What Amazon Can Teach You About Battling For Customer’s Minds (And Wallets)

Patrick McFadden

If I ask you to describe what 7-Up is?

You’ll probably say, “It’s the UnCola.”

And if you’ve ever had a coke you already know what 7-Up is and you immediately recognize its position in the soft drink market.

This is called positioning and one way to inject your product or service into someones head is to find someone else who is already in their head and hang something right next to it.

Positioning involves planting “seeds of perception” in the minds of prospects and customers, which by-the-way are already crowded.

What does this have to do with what Amazon can teach you about battling for customers minds (and wallets)?

Simple: View the images below….

(Sorry about the quality)

As you can see all of these advertisements were created around a powerful positioning strategy. Amazon knows who the market leader is and they realize everyone knows and understands the value that the market leader brings.

So the easiest way to inject their service into your head is to find someone else (Netflix) who is already in there and hang something (Amazon Instant Video) right next to it.

Here are 5 things Amazon can teach you about battling for customer minds (and wallets) :

  1. Battling for the customer’s mind and wallet has little to do with real price or quality. Instead, it’s all about perception.
  2. Battling for the customer’s mind and wallet is based on the fact that we form opinions about products and companies based on our own perception.
  3. Battling for the customer’s mind and wallet means tapping into existing perceptions and using them to your advantage.
  4. Battling for the customer’s mind and wallet  does not attempt to change anyone’s perception. Simply leverage the existing public opinion.
  5. When battling for the customer’s mind and wallet you don’t “position” a product, you communicate its position.

Above all:  If you can’t fight for your prospect and customers mind, you are not going to go very far in the battle for their wallet.

Forget “Perfect Workspaces.” Customers Want Perfect Installation Days — Here’s What Happened When One Furniture Installation Company Got That Right

By Patrick McFadden • March 31, 2025
1. The Challenge: VMI was like many service providers — positioning their value around what they thought clients wanted : “Office furniture installation and assembly — let us handle creating your perfect workspace.” But the actual buyers — facility managers, project managers, furniture reps — weren’t looking for “perfect workspaces.” They were trying to avoid installation nightmares . Their real priority? ✅ Great installation days. ✅ No chaos. ✅ No missed deadlines. ✅ No angry phone calls from clients. 2. The Insight: After conducting stakeholder interviews under our marketing strategy consulting engagement , the Indispensable Marketing team uncovered critical feedback: “We need installers who maintain a professional site and follow instructions.” “We lose relationships when installations go badly.” “I need quotes back quickly or I can’t sell the job.” This wasn’t just about services , it was about trust, problem-solving , and professional reliability . So we reframed their differentiators not by what they did, but how they showed up : Same-day project quotes Problem-solving on-site Update protocol with clients Professionalism guarantee Lasting Impression Insurance 3. The Shift: We shifted the positioning from vague benefits to real-world, emotional triggers : Instead of: “Let us create your perfect workspace.” Now: “Get the perfect installation day, every time.” That subtle shift aligns with who’s actually buying (and who feels the pain when things go wrong). The end-user may care about the workspace. But the buyer cares about the install . 4. The Lesson for Others: If you’re selling a service, don’t describe what you do. Describe what the client wants to avoid or achieve — and who the real buyer is. Then, systematize what you’re already doing well and give it a name. Just like our team did with: “Same Day Quotes” “Lasting Impression Insurance” “Reliable Presence Protocol” 5. The Outcome Within weeks of updating their messaging and positioning: The company reported more qualified leads asking the right questions Furniture reps began referring them because they were “easy to work with and made them look good” They were shortlisted for larger, multi-phase projects due to increased confidence in their process But most importantly, they stopped competing on price — because they weren’t selling perfect workspaces anymore. They were selling peace of mind on installation day.

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