Sometimes as women we tend to justify our position, or build up a strong argument in favour of our ask. When we don’t want to justify and we don’t want to beg, what we need to do is position.
Positioning is ultimately a skill, that when mastered will become one of the most powerful communication tools you have. This tool can ultimately separate women of pre-eminence from everybody else.
You use positioning anytime you want to influence an outcome:
- when asking someone for a sale,
- when engaged in business development,
- when sitting around the boardroom table,
- or when asking for a job/raise/promotion.
Why is it that so many of these opportunities break down? It’s a lack of, or improper positioning.
Positioning is the way you frame your ask, argument or offer to make it relevant, compelling and urgent.
If you want to influence an outcome, you must make it relevant, compelling, and urgent to the person who you are addressing. The idea behind this is that people are far too preoccupied and stressed to care about what you have to say. On a day-to-day basis, the average person focuses primarily on their own problems and issues. If you want to really reach a person, you need to give someone a reason to care about what it is you have say.
Most people are tuned into “WIIFM” (What’s In It For Me) radio. Moreover, most people do not like change and will avoid making decisions until they need to. That is why if you are trying to make a change, you MUST make it relevant, compelling and urgent.