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Tell Me Ten Things

Winning without pitching isn't all about positioning but it does all start with positioning. When I speak at conferences I always meet creative folks who acknowledge the importance of specializing and then follow it with something like, "we specialize in branding." Or integrated communications or other labels that try to mask full-service, generalist claims.

An Exercise

Here's a simple exercise I'd like you to try. I call it Tell Me Ten Things. Tell me ten things you know about your area of expertise that your more generalist competitors do not know. Begin each sentence with the words, "I (we) know that..." then tell me the tidbit - no matter how small.

Don't tell me "I know how to..." Give me the bit of knowledge that you have and that others do not. Here's a recent example I got from a firm that specializes in higher education. "We know that while graduating high school students spend many hours online and are big users of social media, when it comes to choosing a university, they still prefer printed materials over websites."

Be honest about whether your knowledge tidbits are really something that others do not know. Deduct points if you find yourself saying things like "a brand is a promise" or "brands need to be authentic." You're authentically lying to yourself if you think there is a marketing person on the planet that does not know this.

I've facilitated this exercise with more than 50 firms now and specialist firms can come up with at least ten things. Generalists have a hard time coming up with one or two meaningful pieces of knowledge that others do not have. I've seen firms chalk up more than 25 pieces of knowledge that could only be gleaned from focusing on a small space for a long time. The conversations these firms have with prospects are night and day different from the conversations generalists have.

Now take stock of what it is that you really know. This exercise will either be inspirational or downright depressing. After the first ten years of working in generalist firms I had to look in the mirror one day and admit that I knew nothing. That honest moment changed the course of my career.

Now Write

Once you've completed your list, whether you identified more or less than ten, put an asterisk next to the best pieces of knowledge. This is your new editorial list. Now write an educational article of at least 750 words on each of the subjects. Write one a month, send them to those who opt in on your site and post them to aid in organic search traffic. If you really do know things that others do not, then you have the ability to write thought leadership that people will actually read, that will actually make a difference in their businesses and that will help to position you as the expert in your space.

If you've come up with significantly less than ten then it's time to be honest with yourself about the claim you're making.