Create Breakthrough Sales and Profits with Strategy s

The Secret Formula You Can Use To Position Your Company As The “Only Choice”

(And Knock Your Competitors Out Of The Game in 30 Seconds)

In this issue I want to reveal a formula for positioning your company as the “Only Choice”.

As you know, positioning strategy is critical to market success. If you are offering the same things in the same way as competitors, you’re doomed to charging low prices for your products and services – if you even survive in the long run.

For years now, I’ve used a formula to help my clients focus on their unique market advantages and create a unique selling proposition. It’s one of the best formulas I’ve seen at forcing your mind to think of the unique advantages that you alone bring to your customers, patients and clients.

It’s fast. It’s intuitive. And once crafted, you can use it with your sales team, your ads and your marketing to knock your competitors out of the game in about 30 seconds.

This formula works face-to-face, in print, radio, TV and on the Web. And it can be used on everything from cars to fur coats to plumbing.

I’ve never made this strategy public before. But, I’ve promised to give you the “good stuff” in the Strategy Matters newsletter, so; here it is…

Meet the “Exclusivity Funnel”.

The Secret Power Of The “Exclusivity Funnel”

Before revealing the Exclusivity Funnel, let me first cover two critical aspects of influence psychology that give this secret formula its power. Then I’ll give a broad overview of the Exclusivity Funnel and how it works.

Here we go…

Influence Fact One: All people go through an almost unconscious series of steps before making a purchase of any consequence.

We search for a solution to a problem, create a set of options for comparison, and narrow the options down to a single choice and then take action.

We all go through this process. It can happen in seconds or take weeks. But we all move through that mental sequence when making a purchase decision.

The power of the Exclusivity Funnel is it uses the natural “narrowing down” phase to your advantage, as you’ll see in a moment.

Influence Fact Two: Consumers are skeptical. More than ever today. When a product or person makes bold claims of superiority over all others, you and I put up our mental guard.

Our first instinct is to dis-believe. “Yea right”. “Prove it”. “You and everyone else”. Those are the thoughts that instinctively come to mind when we hear a product or person bragging.

The Exclusivity Funnel paces this instinct in your prospects. It admits the truth – there are other great providers of this product or service out there. And gives them what they want – a reason to choose you or your products.

The Exclusivity Funnel Formula

It works like this…

1.First you state the facts about the market in the most general terms.

2. Then you narrow the field down a bit using whatever criteria you select.

3. Then you narrow it down to only you or your product based on whatever your unique advantage or USP is.

Let’s use a local loan originator as an example. They sell a commodity product and there are lots of them – so they have trouble making themselves stand apart. Watch how easy it is to separate them from the pack, professionally, using the Exclusivity Funnel…

(Step one) “Right now, there are about 200 originators here in Sunnyville.”

(Step two) “Out of those, 7 really do a great job for their clients and I would be comfortable recommending them.”

(Step three) “But to my knowledge, I’m the only lender who spends a minimum of two-hours doing an in-depth analysis of your long range financial objectives, tax issues, investing strategies and more in order to give you a loan that fits like a glove with your goals for retirement.”

Remember, what you “funnel” down to can be anything that you feel is a real benefit to the client and a unique strength of yours.

Let’s take a copywriter – his or her funnel may look like this….


“There are probably thousands of copywriters out there today. And there are 3 who specialize in web copy that are really very good. But to my knowledge, I’m the only one that has brought his clients over $10 Million in sales this year.”

Important: You can use any criteria you want to narrow the funnel… Maybe your local – “I’m the only Wiget Co. who is local so you can meet face to face…Or you offer a unique guarantee. …Or you specialize in a niche… Or you have a unique process by you manufacture a product or deliver a service.

Let’s look at how an automobile company used it so you can see how versatile this formula is. The criteria you select for your Exclusivity Funnel is only limited by your imagination. As you’ll see in this car example – you can rig the criteria anyway you want.

As you read this example taken from a TV commercial, imagine hearing it in the voice of a pompous British guy (Set up: The scene opened with about 7 luxury brands all driving down the highway. As he talked through the funnel, the cars faded from the road).

If you take all the luxury cars off the road who don’t have side impact air bags… Then take away all those who don’t have ample trunk space… And finally, eliminate those fine automobiles that don’t have on-board navigation systems… There is only on luxury car left on the road… It’s the 1999 X14 RoadStar.

Highlight Your Unique Difference

It should be clear to you that what the advertisers are doing is setting the funnel up in their favor. They “rig” it to highlight their unique differences. You should do the same thing.

Here’s a real example I discovered while researching advertising from the 1920’s. The gentleman who wrote this ad, Frank Irving Fletcher, was earning $200,000 a year in 1920’s money. As you’ll soon see, he knew how to sell. And he knew how to lead prospects to favor the unique advantage offered by his clients.

In this example, he is selling a fur coat (Caracul = Persian Wool). And he’s selling it for $1200 bucks. That’s $14,630.88 in today’s money.

Here’s the ad. Watch for the Exclusivity Funnel…


“When she chooses her caracul coat, the woman who knows fine furs looks first for suppleness…she know that the finest of caracul skins may be crumpled in the hand like so much velvet…lustrous as a length of satin…”water-marked” like the shining ripples in a pool. When she has found the quality she demands, she looks next for design; she knows that, because of this same satin-softness, fine caracul may be designed and tailored into suave lines such as no other fur (except broadtail) can have. And when she has found the quality and design she looks for…she very probably finds also, that she has, at most, only half-a-dozen sources from which to choose. Kurzman Caracul coats are created by our own designers, and made here in our own workrooms, of the finest pelts the markets of the world can offer. No other collection of models in New York today can offer you more distinguished variety for choice. And because we are practicing furriers, Kurzman prices, quality for quality are not duplicated.”

Find Your Difference!

All of us have something unique about how we do business or the value we provide. These are important reasons customers and clients would truly want to do business with you – if they only knew that you offered a unique option.

But hiding your exclusive uniqueness or coming right out and bragging are not going to give you the upper hand on competitors. However, you can professionally, and smoothly, knock a competitor out of the game in about 30 seconds using the Exclusivity Funnel.