Innovate by Isolating & Combining Compatible Things That Work.

The Product Explanation below is somewhat technical supplementary sales copy. Readers can click internet links for insightful information about problems & superior solutions.

Text link: 'Reasons you specifically need (products) for your current needs & goal achievements.'

Differentiate your store & advantage offers from competitors. Explain how implementation guidance & other services make products advantageous. Guidance helps people recognize symptoms, then prevent or remedy problems. Advantage offers combine insightful information with specialized products for customers to develop valuable implementation plans. By tolerating inadequate products & incompatible information, people could lose potential value of finished projects.

Consumers should learn options for adapting to changes by investing enough time, energy, high-quality products & money in experimenting. Benefits "leak" as conditions change. Evaluations show whether current benefits still fulfill goals & withstand circumstantial forces. Experiments show whether options are better for new challenges.

Guide people's best efforts to keep benefits intact.

Though people replenish resources, some experiential opportunities are lost. Consumers don’t always know how to diagnose leaks & most retailers won’t admit inadequate products become more inadequate. Explain what causes leaks & why your advantage offers have fewer leaks than competitors’ offers.

This is vital to integrate your store into customers’ lives & encourage future advantage upgrading.

Explanations Validate Recommendations.

Offer Example: ‘Are your shoes uncomfortable enough for you to buy a new pair? New shoes are uncomfortable in different ways than old shoes. Old shoes become more uncomfortable plus cause leg pain & disrupt spine alignment. High-quality shoes may be stiff, but become more comfortable & let you recover from problems inflicted by old shoes. At (Store), let’s evaluate how your shoes affect you & which new shoes are more beneficial.’

Product Explanation: This is analogous to various remedies.

Footwear might alter posture. Aching, overheated feet affect people's movements & stances which change positions. Discomfort & pain cause people to stand & move differently than they intended when they bought footwear.

High-quality shoes become more comfortable & compatible with feet. As fluids pool & ligaments stretch, expanding feet affect shoe shapes. Materials should snugly support feet during daily swelling. Materials should slightly stretch while holding feet without pinching.

In cold conditions, people need boots to support feet & ankles with heat & structure.

People need supportive, ventilated boots in warm, humid conditions. Support requires contact. Ventilation requires space.

If Wisconsinites can only afford one boot pair per year, socks are investments in comfort. They supportively fill spaces while holding heat or wicking away sweat.

Protective boots should be supportive for avoiding sprains & flexible for avoiding blisters.

Soft rubber soles provide traction but are more susceptible to friction. Durable hard shoes protect against exterior threats but may be too stiff to cushion people's feet while walking or running.

Customers should compare beneficial protection with potentially negative stiffness.

Since soreness indicates potential injuries, provide comfort with firmly supportive cushioned insoles. While consciously/subconsciously altering stances & movements to offset foot soreness, people strain other anatomical parts with uneven weight &/or unnatural motions.

If cheap shoes bring temporary relief, people may feel successful until cheap shoes set legs unequally & disrupt posture.

People might feel rapid relief, but trouble may return gradually as people unknowingly habituate while tolerated discomfort turns into pain. Weeks after purchases, people might not link trouble with cheap footwear.

Short-term relief products can cause long-term suffering when people lack insightful facts about solutions/preventions & are distracted by other problems. Since inflammation varies, people might misattribute joint problems. Cheap shoes can cause joint misalignments as people stand & injuries occur while people move.

Long-term Satisfaction Requires Top-Quality Products & Cooperation.

Consultations bring agreements about product choices & plans after reviewing good & bad occurrences, then separating what's relevant or irrelevant to personal advantages. Define reliable functionality to determine if goals are achievable.

Product reliability & performance can diminish slowly as satisfaction drifts into habituation.

Cognitive Labor becomes harder as consumers become distracted by new priorities & wishfully hope established benefits will be consistent. Maintainable benefits require functional hope. Reasonable people know satisfaction is transitory, but need comparison criteria for tracking results. Reasonable comparisons require people to accept practical standards.

Most people’s standards are subjective & become unreasonable as frustrations increase. Cheap stuff is manufactured for high profits, not consumers’ benefits. Pricing standards can counteract practical results.

Success delusion: People finally notice product inadequacy too late after failure is unpreventable.

While promoting advantages, raise consumers' awareness of diminishing positives & rising negatives.

Example: 'Are your allergy symptoms increasing? It might be because seasonal allergens increase as your vacuum cleaner loses effectiveness. You might notice: 1) dust leaks out & accumulates on shelves & appliances; 2) mold increases because spores aren't removed; 3) gritty dirt soils & grinds into carpets & furniture.'

If people tolerate worn-out cleaners, your complete, clean comfort offers can include air purifiers. As air purifier filters catch dust & breathing becomes easier, objective & subjective evidence might inspire people to buy more advantages.

Without perfect knowledge, people never know all possible variables. People might seem inflexible after committing all resources to recognized opportunities & problems. If your offer seems plausible, people might waver instead of decide because reallocating resources is another decision. If people reallocate money, are options & plans adjustable to maximize emerging opportunities &/or remedies?

Without criteria, people wouldn't detect opportunities for advancement & problem mitigation.

People assume success is probable because they lack insights to realize gaps aren't filled. People self-congratulate without acknowledging their hardest part is aHEAD, so these numb-skulls indulge in success delusion before finalization.

People Should Be Confident Enough To Plan.

While gaining information & overcoming complications, people's confidence may fluctuate. If confidence only increased, would that indicate people rejected unfavorable information that should be part of adequate planning?

After consultations & purchases, customers might be confident because they forgot or misunderstood things. Encourage customers to ensure clarity by reviewing insightful facts & plans plus asking questions.

People can become victims of “accidents waiting to happen” because conditions consist of various factors changing at different times & rates. Awareness varies with information availability, interpretative insights & mental clarity for processing.

To evaluate planned or potential course changes, people should continuously interpret indications & compare expectations to emerging results.

Project deadlines & other stresses are heavy distractions. People feel relieved when they rush through projects until hindsight reveals mistakes.

General project preparation can be supplemented by specific step preparations. Projects can iterate so each step advances into reality that was unclear during initial planning.

If X Doesn’t Work, Try Y With New Information & Insights.

To avoid potential stereotypes, let's continue expanding Marshall Goldsmith's bear-salmon Success Delusion analogy.

Salmon strategies & tactics are optimized for oceans not rivers, but experiments brought lessons. Self-defense against bears consumed time & energy salmon needed for swimming & spawning. Drone sales reps informed anthropomorphized salmon about unfamiliar threats.

