Tip 88) Have a strong positioning statement

So, what is a positioning statement, and why do you need one?

A positioning statement is a short script that you say at the beginning of your sales process, whether that is over the phone or face-to-face. You are positioning yourself as the expert who is genuinely interested in helping them. Pretty much any business will benefit from a positioning statement. ​

• You are assuming that they will do business with you – why shouldn’t they?!
• You are briefly “setting the scene" by telling the prospect or customer what will happen. 
• You are "planting seeds” for key areas that you may want to discuss later (price/payment/etc.).

• You are covering key areas of concern/preempting objections in a positive way before they become an issue
• It should be 1–2 minutes and you should be able to quote it verbatim, so practise, practise, practise until it flows easily. 

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Here is my positioning statement to give you some ideas:

OK Mr Prospect, is it ok for me to outline how I think it would be the best way for us to use this time together?

Great, so firstly I am going to tell you a little about me and what I do, and then I am going to ask you a whole load of questions about you, so I can get a really good understanding of exactly where your business is right now – and if at the end of the process we can both see the benefits of working together, I will outline what we need to do to get started. How does that sound?

Before I do that, I’d like to quickly run through something that I know most clients are often concerned about before we start – how much will this cost and can I afford it? I’d like to cover that quickly so you can relax!

My fees range from anywhere between £500–£2000 per month and will depend on what your business needs and your budget, of course – I will have a much better idea about that at the end of the session.

But just to put your mind at rest, if I don’t think I can add value to your business, I will tell you. And if we do decide to work together, I offer two guarantees on my coaching. First is a money-back guarantee on the first month – if you don’t feel you have got value out of the coaching, I will give you your money back – no questions asked (which I’ve never had to do by the way). Plus, I also offer a 6-month return on investment guarantee where I guarantee to give you a return on your investment in coaching or I will refund the difference.  We can talk about that in more detail when we get started.

Are you happy with that? 
Great let’s get started… 

Key points on the above:

• I've asked for permission.
• I've taken control in a friendly way.
• I've told them what will happen.
• I've told them that understanding their needs is my priority.
• I've assumed we will work together ('most clients').
• I've shown that I understand their concerns.
• I've checked their temperature along the way (How does that sound? Happy with that?).
• I've made it clear that it has to be a good fit for us both (If we both see the benefit).
• I've told them I will ask for their business at the end.
• I've covered the price objection.
• I've given peace of mind and built trust.

I can't recommend positioning statements enough. They can transform your business and dramatically improve your conversion rates and customer experience.

As always, if you need help, please give me a shout here.

Jo x