CRACKERJACK POSITIONING
Author: Don Reynolds Jr.



Stephanie Barlow of Entrepreneur Magazine in her column, books worth a look, makes the following comments about Crackerjack Positioning:

   What do you get when you buy a box of Cracker Jack? On the one hand, you get the same caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts you'd get by buying any one of a number of competing brands. On the other hand, you get a toy surprise in every box. It may not sound like much, but it's the toy surprise that's kept Cracker Jack ahead of the competition for over 100 years.  
   In a crowded marketplace, differentiation is the only way to survive. That's the foundation of niche marketing - surpassing the competition by offering customers something they can't get anywhere else. Sound easy? It's not. Finding a niche takes hard work, consistency and patience., Most of all, you've got to know your customers and find a way to communicate your product's added value to them.
   Don Reynoldsw Jr. outlines the fundamentals of niche marketing in Crackerjack Positioning (Atwood Publishing, $21.95 cloth). According to Reynolds, the process of finding and controlling a niche is simple; the execution is not. In theory, all niche marketing means is figuring out what your strengths are and finding a way to use them in a unique way. In reality, few companies understand what it takes to successfully corner a segment of the market. 
   Obviously, the first order of business in niche marketing is finding your niche. Reynolds' book includes insights on how to enhance your personal creativity and apply it to your business, how to tell the difference between a trend and a fad and, most important, how to narrow your business's focus sufficently to get maximum performance from your niche. After all, Reynolds writes, specialization enhances a company's credibility. Entrepreneurs who try to be all things to all people end up being nothing to anybody.
   The final ingredient of a successful niche marketing strategy is commitment. Assuming you've put the proper research into choosing your niche, making it pay off may require more than just hanging out a shingle. The most successful niche marketers are constantly striving to improve and refine their products and delivery systems. What's more, they stay on top of the market, adapting to changes as they occur. And that's really what niche marketing is all about, isn't it? Anyone can play the game, but only one person can win it.

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