Piranhas, Anti-Predator-X piranha drones & Hedgehog self-defense lessons didn't work well for salmon. Would these attempts have worked if they were SCALED properly? Maybe project scale didn't matter, but more elements can complicate plans.

Aspects could work together by developing compatibilities & removing incompatibilities. Self-defense lessons could be adapted by replacing the Hedgehog technique (curling into a spiky-ball).

Salmon aren't spiky but can bend, then forcefully straighten to tail-slap predators. When bears start biting, salmon can slap bears' vulnerable noses & eyes.

Bears prioritize eating vulnerable prey with few anti-bear defenses. Salmon are resources & unlikely threats.

There’s a valuable lesson in priority focus: Heed threats, identify resources & don’t ignore other priorities. Since salmon can adapt, bears should work together &/or buy anti-drone products.

While trying to subdue slimy, wiggling fish, bears are distracted & vulnerable to Salmon-Matic drones.

Salmon mouths might be too small & weak to adequately bite bear legs, but Salmon-Matics can be optimized for that. Self-defense plus drones can be combined.

Salmon should prepare for dual dangers of bears' teeth & hazardous breath plus maintain preparedness for previous concerns.

Bears avoided piranhas & Anti-Predator-X drones because those didn't look appetizing & are dangerous. While avoiding drones, bears focused on real fish.

If Salmon-Matics look & act like fish, bears might attack them. It'd be better if Salmon-Matics would look more appetizing & vulnerable than fish.

Excess resources are better than insufficiency. Salmon need drones to outnumber predators &/or defeat predators quickly & attack others.

Would it be unjustified if drones proactively attack bears instead of waiting for bear attacks? What if bears were swimming or bathing? It's best to encourage bears to bathe unless drones could be built with olfactory sensors for detecting unwashed bears.

How would drones differentiate bathers & bears hunting for salmon?

It’s important to plan prevention, maintenance & progress. The highest priority could be what’s necessary for attaining or retaining safety.

Bear repellent tactics might delay, not stop attacks. Could attacks be delayed until salmon are less vulnerable? What would make salmon defenses more effective & efficient? What would make bear attacks less effective & efficient?

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

Copyright 2024 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Why Do People Value Cheap Stuff? Are You Offering Better Value?

(NOTE: Jim Collins's Hedgehog Concept was developed for businesses. I'm applying it to personal needs & desires. Customer integration includes integrating your 3 Circles into customers' 3 Circles. Make your offers so advantageous, customers' preparations won't be complete without your help. Since we're sensitive to potential human stereotypes, let's add anthropomorphized hedgehogs as we continue using Marshall Goldsmith's bear-salmon Success Delusion analogy.)

It's vital to differentiate threats & effects of personal attributes.

Analogy: Hedgehogs have one main protection technique that works well against foxes which are furry & have teeth. Hedgehogs offered low-priced self-defense lessons to salmon that could be attacked by furry, toothy bears. When hedgehogs curl up into spiky balls, foxes stop attacking. What could go wrong?!

When you specialize in protection options &/or opportunity maximization, you can outperform competitors. Advantage offers differentiate your store from others by overcoming consumers' value misconceptions.

What are niche members' misconceptions about personal circumstances & abilities to prevent or remedy problems? What do niche members misbelieve/disbelieve about products? Misbelieving can start with misinformation arising from experience misattributions (misplaced blame); observation &/or statement misinterpretations.

Without clarifications, suspicions might grow into biases. Disbelievers reject whatever doesn't fit biases (formed independently or accepted from perceived authorities). Biases can be preferences for disinformation (lies to unjustly sway people). Liars accuse opponents of lying.

Disinformation might feel too comfortable to lose because biases seem to prevent vulnerabilities. Biases bar mental doors by blocking contrary ideas that could replace previous beliefs, causing mental/emotional dissonance.

False beliefs might bring social criticism. Salmon could ridicule each other for accepting or rejecting hedgehog self-defense lessons. But only bear-attack survivors would have the last laugh.

Nudge Customers To Bypass Critics Who Judge.

Misplaced trust can bring failure & future hesitations. People can hope their beliefs are accurate, but functional hope helps people trust themselves to control results.

Seeking & confirming truth might seem cognitively laborious & risky because persuasion & false hopes bring vulnerabilities.

After observing local case studies, people might reject truth until they experience facts & compare benefits with familiar results. Considering prices & risks, what's the smallest offer people can test in their circumstances?

Analogy: Needing fresh asparagus nutrients, people keep buying & planting seeds. Instead of learning about optimal planting, soil tending & harvesting, people pull asparagus instead of cutting. Some asparagus regenerates weakly, so people try other locations. Gardeners can compare results of pulling & cutting. Retailers should offer optimal cutting tools with instructions for full benefits.

Present facts with confirmatory criteria since you can only persuade consumers who believe needs, desires & fulfillment methods are legitimate.

Example: (Fact) emerged in (case-study) when Bob used (product/practice combination) to create (benefit). When you detect (symptoms), test for (cause). It could indicate (effect) is probable. (Diagnostic Kit) includes checklists to guide our consultations for customizing your (repair/prevention kit). Your confidence will help you concentrate on maximizing each step. (Cause) reveals __ is insufficient. Damage percentages determine if you need touch-ups or repairs.

People Want Justifications For Emotional Decisions.

How do you describe effectiveness & efficiency? How do you describe effects of & feelings from fulfillment & nonfulfillment? If you & competitors offer similar products, whose offers include more compelling justifications?

Businesses should position themselves in consumers' minds & lives with statements, actions & branding labels. If your store is positioned in high-prioritized, at-risk life aspects, customer integration is urgent & important as Stephen Covey labeled Quadrant 1. People will be motivated to check your offers for updates & possible last chances for opportunities or remedies.

Many compelling offers are important (Quadrant 2) with moderate urgency to prepare for opportunities or threats.

Retailers often compete by imposing urgency via limited-time offers so consumers load up on products & ignore competitors. Typical advertising urges people to buy NOW.

Explain importance & urgency from niche members' perspectives to avoid perceived exaggeration. Describe reasons for prioritizing actions. Example: 'If you notice nascent symptoms like __, you can prevent (problem) with (kit). Delayed actions could allow (preliminary damage). If you don't prevent severe trouble, you'll need expense repairs.'

If you only compete on prices, you might sell now but people will regret buying when competitors offer lower prices. That regret would be linked to your store. Position your store with advantages customers are grateful for, so relief is linked to you, not competitors.

Businesses can reposition competitors by defining & redefining words & concepts to affect how consumers perceive competitors & compare offers to personal circumstances.

