Month: March 2024
Globalization has gained impetus and in todays time where perfection and professionalism rules, it is imperative to fritter time and money to assure that all your certified documents are proof-read and edited without any mistakes. For a proficient mistake free experience, you need to invest in a good and reliable skilled service which puts in their best to proof read and edit your professional documents furnishing you with the best. Whether you are dealing with professional firms or you are gaining a potential client for your business, proof-reading is a vital element in structuring and shaping your deal. You must think twice are you willing to put your deal at risk? To gauge this you can compare the cost you will incur in hiring a specialized editing service and also weigh the cost you will incur when you lose a deal worth thousands and millions. Choice is yours.
How important is proof reading and editing?
Well! Some businesses have this perception that they are proficient enough to proof-read and edit their own creations. However, this can only be possible if you write occasionally but dealing with business deals, qualified document writing isnt an occasional thing wherein you cannot reply on your proofreading and editing skills. This is where specialized proofreading services come in. There are various trained proofreading and editing services which make sure that the final document is mistake free before it is used for business dealings.
The sole reason why you must appoint a professional proof reading service is that when you write documents every day, it becomes a habit and as a writer you become so involved in the drill that minute and intricate details get hampered. The practiced proofreading and editing services center on the flow and quality of writing as well as aspire to make the manuscript error free. For business deals overseas and with various clients in the same country, the major form of business dealings is written communication. In written communication, the main thing is that the document must be clear and concise. The scripted communication must not hamper the deal and must have a flawless flow.
However, if you want to pursue a flourishing business and establish faith in your existing potential clients, it is significantly imperative for you to hire a certified proof-reading service. Somya Translators are perhaps, one of the best professional proofreading services. They provide a revised and error free document that doesnt only allow you to showcase a solemn image of your business but assists you to effortlessly communicate your memorandum with accuracy and lucidity. Whether you want a simple document to be written or a complex one, a legal document or a sophisticated one, your manuscripts showcase and exhibit your reliability. Somya translators portray your message succinctly and precisely. We meet tight rolling deadlines and furnish you with an error-free certified document. Our staff is skilled and proficiently revises the work before submitting the final product to the client.
The Surface Meanings of Positioning
This health care product lost the market share because it didnt find the correct position and failed to win the consumers favor.
Working in the office, you should know your position clearly to win the praise of your colleagues and get a promotion.
This company positioned itself to be a third-party hotel which only provides top grade services and thus got remarkable profits over time.
The definition of positioning is accepted and used widely. However, if we do a sample survey of business managers and marketing personnel, and people working in market consulting services and the advertising industry for their understanding of “positioning “, I believe you will get a variety of answers. It seems that even many professional people, just simply accepted and memorized the term “positioning”, and use it in some specific situations! Few people truly consider “positioning” as a tool and how to put it in to practice.
If “positioning” is indeed effective, at least we need to understand the concept, master the methods, and put theories into practice. We can not just purely discuss about what “positioning” is and treat it as a fashionable term to enrich our vocabulary.
Now, lets look into “positioning”.
Different positioning
Advertising Age, an authoritative advertising magazine in the United States, published Positioning Era in 1972 written by Al Ries and Jack Trout, which declared the birth of positioning.
Al Ries and Jack Trout thought that “positioning” is a method of occupying a market position in the minds of the target audiences. Therefore, they use the present continuous tense “Positioning” to express the process. Any country, company, organization, individual, product or service could use this method to occupy a position in the minds of consumers.
The “positioning” that Al Ries and Jack Trout mentioned actually refers to in-depth study of the target audience from the perspective of the audience themselves in order to choose information to distribute effectively and guarantee a means for consistent communications. This will create a method which impresses consumers and gets them memorize the company in a certain way. Using common language to express these ideas we can name it: the what to say approach.
