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Layering a Foundation for

your Positioning

Sandra Riano

416-606-9040

smriano@gmail.com

December 2011

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What’s the purpose of Marketing your

Company?

  Getting Opportunities?

  Making money?

  NO

  It’s about Control

Sandra Riano | 416-606-9040 | smriano@gmail.com | December 2011

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Controlling Client Base

  Who are they? Why would you work for them?

  THEY should be lining up to see you

  Ability to sift through your client list and replace/include based on

your needs as a company

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Sharing the Control

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What does More Control mean?

  Choose/Switch clients when new ones come in

  Move upstream in the relationship

  More time to do work

  Move $$ - more relevant information is shared

  More opportunity to provide advice

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Ideal Client Profile

  Have they used an agency before?

  You don’t want to ‘break them in’

  They must represent at least 10 – 25% of your business [8-15clients tops]:

  Makes you money now

  Makes a difference in the world

  Shares your corporate culture

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Ideal Client Profile

  Respects your minimum project fee

  Should be $30 to $40K for 8 to 10 employees

  Nothing less or it devaluates the company’s image

  They’re spending someone else’s money

  Have budget authority and are honest about it

  Are leaving current company for right reasons

  It shouldn’t be because of money!

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Ideal Client Profile

  Are coming to you for the right reasons

  Not cheaper, not once, not ever!

  Shouldn’t insist on Principal being main contact:  Gives power away

  Principal should be focused on marketing company

  Single point of contact

  Doesn’t have your team chasing different tails

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Ideal Client Profile

  Always has you at the table (get their ear)

  Meaningful to the world

  They’re fun and nice  

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Testing your Positioning

Truly Differentiated

Demonstrable

(case studies,research papers,

etc)

Sustainable(should live for 20years)

Ethical

Truthful (don’t offer

the moon if youdon’t have it,

desperation shows)

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Know the Difference

  Responsive

  Cost protective

  Principal Involvement

  Full Service

  Quick

  Cheap

  Small company/incompetent

staff/owner is control freak

  Desperate (no scope creep)

What they Hear What you Say

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Caveats to Defining Expertise

Declared: Obvious

•  Your expertise shouldbe obvious to whoeverreads your website/brochure

Seek vs.Accept

• Clients look for you,not the other wayaround

Focused

• Do what you knowand do it well

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Caveats to Defining Expertise

Location: Specialized

Regionalspecializations

means you knowyour market well

Size: More ‘expertise’ = More staff 

The longer your‘expertise list’ is,the larger your

team is

S/I: Strategy vs. Implement (one or

the other, not both)

Discover your strength andcommit to it

Strategy and Implementationrequire different mind-sets,

choose one and commit to it

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Advantages of Vertical

  Clients are easier to find

  Makes more money

  Clients – Prospects larger together

  When they leave, they take you with them

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Advantages of Horizontal

  More variety on work

  Work for bigger, more sophisticated clients

  More immune to economic downturn

  Fewer conflicts of interest