Example: 'According to Source, Manufacturer -A cuts quality & Manufacturer -B uses carcinogenic materials to fulfill Discounter-Z's cheap product requirements. Do these businesses show concern for your well-being or just profits?'

If you don't have certified information, consider what you learn via research & consultations.

Are people often dissatisfied by relying on manufacturers' product specifications & instructions? Do manufacturers & discounters match product versions & instructions to mass-markets or regional consumers' circumstances? Or do discounters & suppliers figure consumers are lucky & should think cheapness is the ultimate value?

Do manufacturers experiment to expand offers or produce only what conveniently fits their Hedgehog Concepts despite consumers' preferences?

Jim Collins's Hedgehog Concept is based on understanding 3 intersecting circles: "what you can be the best in the world at, what you're deeply passionate about, & what best drives your economic or resource engine."

Though consumers don't think about those 3-circles, explain what they represent.

Example: ' While you pursue personal & professional productivity, life role expectations can interfere with each other. (Store) advantage offers include guidance to use top-quality products, so you're assured your (benefit) brings long-term satisfaction. While you focus on other issues, your dedication to your (family/clients) will be demonstrated with lasting value. Since problems can happen while you focus on other issues, you deserve assurance of high-quality products with applicable insightful knowledge.'

While developing products, do manufacturers consider what fits consumers' professional or personal Hedgehog Concepts? When ordering inventory, how much do discounters care about consumers' skills, commitments &/or self-support?

What are consumers dedicated to improving? How well do their abilities & knowledge fit their desired lifestyles?

If high-quality product names are put onto discount versions, do consumers hope for the same convenience, durability & reliability?

Retail specialists should monitor product quality changes because consumers are mostly dedicated to establishing abilities to create benefits. Specialists should interpret product specifications for guiding consumers in shaping personal abilities with insights to maximize product benefits.

Project planning requires Cognitive Labor. If you've been mentally fatigued, you'll recognize why customers need specialists to guide them.

Explain the importance of consistent high-quality to avoid declining benefits. Consumers' extra efforts might delay cheap product failure but leave fewer resources to secure other priorities. Like struggling uphill & coasting down, then being exhausted at the bottom, people might do too much for some responsibilities & have nothing for other efforts.

If unfinished projects seem destined for success, people might coast by finishing with cheap products & expend less effort after finishing the tough, most important tasks.

It could be like salmon rushing upstream to spawn & neglecting eating enough.

Do salmon forget to eat & ignore their declining health? Did they neglect studying river-based food or are those options unappetizing?

Do salmon delude themselves about their strength & endurance? Do they think since they survived half-way without major meals & adequate rest, success is guaranteed? Do they intend to return to oceans after spawning?

If piranhas offer security, salmon might figure they just need to swim as they've done for years. Piranhas should clarify expectations of offers & encourage salmon that observe dangers & are tempted to quit.

Even with piranha escorts, salmon shouldn't neglect responsibilities including preparations.

Piranhas should clarify expectations & responsibilities: 'You should optimize your health, so you can swim quickly away from predators & around obstacles. If we bite bears once, they'll be mad & can still attack. When we start biting, we need to subdue each bear before attacking others. We 3 can only distract 3 bears until they retreat or succumb. If you encounter bears we can't attack, you must be strong enough to resist.'

What are salmons' assumptions? If salmon do what seems natural, do they think their parents did the same? Since they'll probably never meet their parents, does that indicate natural tendencies bring doom?

Some bears would think they'll defeat any fish because they've defeated many. Delusional bears might figure shredded bears were unprepared wimps. How much preparation is necessary for safe fishing? After escaping from piranhas, bears might figure they'll be always successful & berry-eating bears are wimps.

In Marshall Goldsmith's analogy, a bear caught an air-borne fish. If bears' visual-acuity is sufficient, they could differentiate species of leaping or swimming fish. Would bears' cognitive processes differentiate soon enough to reject piranha & catch salmon without wasting eating opportunities?

Lighting changes, moving prey, water-light refraction, excitement, frustration, hunger pains & low energy can disrupt judgment & skills.

Full preparations would acknowledge potential disruptors, even if bears would use nets. If multiple fish are in nets, bears couldn't afford risking piranha encounters. Bears should consider piranhas rely on their teeth to attack & counterattack. What could entice piranha reveal themselves by biting sticks instead of bear paws or snouts?

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

Copyright 2024 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/ https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

If Consumers Don’t Like There or That, “Been There, Done That” Advertising Is Wasteful.

Consumers are there doing that already. Does your advertising promise advancement? How does your advantage offer make THAT a better option for specific people while journeying to & being THERE?

Offer Example: 'Whether life is one journey or a series, you deserve the best options for benefiting from your journey & destination. Discount customers accept less value while preparing to achieve goals, so efforts are harder & achievements are less satisfying. Journey successes required high-quality in each product & technique. At (Store), let's define your success criteria so your plan integrates knowledge, skills & products. Before you buy resources, compare offers & participate in a (Store) consultation about your needs & desires.'

Retailers stagnate as competitors' fresh superior offers attract consumers. If you expect consumers to believe you offer progress, don’t imply “Been there, done that” with your advertising.

I’m risking rejection by writing how local retailers limit progress by resisting risks. Can retailers achieve long-term success by repeating or copying declining practices? Can retailers advance if their "authoritative" information sources are biased against exploration?

People refuse trying "new" things by rejecting anything not "proven" to "work". For them, new=unfamiliar; proven=beneficial/profitable; work=dependable.

Without specific goals, retailers don't notice declining dependability soon enough for remedies.

Because people's priorities change, advertising tests & adjustments optimize profitability. Retailers fail professionally by failing to change congruously with consumers.

Testing is necessary since consumers like or ignore ad versions.

Why do retailers complain about consumers rejecting or ignoring new, unproven offers? Retailers & consumers reject what's unfamiliar. Stubborn retailers won't guide customers in effectively using unfamiliar products.

Which of these is more logical: 1) Explain how to use products to create benefits &/or reverse declining results; OR 2) Expect uninformed consumers seek products & determine uses?

If you don't inform consumers about your offers, who will?

Instead of labeling consumers as fickle or worse, retailers should test offers consumers can evaluate for relevance.

Relevant offers fit perceived opportunities or problems. Offers are irrelevant if consumers don’t know how products/services fulfill opportunities &/or remedy problems.

Knowledge incentivizes consumers to buy empowerment offers to create positive changes.

Advertising should induce AIDA: 1) Awareness of opportunities/problems & products/services; 2) Attention to consequences; 3) Interest by explaining consequence remediation; 4) Desire by explaining how consumers can use offers to bring positive changes; 5) Action by explaining reasons for starting promptly.

