Most successful course creators and online coaches usually create desire and demand with their content before they ever launch anything. Even when they are not launching, they are still able to create desire and demand for such programs.

That, my friend, is thanks to positioning. Read on to know how you can really nail your positioning so that you can sell your offer before you offer anything.

What is Positioning?

Most people think that they don’t need to position themselves or their offer before their launch. They just throw it out there, thinking that having an engaged audience is enough to sell their courses. But that is not true for most people, especially after you start to scale. 

But what is positioning, really?

Positioning is how you sell your offer before you ever sell such an offer. It is all of the messaging and the content that you create leading up to your offer. You help people make the decision to buy your offer before you offer anything. You create desire and demand for their offer, whether it’s by your content or your podcast, before even opening the doors to your program.

Does Positioning Take a Lot of Time?

While I may think that you have better chances of selling the longer you position yourself, I also believe that positioning isn’t something that needs to take a lot of time. Your clients don’t need to know you for four years to say yes to your offer. You can build positioning really quickly if you do it strategically.

The One Mistake I See in People When It Comes to Positioning

Even if you have raving fans who seem to like all of your Instagram posts, they still may not be clear on your messaging when it comes to your launch. You might think that your audience doesn’t need positioning because they’re all over your account.

But, they do! You need to take that time to position yourself, help your prospective client decide whether you are credible or not and whether your offer is what they are looking for.

People are wearing “problem goggles” (that’s what I call them) when they are looking for a solution. They focus on finding someone who is the expert at what they teach and what they want to get out of it.

Positioning Yourself: Triggering the Reticular Activating System

Let’s be real. People don’t buy things from those who are not experts (says my toddler). Positioning yourself as the expert at what you do can trigger your potential client’s reticular activating system. This is an algorithm in the brain that will tell your potential client whether something is relevant to them or not.

For instance posting content about something relevant to what they are looking for, with that content strategically positioning you as the expert, will trigger that algorithm. They will see you as somebody who is a viable candidate to teach them what they want to learn. Mastering positioning means you are always creating desired demand for your offer. That way, when you finally have something to offer, your audience is nice and ready to buy it.

How to Position Yourself and Your Offer

To position yourself as an expert, ask yourself these questions:

• What gives you credibility?
• What makes you the expert?
• What experience do you have?
• What expertise do you have?
• Why are you the right or even the best person to teach this?

Furthermore, you also need to position your offer as the obvious solution. This is important because people don’t buy things that they aren’t sure will work. Most people don’t buy things that they don’t need or that they don’t think are the best solution just because they like the person.

Consider the answers to these questions when positioning your offer as the solution to their problem:

• What makes your offer special?
• What makes your offer different?
• What will your offer get them?
• Will your offer get them what they want faster, easier, and better?

When you can start answering these questions, that’s when you can start to pre-empt objections.

These two things will go a long way in positioning your offer as opposed to other alternatives available. When you nail down your positioning, you can start to make the case in everything you create before you ever offer anything. If you’re in a launch, it’ll be so much easier to stand out for your ideal clients and create that desire and demand to work with you.

Want to go more in-depth about this topic? Listen to the full episode here.