The principle of positioning brought forward a new era. With this concept widely known and accepted by the mass, marketing experts also tried to connect this principle with the existing marketing theory systems. Thus, we have the classic “S-T-P” steps, S stands for segmentation; T for targeting and P for positioning which is something that occupies a certain place in the minds of the consumers with its unique designs in supplies. (Philip Kolter, Marketing Management 10th edition). Please note that “positioning” here has surpassed its original meaning, it is not just a means of communication, but also holds meaning of unique design in supply.” In other words, the meaning of “positioning” lies in how to design the products, how to price them and what special services should be provided. Obviously, providing uniqueness in supply has actually become the key work of marketing! Therefore, “positioning” changed from a means of communication to the core point of marketing. Marketing experts have completely accepted the term “positioning” and admits the positive influence of adding “positioning” to Marketing Theories, and thus, its meaning have been enriched. Frankly speaking, from the perspective of marketing experts, “positioning” is not just matter of “what we should say”; it has become “what we should sell”.
When marketing experts promote the “S-T-P” method, strategic positioning” becomes the focus of discussion. Michael Porter’s On Competition said that: The essence of the business strategy is “positioning.” In his book, he pointed out: Enterprises can position themselves based on the types of specific products. Just as Galanz’s strategy has focused on the production and development of microwave ovens; enterprises can also position themselves based on all the needs or most needs of specific customers or as how IKEA positioned itself by providing a complete series of household products to young people, who care mainly about price, like to change styles all the time, and do not need services.
After determining a “positioning” strategy, a set of carefully selected activities can be carried out accordingly to strengthen the uniqueness value to their consumers. Take the Southwest Airlines for example, its “positioning” strategy is to provide serve- specific air routes and low-cost and convenient services, in this way, it can reduce boarding time, forgo providing any unnecessary VIP cabin services and only purchase Boeing 737 aircraft in order to enhance the efficiency of maintenance and strengthen its competitive advantages. These simplified activities are carried out based on the strategic “positioning” plan, and has helped to continuously consolidate their market “positioning”, so that other airlines can not compete with them at all.
From the perspective of Michael Porte, “positioning” has got even a richer meaning. The “positioning” of enterprises is what we should do and this is the essence of business management strategy and also the origin of competitive advantages.
There are three different levels of application of “positioning”. They are enterprise strategy level, marketing level and communication level respectively (see picture 1). Confusion often occurs because of the definitions of these three levels of “positioning” are actually different, but all of them are wide-spread and accepted. When we are able to examine “positioning” from different levels, then we can confirm in which level to use “positioning” correctly so that we can avoid confusion about its definition.
It is worth mentioning that the three levels of “positioning” dont contradict each other, on the contrary, the unification of the three levels can form a strong competitive advantage.
For example, Volvo focuses on producing safe cars, the “positioning” of which is in the enterprise level and also in marketing level, this is consistently shown in the process of their communications. So in the minds of consumers, Volvo occupies a market position of safety.
The ideal state of the three levels of “positioning” is a united one. Southwest Airlines, IKEA and Harley Motorcycles are some of the best examples of unity among the three levels of positioning. Strategic “positioning” is the core and direction of business management, so as to determine the direction of the products and services development, and further establish its unique position in the minds of target consumers through communications. We can see that such enterprises are strong powers in their markets.
Positioning and Brands
Clients often need an advertising company to provide positioning services for a certain brands. However, because Al Ries and Jack Trout didnt attempt to construct a theoretical system, nor there is clear definition about the relationship between “branding” and “positioning”. Therefore, the following situations are likely to occur: the clients who believe in the positioning theory claim that they need brand positioning for their shampoo products, for instance, but actually, they do not know what kind of materials concerning the brand the advertising company will submit. Proceeding from the view of business, the advertising company is willing to provide this service for the client, yet due to lack of theoretical basis and standards, clients can not actually identify the quality of the proposal submitted by the advertising company. The two sides will not be able to have in-depth negotiations or revisions on the proposal.
We should change this situation by creating a clear definition; otherwise this problem will seriously affect daily work progress and market results for many enterprises. Like the invention of the light bulb is based on the discovery of electricity, the “positioning” of a brand comes from the unity between “positioning” and “branding”, it is closest to Al Ries and Jacks classic theory on positioning–the positioning of communication, which is the first of the three levels of positioning in theory and practice mentioned above.
“Branding” is the general awareness of consumers on specific organizations, products, services, and the differences among them (Please refer to my article If You Are Confused About the Concept of Branding, and Graphic II in this article to familiarize yourself with the concept of branding). “Positioning” is the process of occupying a position in consumers minds. Therefore, we can consider “branding” as a result, and “positioning” as an approach.