Advertising can fail without each factor.

How Do Your Offers Answer People's Question: "What's In It For Me?"

Are retailers offering value for consumers' lives or expecting charity sales to sustain business? As lives change, testing should include conversations to compare consumers' expectations with products & methods.

Expanding advertising reach & frequency might increase expenses without effectiveness.

Develop relevant offers instead of expanding what doesn’t work.

Analogy: Effectiveness & efficiency decline when workers keep sharing stale air. Stale offers are ignored.

Principle: Insanity is expecting better results from repeated actions. Consumers realize the same outdated products & techniques won't bring superior benefits, so they ignore stale advertising techniques.

Why should consumers pay attention to irrelevant ads? Relevant retailing differentiates competitors & positions stores in consumers' lives where problems exist & opportunities can be maximized? Powerful positioning isn't passive. Maximum success comes from actively benefiting customers.

Reject Stagnancy, Offer Innovations

Is store location really the most important factor? Retail failures claim competitors put them out-of-business. Can local consumers evaluate offers & choose retailers or do competitors people? Do discounters prevent local retailers' innovations? Read retailing news about big retailers advancing by maximizing successful tests & adjusting after some experiments fall short.

Since people ignore or reject unfamiliar innovations, meaningfully explain how advanced products & techniques bring & maintain progress. People want to understand how to avoid losses while focusing on gaining advantages.

Current & future successful innovators are often ridiculed until ridiculers embrace innovations or become less boisterous. Successes fade without maintenance & failures aren’t final for those who rise again.

Be More Like Birds Than Cats

Analogy: Cats, squirrels & birds eat at ground level without risking falls.

To escape cats, sometimes squirrels & birds go up trees before descending after cats climb trees. If cats won’t jump down or reverse climb, they’re stranded. Would-be prey can see what's ahead at ground-level & might survive by outrunning cats.

Potential prey doesn't see possible dangers in tree canopies but often survives by doing what cats can’t/won’t. Are known, ground-level risks worse than unknown risks up trees? Instead of betting their lives on one technique, animals can test by ascending incrementally to observe cats & look higher into canopies. Next moves are based on updated indications.

Business & wildlife survival isn't accidental. Techniques are learned plus innovated as necessary.

Big competitors don’t suck in every dollar. Discerning consumers want value & accept guidance in assessing how products solve problems & support opportunities. Successful competitors test to improve ads & methods.

Though experimenting includes tripping & falling, different approaches are necessary because consumers’ preferences & needs change.

Analogy: Toddlers trip & rise multiple times before eventually cruising between furniture to rest, regain balance & plan next steps before walking. When competitors walk along with consumers & respond to trips & falls, are you there too?

Whether consumers step hesitantly or boldly, are you or competitors there like encouraging parents?

Who’s More Hesitant: You, Competitors or Consumers?

If you refuse to provide information, don’t criticize consumers for hesitating without guidance. Without information about conditions, products & techniques, how can consumers know if your offers are relevant?

Offer Example: 'You might feel more comfortable with products & techniques others use. But their conditions, resources & goals are different. (Store) offers insightful knowledge with products to help you choose products & adapt techniques for your abilities. As you use incremental processes, you'll have guidance & evaluation criteria for determining next steps & starting on-time. Let's review your goals, resources & conditions to make your plans effective & efficient. (Store) doesn't claim perfection but provides realistic step-by-step success.'

Since June 2022, we've avoided human stereotypes by anthropomorphizing bears & salmon while extending Marshall Goldsmith’s analogy to avoid success delusion & spawn insights.

No Plan Survives First Contact

Habits are NOT sufficient plans. In oceans, salmon are predators & prey. They’ve avoided predation & missed prey because faster swimmers escape in deep water. Salmon return to rivers without considering the shallower water flowing among obstacles. To fish, rivers are water, how bad could they be? Predators watch for salmon leaping over obstacles or getting stuck.

Situational familiarity doesn't create detailed awareness. Knowledgeable observers might ignore or forget familiar things while searching for opportunities & threats.

Single-minded watchers look mainly for expected things & might disregard the rest. With limited time & energy for seeking, they overlook distractions (potential threats) as if nothing else matters.

Option Awareness Aids Flexibility.

Flexible procedures are valuable. Flexibility from options won’t matter if people aren't aware & prepared with plans plus alternatives.

Whether moves are defensive or offensive, plans or planners won't survive unchanged. Planners can use options to adjust plans if planners observe what fails plus are aware of & accept options while available. Imagine salmon thrashing bears’ mouths & asking, “What are my options?”

How will you sell products after warning consumers about threats? Offer functional hope with the maximum possible functionality.

Salmon proceed as if they have direct connections to spawning areas. They return to natal rivers. Even if external conditions are like those the salmon fry left, these adults are different. Predators notice bigger fish needing bigger spaces to swim through.

Customer integration creates or recreates connections by offering advantages of customizable resources & techniques.

Adjustments are important while options are available & can be optimized. However & whenever plans are made, option optimization is challenging like building & repairing jets in-flight. Start with structural integrity then observe progress & changes.

Find & optimize options while you can or you won't have viable choices. People are more apt to fail by refusing to test small & incremental options. Don’t bet all on any options including current methods.

Risk-averse people act as if they're apt to step-off cliffs. When people start early, small tests reveal beneficial steps so people probably won't need to risk hazards. Risk-averse people might avoid setbacks, but risk eventual total failure without progressing.

Since distant risks & problems aren't direct experiences & don't feel connected to "real" life, people focus on current pain. People confirm quick relief, even if it's retail therapy. Remote relief doesn't feel powerful enough to offset painful payments.

Without quick relief, functional hope lacks impact. Current & past comparisons can show functionality. Example: Because Option-X was used to create Result-Y, Benefit-Z was improved & preserved.

Communicate how investments contributed to benefits & how problems would remain or worsen without beneficial investments. Example: Instead of focusing on current feelings, focus on how you'll feel without relief plus progress. If you bought cheap discounters' stuff to fix XX, are you in the same, better or worse circumstances now?

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

Copyright 2023 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Functional Hope Can Maximize Meaningful Benefits & Inspire Customers

People's sensory reception & perceptions of the same stimuli are different. Since mental states vary, your ads might be missed, processed or partially received.

Since people process meaningful messages, let's evaluate meaningfulness: Do your offers connect people's current or recent experiences to their goals? Do you help people settle issues that aren't fully resolved or could recur?

