Positioning Your Store for Maximum Customer Satisfaction

Let’s add power to “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind” by Al Ries & Jack Trout. Go beyond positioning your store among competitors.

Integrate your store with results & experiences people want to start or improve. Your store is positioned as a necessity when it’s an integral resource for people’s results & experiences.

Products are just ingredients. Product & method combinations make results & experiences special. Since people want benefits, promote your ability to produce & maintain benefits with optimal combinations.

Analogy: Meals can be more than food. Though cooks prepare practical meals, chefs are honored for creating meal experiences. Chefs study nutrition to maximize meal benefits. Be a chef of people’s results & experiences.

Ask customers what completes results & experiences for the most satisfaction & least dissatisfaction. Customers might be satisfied with some factors & dissatisfied with others.

Assemble composites of similar experiences & results, so you can determine what worked. When people are dissatisfied, use composites to determine what’s missing or went wrong.

People might be dissatisfied because they didn’t receive every expected benefit. Ask which benefits people want & what they want to avoid. Ask how they gained benefits & avoided problems. Ask which products fit conditions & people’s desires.

Example: Skiers want well-insulated, flexible clothes to stay warm without restricting movements.

Comparisons can help: What made/would make __ better? Specific insights are better: What was less than you expected? What can we change to create what you expected?

Maximize Fulfillment Of Customers’ Priorities.

Market share concepts are share of mind or wallet. Share of life is also a matter of customers’ priorities. When you have a share of people’s lives, your store is a priority.

Share of life is consumers’ time percentage they benefit from your offers. Make those times as easy as possible, especially if products are used for unpleasant tasks.

If using products is an unavoidable need, ask about needs & how customers use products so you can recommend the easiest, most effective & efficient products & methods. Effectiveness & efficiency can increase satisfaction & offset some unpleasantness by reducing time & energy burdens.

If products are enjoyable, ask how customers maximize enjoyment so you can share tips with customers.

When you shape people's results & experiences, there are standards & compatibility issues. Rationalize changes if your offers aren’t compatible with standards indicated by what people have & want. If customers want to maintain results with current products & methods, present benefits to justify energy, time & money needed to make changes.

People’s current resources affect what they recognize & know how to use. As you monitor supplier offers, ask consumers about their knowledge & comfort with current & new innovations.

Analogy: Appliances are prepared to use (recognize) the right electricity (power).

Establish a powerful position for your outlet by offering precise benefits in local circumstances. Big retailers have inventory for multiple cities, so emphasize your local specialization.

Help people recognize what they need & offer information with products customers need to use for results & experiences.

Offer Example: ‘Several problems come up in (season). When you notice problem symptoms, bring descriptions & pictures to (store). Let’s identify problems & choose the best products & plan effective methods for those problems. Get service you deserve from (store) & get product solutions you deserve.’

In advertising, describe consumers’ current & desired conditions enough to resonate with desires & frustrations. Describe how you’ll increase satisfaction & decrease dissatisfaction.

Example: ‘With previous (product) versions, it was hard to __ & you couldn’t __ until now! You can use Version X to __ & __ even in local soil conditions when you use instructions available from (store). Tutorials focus on using Version X especially for local needs, so you can grow (plant). Many people want (benefits) of (plant), but are frustrated because (reasons). Let’s eliminate those reasons & reduce your frustrations.’

Increase Your Success By Increasing Customers’ Successes.

Make your store a superior resource by adopting an investigator's attention to detail to find what's important for customers' results & experiences. Make results & experiences special by asking about consumer preferences & learning about product options.

Consultation Examples: “Since money is one of your priorities, it’s important to consider long-term expenses. In this area, (problem) can build up each year; use (product) to eliminate it instead of buying cheap stuff each year to reduce it. How long has __ been happening? I recommend either __ or __.’

‘I understand you were disappointed because (product & task) didn’t prevent/solve (problem). Let’s review what did & didn’t happen, so we can diagnose & solve current conditions.’

‘While you enjoy (experience), imagine you could add (product benefit). How would you feel about that? Should we try that option or something else?’

‘When you told me about (result), you were enthusiastic about (benefit). Would you like it to last longer?’

Information in these consultations would improve customer service & advertising offers.

Explain how offers specifically produce benefits people want to gain or maintain.

Example: ‘When you use (product 1) to remove damage & apply (product 2), window frames will last longer & keep cold air out.’

Bridges to Benefits

Consider your position to be an evolving destination, not stationary.

Consumers’ personal positions consist of changing conditions, needs & desires. As consumers search for up-to-date satisfaction, you should arrive a bit ahead of them & bridge their gaps. You can do it by communicating with customers & suppliers.

Position your store, products & services as bridges for people to connect with benefits & rise above restrictions & problems.

Customer’s Current Position >> VVV Restrictions & Problems VVV>> Aspirational Position

Customer’s Current Position >> ^^^ Bridge ^^^ >> Aspirational Position

Help customers understand how they can avoid or eliminate restrictions. Help customers understand how they can solve or at least reduce problems. Help customers prepare for conditions & mitigate what can’t be prevented.

Decades ago, a breath mint was positioned as two mints in one. Since it’s hard to people to smell their breath, commercials emphasized inhaling through their mouths to test it. Users could taste & feel the effects. That test assured users the bridge (to positive effects) was working.

Users wanted good first impressions & to not negate good impressions. Instead of encouraging people to keep popping mints, the implied message was ‘This mint is so good, you can be confident. You’ll know when you’ll need another.’ Users probably didn’t have that confidence in competing products.

After you attain abilities, positioning is achieved in people’s minds & established in their lives. Promote your abilities in terms of resources. Link your resources with things people already know or can confirm.

Example: ‘Many people hope to have (result/experience). Convert your hope into confidence with (products) & guidance from (store). When you notice people enjoying (result/experience), you know it’s possible for you to have it. Observe the variety of options & you’ll know what’s available. Bring pictures, samples & descriptions to (store) & together we’ll explore ways to achieve your goals. Whether you want to select products fitting your ideas or want help with plans or project kits, (store) has your level of help.’

People don’t want to miss out on results & experiences, but they don’t always know how to avoid missing out. Establish your position by defining their desired results/experiences & removing barriers.

Consultation Example: ‘When you tried to__, how did you do it? Did you use (product) like this? (Demonstrate action.) How often do you wish you could __? When do you want to do it? If we add (product) & you use it like this (Demonstrate action.), you could __. Would that fit your goal?’

People might be disappointed in their results & experiences because of inadequate products &/or methods. After defining their desired results & experiences, you can help people determine what fits their expectations & make adjustments. Was there a lack of quality or quantity? Did they want it to last longer? Was anything unexpected? Which benefits would they add?

Customer Integration strengthens your position by integrating your added value into customers’ results.

Your added value includes being a conductor to connect people with resources including knowledge for producing & maintaining results.

Conductors are conduits for resources &/or people who coordinate inputs from multiple sources.

Bridge crossing can represent permanent changes or brief trips. Help people choose products & methods based on the levels & lengths of their needs. Even if you don’t offer everything necessary, your product, service & information can be bridges between consumers & other merchants’ offers.

Consultation Question: ‘When you think about results & experiences, which benefits would make your project complete?’ If you don’t offer products for those benefits, consult with customers & other retailers about what would fit the project & customers' expectations.

Each merchant should have a database of customers’ results & experiences. Multiple merchants can build value & competitive strength by combining that knowledge & product offers.

Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.

Copyright 2020 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

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