Kelford Labs Daily: They will make a choice

In The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, authors Jack Trout and Al Ries wrote:

“You can’t narrow the focus with quality or any other idea that doesn't have proponents for the opposite point of view. You can’t position yourself as an honest politician, because nobody is willing to take the opposite position (although there are plenty of potential candidates).”

Now, there’s an argument to be made that some modern politicians are happy to stake out “the opposite of honesty” as a position, but you still get the idea.

This is also why claiming to be “better” or “trustworthy” doesn’t work—because it doesn’t actually present the customer with a choice, because nobody’s claiming to be the opposite.

And customers want a choice. They want to choose your business because of something real—something that you do differently from others—not just because you said you were good. Or better. Or best.

So we’ve got to show our potential customers what we do differently that allows us to be extra trustworthy—like our certifications, testimonials, or case studies.

We’ve got to demonstrate that we’re “better,” by showing our quality ingredients, our efficient process, or our sophisticated techniques.

Our job as marketers and entrepreneurs is to get so focused on what truly sets us apart, that all we have to do is show our potential customers what and how we do what we do, and they’ll decide if we’re the best fit for them.

But if we don’t let them choose—if we just claim to be the best or the most honest—they will make a choice.

To work with someone else.