Describe relief of health &/or property problems because people: 1) don't want to believe troubles still exist or could recur & might reject warnings; 2) might ignore vague symptoms because old information & cheap products fail to bring relief.

Ad repetition reinforces offers while experiences confirm needs still exist.

Example: To overcome success delusion, advertisers can describe indicators of pest incursions. People figure traps solved pest problems because indicators diminished. Wishful thinking blocks contrary thoughts, so homeowners don't consider how pests enter. Homeowners should compare pests' sizes & abilities with house construction to find potential entries. Material inspections & knowledge reveal necessary replacements & patches.

Stress crowds-out positivity. Functional hope renews freedom from people's actions to escape stressors.

Functional hope opens mental space to plan for uncomfortable possibilities because functionality inspires hope of overcoming new & recurring problems.

Watch For Reasons Consumers Should Watch You.

By monitoring local people's triumphs & struggles, you can find & connect resources for converting struggles into triumphs then extending or renewing triumphs.

Whether it's typical pessimism or pride, people misinterpret options because failures make success seem impossible or reserved for privileged people. To describe formulas or projects, use product specifications, testimonials & case studies to explain how & why success becomes probable in local conditions.

Offer to explore why product versions & attempted methods were insufficient. Persistence brings progress as people learn improved techniques for using high-quality products, possibly by adapting observed successes.

With teamwork, you with your customer group can invest money, insightful knowledge, effort & persistence into personal & group advantages. As customers report problems & progress, all can learn to build results into benefits then combine those into advantages.

Without confidence to explore & expand knowledge, people might suffer problems even with optimal products. Case studies can supplement skill-building tutorials, so people learn what's practical plus how to implement suggestions.

Since low expectations can seem logical, customers might stop short of personal & product potentials. Because of risks, hesitation feels safe. During implementation, seemingly safe practices can fall short of long-term safety & practicality.

Since June 2022 without human stereotypes, we're anthropomorphizing bears & salmon plus extending Marshall Goldsmith's analogy to avoid success delusion.

Analogy: When conditions support predators, fish need more than swimming techniques. People rely on experience in new conditions. People, who feel "made for this", take to problems like fish to water. Fish & bears are "made for this". Bears grab ignorant fish.

Advise investing for current circumstances because previous successful efforts might be outdated. Practical examples imply insightful knowledge even if you don't recommend specific techniques to avoid liability.

Interrupt Bad Things. Expand Good Things.

Negatives seem bigger & positives seem smaller than reality.

Reinforce attention-to-detail with updated information because it's important for choosing offers & completing projects. People are distracted by perceptions, expectations, predictions or conclusions of failure & success.

Because of experiences & observations, people might expect contextual threats & miss benefits. After experiencing &/or observing problems & solutions, people are distracted also by concerns of future problems. Immediate problems can distract people from warnings or evidence of impending serious problems. Other times, public scandals & distant disasters hold attention, so people are less apt to notice advertising.

Let's expand on Al Ries & Jack Trout books. In "Positioning", they wrote about "The Assault on the Mind" & minds have positions for information bits.

Unfamiliar threats seemingly suck mental energy away from information processing & upstage typical personal & public priorities.

"The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" details importance of categories. Customers' problem categorizations & prioritizations influence purchases.

Despite daily sensory deluges, if you pound messages into brains, Top-of-Mind-Awareness can associate your products/services with opportunities & problems. Does Top-of-Mind-Awareness compare advantages & help people choose optimally? Instead, offer advantageous reasons so people position you in their minds. Induce people to keep you in a prioritized category position as their specific advantage source.

Mental Traffic

Analogy: It's a minor inconvenience for me to let you go ahead in traffic. I could miss appointments by letting everybody go ahead. When people consciously let sensory traffic in, they could miss better value.

While dealing with mental & physical traffic, people need to get 'THERE'. Offer advantages for getting 'THERE', so people let you in ahead of others.

Imagine if all mental "vehicles" were trucks signaling value with product signs & drivers determine which trucks to let through. Sign messages plus truck sizes would hint about value people would expect. Do consumers have enough space to let your truck/messages enter? Your job includes explaining value to justify their costs of yielding to you.

Optimal interactions (including persuasion) happen in environments of norms. Laws & social norms influence behavior. Learn what society seems to enforce plus what niche members do for personal satisfaction & social allegiance.

Make advantage offers according to social rules-of-the-road as you drive value into personal spaces.

Attention, Interest, & Desire either diverge or merge like highway lanes as people become aware of optional Actions. Either way, success depends on being prioritized above others since your lane could be closed or rerouted as mental (memories & reminders) &/or physical (ability) access changes.

As excessive options merge into commoditization, differentiation is more important to separate offers while people can buy plus use products.

Induce Consumers To Let Your Offers Into Their Life Traffic.

Retailers are surprised when consumers aren't impressed enough by offers to fulfill AIDA. If people aren't aware of problems or opportunities, why pay Attention to Product-X $89?

Even if people are aware of problem severity or opportunity benefits, Product-X $89 doesn't explain how to improve anything or describe relief.

If people are aware of problems & opportunities, awareness might attract Attention, Interest & Desire. Inquiries & purchasing Actions come after information integrates Attention to, Interest in & Desire for problem solutions & opportunity fulfillment with Attention to, Interest in & Desire for product/service benefits.

Develop advantage offers to create awareness of problems, solutions, opportunities & fulfillment. Build AIDA to induce purchases.

What do you need to understand about people's life traffic? Humans have stimuli coming at them from almost all directions. It's almost like people need air traffic controllers to bring order.

Explain why people should let your offers in. If people have any available capacity to let your messages in, what makes your offers worthy of invitations?

High-traffic cities have carpool/bus lanes. Develop offers into valuable content "buses", so consumers prioritize them with dedicated lanes.

When your advantage offers integrate into people's needs & desires, promoted ideas can be like co-workers on employer-chartered buses arriving to create specific value. They're expected & allowed entry. When they're cleared by security, they're granted access after earning trust.

Offer coordinated products & methods to be like trusted co-workers on buses. Make them worthy of trust & invitation, by learning niche members' needs, desires & standards.

People might trust you with money via purchases after they trust you with time to offer value. When you provide advantages, you give reasons for putting other things (including overwhelming feelings & exhaustion) aside because people are eager for value.

We won't know all circumstantial factors affecting whether people expend mental energy & time on advertising.

People seem to have limits for some factors & combinations. Some limits might depend on brain regions. Very verbal people might have high maximums when conversing at work & home. Others seem to run out of words & need to zone out.

Visual people might have available mental energy & want more input but have tired eyes. Exhausted people can get second winds when interesting activities are available. Second winds are more than breath & require mental motivation.

