Move the Battlefield Away from Price

Last time, Marka the marketer and Zoot the salesperson discussed the importance of “top-of-mind” positioning. This week, the topic is “moving the battlefield away from price.” Remember, fire is just a fancy metaphor for print.

Today’s FIRE! Point:

If you’re competing against other companies without moving the battlefield away from price, your printing services are nothing more than commodities. Even though many print buyers pay lip service to low prices, their security depends on reliability, quality and expertise—not price. If you position your business as the safe choice, you will move the battlefield away from price, earn a better margin and develop greater customer loyalty.

* * *

“Is getting a sales inquiry call good enough?” Marka asked Zoot. Marka had propped her sandal-clad feet up on the conference table, and Zoot didn’t relish seeing her ugly toes.

“I think you want me to say ‘no,’” Zoot replied, averting his eyes.

“Of course.” Marka gulped a drink of water directly from her bottle.

“Want to use a glass?” asked Zoot. The stylish salesperson was always mindful of good manners and appearances, neither of which seemed important to his friend Marka, with her tangled mop of hair.

“Nah, I never change my routine when I’m on a roll,” Marka replied, wiping her mouth on her sleeve. “Anyway, Zoot ol‘ pal, competing against other fire companies without moving the battlefield away from price means our products and services have achieved nothing more than commodity status. In commodity product industries, tactics such as regular price specials, ‘loss leader’ pricing, dumping, gimmick marketing, tie-ins, discounting and mega-branding efforts are the weapons of choice.”

“That doesn’t sound like the fire industry to me,” Zoot said.

“Let’s hope not!” Marka cried. “Our business is founded on relationships and trust. If a buyer of fire trusts Fire Enterprises, Inc. (FEI) enough to rest easily after giving us an important order, then our company is succeeding.”