Graphic II
Distinguished-What the brand represents?
Entity-What the brand stands for?
Awareness-to who the brand is meaningful for?
Giving positioning to a brand is to rebuild consumers awareness through the means of communication, which is actually a process of establishing a position or adjusting the present position. When this is completed, in the minds of consumers, a brand will be established or the awareness about a certain symbol has fundamentally changed.
If “positioning” is an approach, then from the perspective of overall brand management, what is the relevance of positioning itself? We know that the core means of brand management is to establish the “symbol system” in the minds of target consumers which is, in fact, to manage the communications and the differences mentioned in the materials provided to further manage the awareness of the target consumers. For this aspect of brand management a relatively complete methodology system exists; David Aakers brand recognition system.” In this system, as a process, brand management is divided into four steps:
Graphic III
1. Establishing brand awareness
2. Brand positioning
3. Communication
4. Following and checking the effects of communication activities and continue to improve them.
In these four steps, the main task of brand positioning is to have the brand recognition content and brand value orientation communications initiatively communicate with the target consumers.
Perhaps we can use peoples thoughts as an example to help us understand David Aakers insightful view. View points of Brand recognition is how a man sees himself, brand positioning is how this person describes himself and brand awareness is how others look at this person.
It is very simple; the essence of brand management is to combine other peoples opinions about you and your own opinion about yourself through various means. Brand positioning, however, is to let others remember your methods in this complex and saturated competitive environment (Graphic IV shows the relationship among brand identification, positioning and awareness).
Conclusion
This article aims to dissipate the fog of the concept and directly reveal the core concept.
Many people are confused about positioning, the reason is that the concept of positioning originated only from communication, but it has been further developed to the following three levels: strategy, marketing and communication.
Many people are confused about the relationship between branding and positioning as well, it is because they confuse branding itself with brand development and management measures.
The problem that we are facing is not the lack of theories, but actually having too many theories on this topic. Lets learn how to distinguish and select proper theories, not only select them but truly, systemically and creatively devote ourselves to implementing the theories we believe in. If these things are accomplished it will be more likely for enterprises and individuals to continuously achieve success in the more and more mature and fierce market competition in China as well as the global market.
Are you in the throws of building a new team? In that case, whether its a sports team, youth group, cultural group, or corporate team, youre going to need plenty of ideas for team names. Thats no easy task! So, here you have a few ideas as to how to go about choosing a terrific team building name.
First and foremost, the team leader should get together with all team members, and ask each individual for their ideas. Youre bound to be presented with many and varied suggestions, so it will be no easy task making the final choice. But, its extremely important that everyone has their say, and approves of the name picked. For, this is a team and, as such, youll want everyone to feel happy about the name, believing that each and every one of them has participated in its selection.
However, before letting your team loose on volunteering all their suggestions, you may like to mention the following tips to them.
Your team will need to consider its function, and come up with a name that complements this. If its sports oriented, a strong even aggressive name could be appropriate like the Chargers or Raiders. On the other hand, a cultural group might prefer a gentler-sounding name, whilst a corporate team would do better to choose something to match their business aims and standards.
To get some ideas, your team members may like to look at names chosen by well-known teams in their field. Sometimes these are names of birds or animals, like Panthers and Sharks, and may be accompanied by a colour. Often the names are based around different types of groups. For example, Pirates, Indians and Angels.
Is your team purely local? Then why not make the town or city part of the team name, accompanied by an appropriate adjective, noun, or color. Or, if the team is part of a company, why not use the firms name in the same way? Make use of words such as “champions”, “heroes”, etc.
A team name needs to be as short and snappy as possible. Dont worry about it sounding slightly exaggerated rather that than having it too mild and anaemic. And, consider using rhyming and alliteration.
Yet another way of coming up with team building names is to take the initials of all its members, juggle them around, and make them into suitable words. This way, everyone has a share in the name.
Once youve decided on a name, youll then want to come up with a suitable slogan for the team. To do this, take each letter of the name, and think of an appropriate descriptive word which begins with that letter. To give a short, easy example, if your teams name were the “Reds”, youd make your slogan something along the following lines:
R resolute E efficient D determined S steadfast
And, voil!… There you have your teams slogan or war cry, absolutely perfect for boosting morale, and making everyone feel part of a true team.