In any business book, or course, or webinar, you’ll be asked to position your business via-a-vis your competitors. And correctly, any business looking to scale should be aware of the playing field and any openings for you to capture the attention and, eventually, the wallets of a particular customer segment.
After all, the foundation of a solid brand positioning starts with evaluating the competitive landscape. Here are the questions a typical brand positioning exercise will include, starting with the competition:
· Is your positioning unique to the marketplace?
· Is your positioning believable to potential customers?
· Is your positioning defensible to all constituents?
And even though I offer brand positioning, I will never ask you about your competitors. Quite simply, it doesn’t matter. And here’s why: I work with solopreneurs and shop owners, and all that matters is how best to support their passion, their vision, and their goals.
If you’re a realtor, for example, and help people find their perfect home, you’re not going to abandon that dream because they’re already over 2 million realtors in the United States.
If you love to bake, you’ll create yummy goods to sell regardless of the 170,000 bakers already working the ovens.
And if you’re a photographer, you’re going to capture the unique essence of your subjects while 135,000 other photographers focus on their subjects.
All this to say there are enough customers to go around. And since there’s no shortage of consumers, what matters most is how you will get their attention.
When you hire me to create a Definition for your business, I’ll ask you many questions, but I won’t ask you about your competitors. Instead, we’ll focus on what makes you relevant so you can attract the type of clients you want to work with. And that relevancy will start with what makes you special, regardless of all the competitors out there.