“It’s even smaller than I pictured, but I guess I can make it work. How much is it?”
“$195,000.”
“What? But the Honda I’m looking at is $30,000.”
“Well, that’s a very different vehicle.”
“I know. It has more room, and a much more comfortable back seat for my kids. Much more storage space. Better gas mileage. A more forgiving suspension. An automatic transmission. And it’s got 4 doors. This one only has 2! I figured this would be cheaper than the Honda, and I was willing to deal with its shortcomings to save some money.”
Good luck getting the Porsche for $29,000.
But a lot of consultants set themselves up for this scenario with prospects.
If you offer something like “web design”, “business coaching”, “HR services”, “podcast production”, etc, you may think you offer something very specific, but it’s like offering “vehicles”.
The sports car enthusiasts (or whatever the equivalent person who needs and values your specific offer) don’t know they need to get to your showroom and hope you have enough allocation for them, and random Honda buyers are going to waste your time, even having you draw up proposals, only to object that the price is way off…
Have you ever found yourself trying to convince a Honda buyer why they should buy your Porsche?
(Catch the free training on Cask-Strength Positioning here. And note that the Mimiran Mission & Positioning Screen has been updated since then.)