There are category ladders in everyone's mind for every product
category. Whether rental cars, pizza and overnight delivery, one company
"owns" the top rung on each of those ladders.
If you want to position yourself as the expert, you need to Choose Your Ladder. What we mean by this is,
But if another company already owns the top rung of your category ladder, you should create a new ladder that you can be first in.
FedEx choose to create a category to be first in. And that category was overnight delivery. They came out with their commercials of guaranteed when it absolutely positively has to be there overnight, it's Federal Express. They created the category of overnight delivery and they own that category in the mind. If you want something to be delivered overnight you think Federal Express because you now it's going to be there.
That is the category that they chose to create and own. They took a ladder that was in somebody's mind about delivery service and they actually created another ladder in that same category of overnight delivery service and they positioned themselves on the top rung of that overnight ladder. That was decades ago and they still own that today. That is a great example of how you choose your ladder.
The same thing can happen to you in your business. You can look at the marketplace and see where there might be a hole in the market. Even if there are four dozen other competitors in your market, there is an opportunity for you to do exactly what Federal Express did and position yourself as the expert in a category. Create an entirely new ladder in the mind of the prospect and position yourself on the top rung of that ladder, just like Federal Express did with overnight delivery. Specifically focusing on their one message hammered it into our minds until we remembered FedEx without fail. And you can do the exact same thing.
It's taking a category ladder and in a sense, dividing it down into a smaller and smaller niche, if you will. You can own a category in the mind of your prospect. You just have to understand how the prospect thinks, what they need and how can you solve that.
What did Apple do? They came out with a new ladder when they launched the iPhone. They're not really a phone company, they're a computer company. The "phone" ladder was already occupied. So Apple created (or at least refined) the "smartphone" ladder and made the iPhone the gold standard for smartphones. So now the iPhone is incredibly popular. Apple owns most of the market share today because they understood how to do marketing. Their marketers understood how to position the iPhone uniquely and differently so Apple was not fighting the same battle as most other companies. Arguably, all the other companies are still playing catch-up with Apple. Every category has a ladder in the mind of the prospect. You must think in terms of those categories, those ladders in the mind-because that's where the marketing battle is won or lost.
For example, if you're a business litigation lawyer, you have certain areas of specialization, or you have a geographic region that you want to dominate. You can position yourself as the top business litigation lawyer in your area. You can know more about your area than anyone else, or more about your specific area of expertise than anyone else, and position yourself in that category-doing exactly what Federal Express did with overnight delivery.
What you want to do is position yourself for what you do, for what is unique about you, and focus your marketing on that. When a prospect is thinking about needing an attorney or a lawyer, they're not thinking in general terms. The prospect is thinking specifically about their needs and about who best can solve their needs. They are looking for an expert. And when you have positioned yourself properly by choosing your ladder carefully, YOU become that expert in their mind.
This has to be done methodically, and you have to be able to choose the ladder that relates to who you are and what your business is all about. That's exactly what Federal Express did. They chose a ladder, they chose the word "overnight," and they dominated that ladder. That's exactly what you can do in your marketing. It can be done. It's not that difficult. It just takes thinking and strategic planning and execution over a long period of time.
You must Choose Your Ladder. You need to look at your competition, know how the customer thinks, and make your choice carefully. There is always an opportunity for you to break out of the mold and create your own category ladder. If you need help, just give us a call; that's what we do best.
If you want to position yourself as the expert, you need to Choose Your Ladder. What we mean by this is,
Which ladder are you going to own in the mind of your prospect?You want to be the first person someone thinks of in your category. Sometimes you can do that. Dominos was able to do it by being the first pizza delivery place that guaranteed pizza delivery in 30 minutes or less.
But if another company already owns the top rung of your category ladder, you should create a new ladder that you can be first in.
FedEx choose to create a category to be first in. And that category was overnight delivery. They came out with their commercials of guaranteed when it absolutely positively has to be there overnight, it's Federal Express. They created the category of overnight delivery and they own that category in the mind. If you want something to be delivered overnight you think Federal Express because you now it's going to be there.
That is the category that they chose to create and own. They took a ladder that was in somebody's mind about delivery service and they actually created another ladder in that same category of overnight delivery service and they positioned themselves on the top rung of that overnight ladder. That was decades ago and they still own that today. That is a great example of how you choose your ladder.
The same thing can happen to you in your business. You can look at the marketplace and see where there might be a hole in the market. Even if there are four dozen other competitors in your market, there is an opportunity for you to do exactly what Federal Express did and position yourself as the expert in a category. Create an entirely new ladder in the mind of the prospect and position yourself on the top rung of that ladder, just like Federal Express did with overnight delivery. Specifically focusing on their one message hammered it into our minds until we remembered FedEx without fail. And you can do the exact same thing.
It's taking a category ladder and in a sense, dividing it down into a smaller and smaller niche, if you will. You can own a category in the mind of your prospect. You just have to understand how the prospect thinks, what they need and how can you solve that.
What did Apple do? They came out with a new ladder when they launched the iPhone. They're not really a phone company, they're a computer company. The "phone" ladder was already occupied. So Apple created (or at least refined) the "smartphone" ladder and made the iPhone the gold standard for smartphones. So now the iPhone is incredibly popular. Apple owns most of the market share today because they understood how to do marketing. Their marketers understood how to position the iPhone uniquely and differently so Apple was not fighting the same battle as most other companies. Arguably, all the other companies are still playing catch-up with Apple. Every category has a ladder in the mind of the prospect. You must think in terms of those categories, those ladders in the mind-because that's where the marketing battle is won or lost.
For example, if you're a business litigation lawyer, you have certain areas of specialization, or you have a geographic region that you want to dominate. You can position yourself as the top business litigation lawyer in your area. You can know more about your area than anyone else, or more about your specific area of expertise than anyone else, and position yourself in that category-doing exactly what Federal Express did with overnight delivery.
What you want to do is position yourself for what you do, for what is unique about you, and focus your marketing on that. When a prospect is thinking about needing an attorney or a lawyer, they're not thinking in general terms. The prospect is thinking specifically about their needs and about who best can solve their needs. They are looking for an expert. And when you have positioned yourself properly by choosing your ladder carefully, YOU become that expert in their mind.
This has to be done methodically, and you have to be able to choose the ladder that relates to who you are and what your business is all about. That's exactly what Federal Express did. They chose a ladder, they chose the word "overnight," and they dominated that ladder. That's exactly what you can do in your marketing. It can be done. It's not that difficult. It just takes thinking and strategic planning and execution over a long period of time.
You must Choose Your Ladder. You need to look at your competition, know how the customer thinks, and make your choice carefully. There is always an opportunity for you to break out of the mold and create your own category ladder. If you need help, just give us a call; that's what we do best.