Priorities Establish Right-Of-Way

Though subconscious minds involuntarily receive sensory impressions, advertisers are more successful when they gain access according to conscious priorities. Sensory traffic favorably passes based on personal right-of-way rules.

Loud, flashy interruptive advertising is like bigger vehicle drivers implying threat of force & size to push other drivers to yield.

Big (long) ads get through based on value, not gimmicks. Which facts & insights are worth immediate attention or research? Make your offers more valuable & worthy of attention than other things vying for niche members' attention.

Sensory impressions & priorities collide with others when right-of-way rules are disregarded. Establish value to avoid collisions.

Reticular activating systems are like mental receptionists responding based on ability to pay attention plus importance to people's lives.

Whether ads are logically or emotionally evaluated, reception depends on previous & current experiences. Do your best to make customer experiences fulfilling, so customers will figure you offer value for current &/or future opportunities.

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

Copyright 2023 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Are People in Better Positions With You or Competitors?

Positioning is a major marketing practice & should include how consumers perceive consequences of their mental & physical positions. Customer integration helps people use current & new resources for progress from current to desired positions.

Retailers should offer advantages including psychological incentives to emphasize total product value to fulfill goals & retain gains.

When retailers dread monetary & inventory risks of full shelves, advertising ‘Product-X $30’ seems reasonable. But ‘Product-X’ doesn't promise beneficial opportunity fulfillments or problem-relief. Paying $30 means consumers have less money & possibly feel stuck with fewer resources.

Rough days feel worse when consumers have less money. Effective marketing explains how advantage offers justify prices by improving conditions or maintaining improvements. You can justify profitable prices by offering preparedness so people are assured they can cope when days become rougher.

Offer consultations to increase the probability of successful improvements, so you can afford refund/product exchange guarantees. Assure people your offers are superior to: 1) holding money as inflation erodes value; & 2) hoping cheap products will optimize results.

Offer Example: ‘You can spend your $30 any day for potential benefits. In (Store), you can invest your $30 today for definite (result) advantages. Get full-quality (products) & guidance from (Store) instead of hassling through driving to big store parking lots, searching stores without help & waiting in checkout lines. (Store) refunds money or replaces defective products. Since you deserve superior (solutions/opportunities), (Store) advantage offers include stress-relief of guidance to create high-quality product benefits. Before you buy, consider what kind of value would ensure you're investing in long-lasting advantages? Would you get that value & assurance from discounters? There are no guarantees about good or bad days. As times passes, inflation increases prices as wages buy less value & (problem) expands. For peace-of-mind, you need assurance of solving (problems) now, so you can focus on other issues.’

Unending Moderate Stress is a Major Problem.

Even if you don't offer total relief, offer essential physical & mental rest so people enjoy activating other brain & body cells than those engaged in tiresome tasks. Morale is boosted by anticipating enjoyment especially by increasing delightful variety. While enduring rough days, which memories or planned experiences can inspire intermittent mental relief/recovery?

People can use pictures, souvenirs &/or sounds to retrieve feelings. What would restore previous comfort, self-confidence &/or encouragement? Offer resources to establish mental & physical sanctuaries so people can cope longer with stress because they know durable recovery resources are reachable.

What would help customers achieve long-term foundational abilities despite changing conditions? Optimize flexibility & strength of foundational abilities, so customers create, maintain & defend advantages without undue concern about losses.

Which advantages create well-being & increase psychological satisfaction as people advance in the Hierarchy of Needs. Lives are destabilized when people lose needed basics. If something blocks or reverses self-actualization, self-confidence & peace-of-mind may seem threatened.

Cheap products form insecure self-actualization foundations.

Even if discounters promise advantages, how confident are customers in integrating & retaining advantages? Assure customers you offer attainable & maintainable advantages. Advantages are hard to fully enjoy when people are stressed about losing them.

Distracted people want enjoyable days without studying & interpreting overwhelming details. Since you specialize, it's easy to think everybody shares your priorities, curiosity & knowledge. Despite 8 business hours per day, you might be ready for more details, but consumers' attention is split among different level urgencies. As urgencies seem to become emergencies, stress pushes people to act quickly or surrender.

On good days, people might procrastinate to avoid stress & expand pleasure. On bad days, people might procrastinate to escape current problems & avoid other stresses.

Stress motivates people, as brains scramble to search memories for examples & facts which can clarify or clutter interpretations of current troubles. As mental clutter increases, people feel more vulnerable to trouble plus manipulative sellers.

Customer integration retailers can decrease vulnerabilities & increase trust, so customers are less concerned about manipulation. People don't want to admit vulnerabilities to potential manipulators, especially as vulnerabilities increase. Trust brings comfort & openness to ideas.

Long-term Progress

Despite not controlling what consumers understand or want to receive, we can influence their choices with customer integration. By integrating your store into consumers’ lives, you build trust by showing how you increase value by learning how to fulfill customers' desires & needs.

Some retailers don't ask service-oriented questions. Big retail customers are motivated to buy low-priced, cheap-quality products, but you should know advantages niche members want. So, differentiate your offers by emphasizing progress from effective, efficient products & techniques.

Consumers might wonder why customer integration retailers ask questions before recommending optimal products & methods.

Analogy: If you aren't a pharmacist, you might not know about off-label uses. Physicians might prescribe medications for conditions manufacturers hadn't considered. This can apply to how people use other products. Maybe products can be used with other methods in other conditions for other results, especially when people don't read instructions or use strange tutorials.

Your understanding of products & people's conditions is important but secondary. For successful offers, the primary importance is how people's desires & needs affect perceptions of conditions & understanding of products.

Start with what consumers (think they) know because if you don't work with what's in people's minds, you'll have trouble influencing plus connecting with beliefs.

Positioning involves where & how problems, opportunities, competitors & you are prioritized in people's minds. As problems & opportunities emerge, people's journeys could route toward or away from solution & optimization resources. By positioning your store in people's minds, you can influence their journeys.

If you & consumers don't know each other, you need to get in front of them as a guide. Are consumers observing/experiencing problems & correctly/incorrectly journeying toward prevention/solutions? Are consumers observing/experiencing gaps & correctly/incorrectly journeying toward opportunities?

As you consult with customers, you can refine your positioning in their lives plus your position in specific journeys.

Start with paradigms. The concierge paradigm can be based on people wanting to be treated like VIPs. You can go further by helping people fulfill very important person roles by being most valuable players for loved ones &/or organizations.

