words
they believe best describe your organization.
Find out about strengths and weaknesses.
If they chose you for a project, find out why. While this qualitative research will not
produce quantifiable results, the actual words you hear can provide meaningful
input for the language you will use to create positioning and messaging.
Question 3: How do we
rate on those drivers?
Using the same attributes, identify how prospects perceive
your organization, and your competitors.
These are natural follow-up questions to be asked right after you have
answered Question 2. Some hints:
· Ask about both your
organization and competitors
· Distinguish between
customers and prospects
Answering these three questions should help you determine
positioning and messaging. What you are
looking for are those attributes that are both important to your target market,
and for which you rate highly. Those are
the attributes to emphasize.
Question 4: Where do
your prospects get the information they need to make decisions?
The final question helps you determine where to deliver the
messages. For design/build firms, the
natural reaction is to say Houzz. But
you need to drill down. Some
possibilities include:
· Friends/relatives
· Mass media (newspapers,
television, etc.)
· Websites
· Social media ( ask
specifically about Facebook Twitter, Houzz, Pinterest, etc.)
· Email
· Other
Now that you have answered the four questions, you will be
able to create your positioning and messaging, and know where to deliver
it.
Happy Passover, and may your kids (or grandkids) find the
afikomen. And if you celebrate Easter,
happy Easter and may your kids (or grandkids) find the Easter eggs.
