There are five critical elements to positioning for entrepreneurs – authority, substance, credibility, social proof and transference.
Mike Handcock, Chairman of the Circle of Excellence, shared the six elements of business or personal positioning during a recent TNG online event meeting where he introduced TNG members to their free membership of Octopus – the internationally certified World Wide Business Intelligence education platform.
With a presence in more than 50 countries – the main centres are New Zealand, Malaysia and South Africa – the Octopus is accredited by the Education Alliance Finland, the world’s premier science-based quality standard and certification for learning solutions. The platform is also certified to award Continuing Professional Education (CPE) to professionals anywhere in the world.
“Much of the current business education comes from people regurgitating what they have heard from other people and academics who seldom prove their theories in the real world. Octopus was designed to solve business problems and draws its lessons from our experience with entrepreneurs in more than 50 countries – from Casablanca and Morocco to Manchester, Stockholm and Bangladesh.
“We find that everybody around the world has the same business problems, but everybody tends to over-complicate the solutions. It feels a bit like a conductor trying to conduct an orchestra while reading from pre-written sheet music. Business today is more like jam musicians sitting in a park trying to figure it out as we go.”
The Octopus platform offers TNG members access to more than 100 technologies gleaned from solving issues with thousands of people during the process of shifting them from their current state to where they desire to go.
Features of Octopus include:
1. Access to more than 100 technologies.
2. The platform is at your fingertips, with search functionality dealing with every aspect of business when you need it.
3. The platform is certified by the Education Alliance Finland, the premier education certification body globally.
4. Live webinars every Tuesday at 7 pm New Zealand time. The most recent webinar featured Dr Patrick Liew, chairman and co-founder of public companies listed on the Australian stock exchange and New York Australian stock exchange (one of Dr Liew’s promotional events companies represents people like Robert Kiyosaki and Tony Robbins).
5. Social media access via Facebook to the education platform and webinars.
“We had three auditors full-time combing through our education tech programme for three months and ultimately received a 94 per cent rating. Ultimately, they were thrilled with not just our content but also the usability of that content. It is fun and practical.”
Octopus is also certified to award Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points for any professional from anywhere in the world.
“There are eight tentacles to the Octopus, covering areas like people and talent, conscious leadership, smart marketing and building systems. For example, the first module covers business strategy. Like all the other models on the platform, it has a playbook covering subjects such as an overview of business strategy, strategic planning and resource planning to name a few. Infographics and videos can be accessed quickly and easily.
“An example of one of those infographics is the premium positioning formula, which 86 per cent of people say significantly improves their position in their market place.”
The Premium Positioning Formula:
1. Authority – may be achieved, for example, by writing a book or public speaking.
2. Substance – create more ‘position’. For example, try presenting clients with a hardcover book of your work.
3. Credibility – requires clarity, visibility, a robust digital footprint and consistency. Does your website say something different from your LinkedIn? Check out the digital footprint checker to see how you stack up.
4. Social proof – have you appeared in the media? Have you got a suite of well-documented case studies?
5. Transference – the art of transferring somebody else’s authority to you, e.g., testimonials and endorsements.
“On transference, I never let the MC introduce me at an event. It either has to be the CEO or a celebrity speaker if one is present. For example, imagine how having somebody like Dan Carter introduce you elevates your authority in the eyes of the audience.
“That’s what positioning is about. There’s more on positioning and everything else you need to know about business to be found on Octopus, and it’s free to TNG members.”
Membership is available free for all TNG members. Register to join via email or request to join the Facebook group here