We had Dom’s girlfriend’s parents staying with us from the US at the weekend.
On Saturday evening, we were chatting over dinner and they asked Claire and me a perfectly straightforward question:
“So, remind us, what do you guys do for a living?”
You’d think, after running a business for this long, we’d have a reasonably straightforward answer.
Apparently not.
A few minutes later, we’d covered digital marketing, websites, SEO, Google Ads, training, consultancy, the different types of clients we work with, what Claire does, what Dan does, what I do…
I can’t remember exactly how long the answer went on for.
Probably longer than it needed to though, that’s for sure.
And it struck me afterwards that this is something lots of business owners struggle with.
We’re too close to our businesses.
We know all the different things we do, how they fit together, who we help and why we’re different.
So when somebody asks us to explain it, we try to tell them everything.
Meanwhile, the person who asked has forgotten why they asked in the first place.
Which brings me to positioning.
There’s a really simple exercise that can help.
Try filling in these blanks:
For [TARGET CUSTOMER]
Who [CUSTOMER NEED / PROBLEM]
[YOUR BUSINESS] is the [CATEGORY / TYPE OF BUSINESS]
That [KEY BENEFIT]
Unlike [ALTERNATIVE / COMPETITOR]
We [REASON TO BELIEVE].
It’s not necessarily something you’d ever publish word-for-word.
The value is in forcing yourself to answer the questions.
Who are we actually for?
What problem are we solving?
What’s the real benefit?
What makes us different?
And, importantly, why should anyone believe us?
To bring that to life, let’s take a brand we all know: Specsavers.
Using the same framework, their positioning might look something like this:
For people who need accessible, reliable eye care
Who want professional advice and good-value glasses without making the process complicated
Specsavers is the high-street optician
That makes professional eye care and eyewear convenient and affordable
Unlike more premium or specialist optical retailers
They combine qualified professional care with a huge high-street presence, clear offers and a brand that has become synonymous with everyday eye care.
That’s not Specsavers’ official positioning statement – it’s simply how I’d interpret their positioning using the framework.
And that’s the point.
Their positioning isn’t “Should’ve gone to Specsavers.”
That’s the memorable line we all know.
The positioning sits underneath it.
It defines who they’re for, the problem they solve, the value they offer and why customers should believe them.
Get that bit right first and finding the words to communicate it becomes considerably easier.
Your homepage gets clearer.
Your LinkedIn profile gets easier to write.
Your sales conversations improve.
And you stop trying to explain absolutely everything you do to absolutely everybody.
So perhaps try it yourself this week.
Fill in the blanks.
Don’t try to make it clever or beautifully written.
Just make it clear.
Because if somebody asks what you do at dinner on Saturday night, ideally they shouldn’t still be listening to the answer when dessert arrives!
I’ll try to remember that next time.
