The Secret The Gurus Are Not Telling You
Posted by Sant Qiu in : Strategic Positioning & Branding on March 15, 2008 , trackbackWelcome to my newly revamped blog. Phase 1: the face lift, was just done.
Do you like it? Let me know what you think.
To thank you for being a loyal reader I’d like to share with you the secret that the extremely successful gurus are NOT telling you. This is the secret that gurus like Rich Schefren, Frank Kern, Yanik Silver, and other really successful ones are using. The exact same kind of secret that big ultra successful and big companies like Mercedes Benz and McDonald’s is using.
As you can see, most the well-known gurus have similar standards of expertise and technical knowledge. They know how to do keyword research, they know how to use copywriting effectively, they know how to create buzz, they know about the launch sequence, etc…
So why is it that some are much, much more successful than others?
What is the DIFFERENCE that make the DIFFERENCE?
Find out in this audio:
(Note: This is the first time I’m posting an audio. Hopefully everything works out fine 
It took me about 2 hours to record and post this 14 min audio. But I’ll get better)
Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Cheers.
Thanks for the timely reminder that I need to position myself in my niche!
The stack of examples you cited clearly accentuates the need to position oneself…
Nice work!
Oh btw, the Underachiever thingy was created years back, and not “a while ago” like you mentioned, when Frank’s hair was trimmed and neat (unlike the overgrown, straggle hair that he has today).
I think Frank’s real positioning in the IM niche is “Email Copywriting” with the launch of his “Mass Control” course.
I think your work on recreating the look of your blog was well worth it. It really looks good.
The Masked Millionaire
www.TheMaskedMillionaire.com
Also the audio was great.
You’re probably right that Underachiever is pretty long ago. I just started to look at some of the big name players in the IM industry so my concept of timeline is probably not as accurate. Thanks for the tip.
Raymond asked a good question in another post that I thought is relevant to this one, so I’m copying the question and my answer here:
=> Hi Sant,
If you have a good positioning and someone copies you and you lost some degree of the positioning, do you create a new positioning? How do you go about that? Thanks.
Raymond
Ans:
Thanks for your question Raymond. The point about creating and solidifying your positioning is to stand out and get noticed by the market place.
The second part of that is to consistently hammer in that positioning. Create a strong momentum and build upon it. Once the positioning is established, others who are trying to copy will always look like a copycat. And historically (and psychologically), people don’t like to buy from the copycat.
However, a business is dynamic and about growing. If you keep growing, it’ll be tough for copycats to catch up.
[…] was listening to a great audio by my great friend Sant Qiu at this post and he’s really someone you want to know as recently we have been talking and he really […]
Mavens are the difference between a $100/hr speaker and a $1000/hr speaker. Positioning is important and I do struggle to find my unique voice at times.
Thanks for sharing!
I do alot of teambuilding and Personality profiling seminars, how shld I brand position myself?
Dear Sant,
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful insight! Branding is the difference between $100/hr & $1000/hr trainers. I know this very well becos that’s how I started, with just a small fee.
While I am continuing to build my brand, how can I make myself the true maven of my programs? I specialise in Teambuilding and Personality Profiling.
@Kenneth: There are a few ways to establish your positioning and becoming a ‘maven’ in your niche. One way is to FOCUS on a specific factor instead of trying to cover everything. For example, in team building theories/activities, what is ONE single factor that you can focus on? (This is what we call being a Specialist in our book “Secrets To Dominate Your Niche”) Can you focus on “Trust”, or “Communications” or “Empathy” etc?
When you decide on the ONE factor, then use that as your entry point. Using ONE single factor as a focus is much easier to create a positioning & brand, rather than trying to cover everything. Of course team building will involve every factors, but you brand yourself using ONE first.
It is easier have a nail penetrate a wall than to have a phone book penetrate a wall (no matter how hard you hammer it). The nail has one single contact point (focus) that makes it sharper. It’s the same principle in the marketplace.
Another way to establish your positioning that I mentioned in my book is to use Polarity Positioning. This is to purposely go against the qualities of your biggest competitor(s) or to go against the perception of your industry.