Do you have enough money?

That’s why if you have a truly new product, it’s often better to tell the prospect what the product is not, rather than what it is. The first automobile, for example, was called a “horseless” carriage, a name which allowed the public to position the concept against the existing mode of transportation. Words like “off-track” betting, “lead-free”

To find a unique position, you must ignore conventional logic. Conventional logic says you find your concept inside yourself or inside the product. Not true. What you must do is look inside the prospect’s mind. You won’t find an “uncola” idea inside a 7-Up can. You find it inside the cola drinker’s head.

Gen-er-al Mo-tors is often GM. A-mer-i-can Mo-tors is often AM. But Ford Mo-tor is almost never referred to as FM. The single syllable Ford says it all. But where there’s no phonetic advantage, most people won’t use initials. New York and N.Y. are both two syllables long. So while the initials N.Y. are often written, they are seldom spoken. Los

The mind, as a defense against the volume of today’s communications, screens and rejects much of the information offered it. In general, the mind accepts only that which matches prior knowledge or experience.

History shows that the first brand into the brain, on the average, gets twice the long-term market share of the No. 2 brand and twice again as much as the No. 3 brand. And the relationships are not easily changed. The leader brand in category after category outsells the number two brand by a wide margin.

While line extension is usually a mistake, the reverse can work. Reverse line extension is called “broadening the base.” One of the best examples is Johnson’s baby shampoo. By promoting the mildness of the product to the adult market, the company has made Johnson’s baby shampoo one of the leading brands of adult shampoo. Notice the characteristics

Once an old idea is overturned, selling the new idea is often ludicrously simple. As a matter of fact, people will often actively search for a new idea to fill the void.

That’s why if you have a truly new product, it’s often better to tell the prospect what the product is not, rather than what it is.