I have known this person in business for over twenty years. He said, "Well, in my mind, you're the person who takes a business from £80,000 turnover to a quarter of a million in sales. But you're right, in the office where I work, my colleagues come and ask me, 'Who's that Shopify guy you know?' and that's what they think you're an expert in."

I replied, "At the moment, less than 10% of my customers are in that turnover bracket. Your conclusion is based on the work you 'saw me do' years ago at Business Link."

Now, this is one of the challenges of offering a wide range of products and services to a wide range of audiences.

Is it better to nurture a universal view of a single purpose or many?

This made me think of one of the business theories I teach at the University of Plymouth: perceptual mapping, or positioning. This theory is based on the premise that the reality of what you think you do and the strengths you have is actually a fiction in your own mind if your target audience doesn't share that belief.

Rather than explain it in text, I remembered that I had created a video for a cohort of students I was teaching at the University of Plymouth a few years ago. The video below explains why this theory is so critical in marketing and growing a business. It is always the theory that students find most challenging, and I explain why in the video.

You may notice that this is a different style and format to my usual videos on business, as when you teach, you must explain why a theory is important, explain the purpose in detail, and provide enough technical explanation to make it usable in practice. Whereas in consultancy, people typically care less about the explanation; they just want to know you can do the job required, in the time available, for the price agreed.

PS. I still liked what he thought I was about, obviously – it could have been much worse!

If you have any questions or would like to work with Business Think to improve your marketing performance, please email: info@businessthink.co.uk for more details.

Elliot Forte is a business consultant and Director at Business Think, bringing over three decades of expertise in consultancy, marketing, and strategic planning.

Beyond his consultancy role, Elliot is a published author of three highly regarded business books that delve into strategy, leadership, and marketing. His passion for knowledge-sharing extends to academia, where he teaches graduate and postgraduate courses in strategy and marketing at university.

Elliot is also the creator of the Life-Led Business Programme, an innovative framework designed to help leaders balance growing a business with personal fulfillment, with a focus on individual well-being and achieving work-life balance.

Based in the picturesque town of Bude, Cornwall, his consultancy work extends well beyond the region, supporting businesses in the UK and beyond.

Photo Credit: Vlada Karpovich at Pexels.com