The Four Questions of Positioning for Design-Build Organizations

 This week is Passover.  Jews around the world will gather for the Seder to tell the story of Passover.  A central part of the Seder is the asking of “The Four Questions.”  Traditionally asked by the youngest participant at the Seder, the questions ask “why is this night different from all other nights?”

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.