Analogy: For people’s journeys, do you sell equivalents of generic maps to theater parking lots? Would you specifically map customers’ routes based on personal needs, vehicles, traffic patterns & weather to parking lots & walks to theater doors? Would you be like an usher to choose seats according to physical needs or combine those like a concierge plus provide beverages & snacks?

Position your store in customers’ processes to establish & maintain advantages that wouldn’t exist or be complete without your resources. People might have 'set it & forget it' mindsets leading to frustration because high-quality products can last while conditions change.

Conditions can change & show how results hadn’t been fully prepared for multiple problems, though preparation might’ve been complete for current conditions.

Results may be as complete as possible from big retailers’ resources. High-quality products can make results more beneficial.

Your added value can establish advantages which include guiding customers’ journeys to avoid/reduce problems which makes advantages more powerful & retains power plus makes it useful as conditions evolve.

In WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THERE, Marshall Goldsmith & Mark Reiter wrote about success being a journey. They analogized Success Delusion with this: "The bear was about to clamp onto an unsuspecting airborne salmon jumping upstream. [An UNUM] headline read: YOU PROBABLY FEEL LIKE THE BEAR. WE’D LIKE TO SUGGEST YOU’RE THE SALMON."

Some of Goldsmith's statements are: "Successful people believe they are doing what they choose to do, because they choose to do it." "Successful people have a unique distaste for feeling controlled or manipulated." "Their personal commitment encourages people to 'stay the course' and to not give up when the going gets tough. Of course, this same steadfastness can work against successful people when they should change course."

Anthropomorphized salmon might deny instinct drives them to spawn where they hatched. Small fry survived swimming downriver, but successful & failed salmon don't return to oceans to warn potential spawners before they fully commit. They might believe their "choices" & abilities are optimal, but accept advice about avoiding predators.

Position your store in people's minds & lives where commitments are made & journeys begin.

Advise customers about techniques for using products for reducing or avoiding obstacles & risks.

As much as practical, make successful projects more attractive than perceived bargains of discount products.

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

Copyright 2023 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Client Relationships Are Destinations In The Customer Integration Journey.

Customer integration shows your commitment to be a personal resource & move beyond share-of-wallet tactics to strategic client relationships. It means helping clients choose & implement personal optimizations to establish your loyalty to them. Until then, don’t expect customer loyalty.

Customer integration offers are: ‘Here’s what you need to __.’ Client relationship offers are: ‘This is how we’ll __ together.’

Blog readers vary in knowledge, so we're reinforcing customer integration while setting our vision to explore horizons. You should set customers’ visions to find new advantages.

To some extent, you can optimize current methods but when you’re close to peak performance, further advancement is limited.

As you optimize a marketing offer & method, you’ll need other offers & methods to appeal to other consumers. You’re more apt to increase profits with sales to customers who respond to additional offers & methods. Until you explore beyond your current reach, you won’t know how much more success is available or how to achieve it.

Since I’m proposing what’s unfamiliar to you, you think about risk because you haven’t implemented customer integration. Consider consumers’ risk perceptions. If you refuse to integrate your store into their lives to make offers less risky & more fulfilling for them, how can you expect them to initiate integration?

If you refuse to reach out further to consumers, don’t expect them to reach further to you. Customer integration shows you’re reaching out to help them instead of grabbing their wallets.

After you implement & optimize customer integration, you’ll transition beyond reaching out. You’ll stand out where customers want to be & they’ll join you. When you’re standing with customers, you can form client relationships.

Since June 2022, we've used Marshall Goldsmith’s bear salmon analogy to avoid success delusion. Goldsmith uses personal coaching to explore successful causes & effects.

Quotes From WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON'T GET YOU THERE:

“Successful people have a unique distaste for feeling controlled or manipulated. Even when I’ve gotten the greatest advance build-up as someone who can help people change for the better - in other words, I’m effective at helping - I still meet resistance. I have now made peace with the fact that I cannot make people change. I can only help them get better at what they choose to change.”

“People will do something - including changing their behavior - only if it can be demonstrated that doing so is in their own best interests as defined by their own values.”

Which Advantages Do People Value?

Let’s explore how client relationships build advantages on the customer integration foundation. Both models increase retailers' understanding of consumers' current 'HERE’ plus help customers realize why 'THERE’ is a more advantageous destination.

Retailers can be like students' guidance counselors by building insights to create & reach destinations. Help clients learn how to maintain progress while expanding horizons.

Consumers want benefits others enjoy but impractically deplete resources trying to get ‘there’. Help customers understand when somebody else’s ‘there’ isn’t suitable. Advantage offers include reviewing goals & conditions to develop a personal advantageous ‘THERE’ so costs are justified with increased positives &/or decreased negatives.

It includes describing how clients should fully own/maintain advantages of being 'THERE'.

'Client' implies relationship since clients have relationships preferably with fiduciary-like providers who serve based first on creating client advantages.

By relating to advantages, people form 'relationships' when things are gained, so losses are felt physically & emotionally.

Though healthy interpersonal relationships include sacrifices, advantages can equal or exceed sacrifice costs. Insightful information gives people perspectives for perceiving & comparing advantages & costs.

Insightful AIDA offers bring Awareness/Attention leading to Interest, building to Desire & inspiring purchase Actions. Client relationships justify purchases with guidance for productive actions.

Short-term Goals Long-term Costs

Salmon sacrifice themselves to spawn 'THERE' because they relate to actions & locations but not to results of hatchlings surviving & swimming to oceans/lakes. Adult salmons' struggles seem to indicate dedication to offspring but suffering is detrimental.

By equalizing sacrifices & self-preservation, adults could survive to warn offspring about those dammed rivers & bears. Warnings & workarounds strengthen individuals plus their relationships. Client relationships form bonds of interdependent help because each contribution makes advantages for all involved.

Discounters relate to profitable sales, so there's little dedication to customers because service is considered a cost. Discounters may claim to serve customers, but how do they define “service”? Investors grab profits instead of reinvesting in product & service quality.

Customer integration service includes matching products & actions with goals.

Example: Toddlers’ parents build adaptable recreation rooms to last long enough for teenagers to enjoy. Buildings should be top quality. Furniture & equipment should be safe even if units wear out in a few years because children will want age-appropriate units. Teenagers will probably reject formerly-favorite kiddy-size furniture & toys. Temporary decorations would fit teenagers’ evolving ‘relationship’ with their long-lasting 'clubhouse'.

Are customers’ desires for change & consistency realistic based on evolving product technology & probable developments? If customers’ desire & priority fulfillments require cooperation, which explanations could create understanding with those who can add resources & share benefits? How can you help customers persuade others to cooperate?

