The perception game
If you want to talk about the return that your product or service can deliver when used correctly, by all means do so, but don't expect that to be enough. When you boil that message down, what you are left with is, "Buy our product because it's so cheap it pays for itself in no time." That kind of messaging might be alluring to many, but it is the first step on a very slippery slope to a price war.
The way we think of ourselves is not always the way others see us. There's nothing revolutionary about that idea -- it's common sense. What's interesting to me is the way it plays out in business.
Not long ago, I was trying to help a client company try to figure out how to compete more effectively with its biggest opponent in the market. My client is coming from behind, and as the No. 2 in the market, they have their eyes set on the top spot and the reputation and market share that comes with it.
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