The Importance of Positioning

By Cynthia Oelkers

"Yeah I called her up, she gave me a bunch of crap about me not listening to her, or something, I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention." – "Dumb & Dumber" (1994)

Imagine if the next time you go to the dentist, you encountered this:

"Doc, I have some pain in my mouth. I need you to help me."

"Ok, well here at Dr. Davidson's dentistry, we have a wide range of services we can offer you: we do teeth cleaning, floride treatments, whitening, composite fillings, amalgam fillings, root canals…."

"But, Doc, don't you want to find out what's wrong?"

"Sure we do! We've got an introductory plan for that, too. We first begin by visually checking your teeth. Then, we take x-rays to identify any hidden decay..."

"Nevermind. I'm going to a doctor who LISTENS."

The Danger of Data Dumping

Have you ever been data-dumped? Data dumping is what happens when a well-meaning person corners you and tells-you-in-one-long-continuous-never-ending-rant-about-how-great-their-service-is-including-all-of-the-features-benefits-and-prices-you-never-wanted-to-know. In other words, the person might as well have just hit "play" on their pitch. It would be the same no matter if you were a sacker down at the local grocery store or Donald Trump.

The truth is, we have all probably data-dumped someone in our careers. It usually happens when we are new and unsure of our product or service. The LAST thing we want is for someone to start asking us questions that we might not be able to answer. So, we cover the listener up in details, hoping (s)he won't notice.

The Answer is Positioning

Positioning is "telling your story from the other person's point of view." It means asking the listener questions first to understand what his/her hot buttons are. Stephen Covey gives similar advice in his famous book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, "First seek to understand, then to be understood."

Once you have the listener's point of view, you can then present only the most relevant (and therefore persuasive) facts. It's more influential. It's more human. And, it saves time for everyone.

The bottom line? Become more persuasive (and liked!) by simply asking more questions, listening, and presenting only the relevant facts.


Cynthia Oelkers is president of In the Moment Productions, Inc., a training and entertainment company. Cynthia is a leading expert on helping businesses reduce their communication problems and create sustainable long term growth. For more information go to www.inthemoment.com or call her at (512) 771-4320. Subscribe to the “Communication Moments” bi-monthly newsletter and learn valuable communication strategies on how to motivate, influence and persuade your co-workers, customers, and sales prospects.

Published in Networking Today, October 2004.