Relationships are based on similar priorities even if members don't prioritize equally.

Example: Greenhouse operators' dedication to beautifying cities might be a #2 priority, but citizen volunteers might prioritize public flowers at #8. Retailers could sell plants & materials at cost for civic projects & hope people pay full price for home projects. If volunteers are too tired to maintain civic & home projects, declining quality could discourage participation. Volunteers could share dedication to goal achievement but not commitment to maintenance.

Client relationships should include knowledge for realistic prioritization according to requirements & resources. Do your best to help clients preserve advantages as worthwhile investments.

If priorities & desires change, what do those changes indicate about goal achievements that established value? Do life changes or personal resource shortages force clients to abandon achievements? Do clients want to reduce activities but preserve property & equipment value? What do clients need for transitioning to other advantages? If people can't store & maintain equipment, do you offer maintenance, storage or rentals?

It's easy to start enthusiastically when people realize what their commitments can bring, but would requirements be too burdensome?

Consultation Example: 'You can start with in-stock products. Step #3 requires ordering (products). Rainy weather might strike anytime after (products) arrive. You'd have to dedicate time &energy to rush through remaining steps. I'll place the order if you're sure you can make it work.'

Consultations show your attention-to-detail.

Retailers' inattention or attention-to-detail indicates to consumers whether relationships or transactions are worthwhile.

Relationships Should Be More Valuable Than Transactions for Retailers & Clients.

I agree with Jay Abraham about serving clients instead of attracting tactical, transactional customers, especially if transactions are reactive instead of preventative & progressive. Relationships involve interactions, not just transactions.

Ideally, prevention & progress are planned. If you want clients more than customers, justify your role in clients' planning.

Jay used The Greek Parthenon analogy for supporting businesses with multiple pillars/methods. Customer integration builds powerful pillars.

Pillar & relationship combinations require architecture/planning to build & position pillars advantageously.

We can add "Positioning" by Al Ries & Jack Trout because you should position your business in people's minds & solidly position it in people's lives. If your advantageous business is removed, people's lives won't be complete & could be unsteady.

People happily think problems are over even if relief is temporary. It's important to differentiate preliminary & long-term results so customers don't stop too soon. Which analogies & comparisons demonstrate importance of next level results?

Offer Example: 'After last month's storm, (Store) has filled orders for (benefits). Since major damage & risks are reduced, it's time to finish with customized repairs. Stopping now would be like relying on temporary spare tires for your car. You need full-size replacements. At (Store), let's personalize product & method choices for your current & emerging needs so you'll avoid stresses of searching for & comparing important information plus deciding on options under pressure of approaching problems.'

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

Copyright 2023 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

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.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Can positioning really be that complex?

Copyright 2010 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
This blog post was transferred from another service.

I heard so - too - many marketing concepts.

Just when I think I have it figured out I hear something else or somebody say something different.

Some say it's all the same.

How can I position my store when I have no clear idea what a position is?

I compete against big stores & small chains. It seems they have every position already unless I don't what a position is!

I know I've misspelled some words, but I need to get on with other things. If what I write showed the inside of my head, I'd misspelled so much it'd seem like a different language.

Please let me know what positioning is & how I & my friends can position our stores!

I need some good fireworks now so this doesn't blow up in my face.

Subject: Confusion about USP, Preemptive Advantage, Branding & Positioning
In reply to: "Can positioning really be that complex?"

There's still a lot of confusion about Unique Selling Proposition, Unique Selling Advantage, Unique Buying Proposition, Preemptive Advantage, Branding & Positioning.

I wonder if some of the confusion may be because some of us try to explain those concepts at the same time. Too much information in a short time can be rough.

I'll explain my definition of Positioning (hopefully it'll be brief) without including those other concepts.

Instead of trying to explain each concept & all terms I've used, I opted to keep this short & straight forward. I didn't include much about how to use the concepts.

I started with a simple concept to develop my definition from basics to intermediate. I'm not trying to be condescending.

1st: A position is a place in time & space. A physical thing can't be in more than 1 place at a time. It's similar in our minds. To avoid confusion in consumers' minds, your store should occupy 1 spot.

2nd: Imagine your store being the concept of positioning. Positioning is the same concept even if people think it's something else. Problems start when you have it figured out, then somebody tells you it's different.

If you offer jewelry, a customer may tell a friend your jewelry is great for people who ride Harley Davidson motorcycles. If that isn't further explained, that friend may avoid your store or may show up & be disappointed.

I've heard there are bikers & motorcyclists. They may buy the same brand & possibly the same motorcycle model, but their lifestyles are different.

Lacking definitions (or too many definitions) causes misunderstandings. If somebody misunderstands a message about your store, that confused message may replace a correct understanding of your store.

Positioning is about identity & a place in consumers' minds. Your store can be number 1 in a retail category (especially if you create a category). If you create a category people don't understand you'll need more effort, money & time to establish & position your category & store's position in the category.

Creating an irrelevant category would be somewhat like a spider finding a safe place for a web. Predators may not find it, but insects (food) probably wouldn't either. Maybe there wouldn't be any competitors (other spiders) because there are no profits available there.

When competitors establish categories, they invest resources to do it. You may be better off being in an established category. You can still differentiate your store in a competitive category.

Some people say Walmart is in so much legal trouble so often because it's so big (visible). That may be part of it. Being at the top & staying there can be rough.

With the right marketing, you can use big competitors & THEIR success to increase YOUR success without litigating.

Retail categories can be thought of in the context of what stores offer to whom & how merchandise is offered.

Walmart still tries to be a place where middle class women buy fashionable apparel. Many female Walmart customers just want clothes that look, feel & fit great.

Even the words & grammar can be important.

Fashionable apparel can give a favorable impression, feel fabulous & be the right size.

It depends how it's presented. What's the difference between a fiddle & a violin? How people play them. In retail, Walmart is a fiddle & Nordstrom is a violin.

Example: I had a search done in Walmart.com for Jason Wu, the results I got are in the camera brand GE Create by Jason Wu. GE Create by Jason Wu products are available from Walmart.

I had a search done in Nordstrom.com for GE Create by Jason Wu; the response I got is Your search produced 0 items. We're sorry, but no items match the search you requested.

Example: Jason Wu 'Nori' Splatter Print Silk Dress $1,295.00 is unlikely to be in Fiddle Mart, but Nordstrom has it.

There are spaces for positioning between Fiddle Mart & Nordstrom. Many are occupied, but by talking to consumers, being creative & testing products & offers, you could find a relevant position.

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

Copyright 2010 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.
When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here-
https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/
http://www.voy.com/31049/