A 30,000 Foot Perspective of Business

I was working with over 20 clients in the U.S. when I stumbled onto the concept of building strategic alliances around moments called “Life Transitions.” The need for goods and services is intensified during such events as marriage, parenting, moving, and death. By developing a collaborative process among my clients, they were able to achieve increased brand awareness, more referrals, and ultimately greater sales and profits.

I’ve been developing a website for several months that will provide businesses with an automated, lead generation system by focusing on over 17 major Life Transitions most people will experience on their life’s journey. The goal is to position clients in each Life Transition as a trusted professional who offers outstanding solutions to the challenges experienced by people during each transition.

In the next few columns, I want to share a powerful concept about how you can position your business to become the best and only choice to your target customers, even if you’re in a crowded competitive group. These articles are actually a chapter in a book that I am contributing as an author with management guru, Brian Tracy. The book is scheduled to be published this summer and the following is the first of four articles that will comprise the chapter…

Flying in the Air Force provided an interesting three-dimensional perspective that opened my mind to the big picture in business. While flying between Abilene and San Angelo, Texas, I could see both cities on either side of the cockpit. The 90-mile distance between the two cities would normally take me about one and a-half hours to drive; however, flying between them from a 30,000-foot perspective allowed me to see both cities at once.

Time seemed to slow down as I looked down at the spec of cars traveling on a thread of road because the cars seemed to be moving at an ant’s pace, and I could easily see most of the landmarks and intersections they had passed or would eventually encounter. Their limited perspective from ground level only allowed them to see a few thousand feet ahead or behind them, and it would take more than an hour before they could catch their first glimpse of their final destination.

Driving is a two-dimensional process that can be planned with a map to travel from a starting point to the end location. There are intermediate transition points of reference such as geographic landmarks, cities, and intersections that act as reference points to gauge a traveler’s progress.

Business planning is similarly looked at as a two-dimensional planning process that has a starting point and a final destination. Milestones along the route help gauge the progress of the business as transition points are passed.

Part of the planning process includes identifying groups of potential customers in various target markets, and then developing a strategy to effectively entice them to buy from your business. The marketing section typically takes a two-dimensional approach by looking at individuals who have an immediate need for your product. The plan also tends to use marketing messages and media that are very similar and easily accessible to your competition.

Using the driving analogy with your prospects moving along a road that symbolizes a timeline, they would approach a busy intersection where you and your competitors are gathered. As they continue to move through the intersection, all of your competitors are trying to grab your attention, similar to a political group gathered at an intersection, by waving brightly colored signs and screaming for the prospects to stop and buy from them. This creates confusion because of the numerous and similar messages that are promoted in the same media, and it positions each business as a commodity that is very similar to every other business vying for their attention.

What difference would it make in your business if your message was the first and only one they noticed, and you and your staff were viewed as trusted professionals who could best satisfy their wants and needs? Obviously, that’s a dream position to be in, and next week you’ll learn how it can become a reality for your business if you look at your future customers from a 30,000-foot perspective, and understand how you can distinctively position your business before they need what you have to offer.