Let me tell you about 2 bards.

And for the non-fantasy or medieval buffs, a bard is a poet, usually singing stories to drunk dudes in places typically named something like “The slaughtered wolf inn”.

Anyway, once upon a time these two bards were battling over their audience.

Some inns were empty. Others packed with tourists, bursting with excitement for the stories they used to tell.

The hustle was real.

They ended up at the same place and had to take turns, almost like in a weird medieval rap battle.

The audience left.

The place was too crowded.

You could barely stand (and people used to smell pretty bad back then).

So one day one of the two bards had an idea.

“I’m going to stand right on the way to the inn, on the street, so all the people who end up there will have to pass by me and drop some coins!”

Genius.

Or was he?

The other bard, had another idea.

“If people are only walking by, they will never be able to listen to my stories. I have to be somewhere they can stick for a while.”

What he did was something any business who’s serious about positioning should consider doing…

Hi didn’t go back to the inn…

And he didn’t pick another street along the way to the inn…

No, he thought outside the box.

He knew there was a popular cathedral and sanctuary nearby. Where people used to spend hours at a time. Walking, thinking, admiring the majestic architecture.

But you couldn’t play music or sing inside the cathedral grounds.

So he decided to stand right outside of the cathedral’s walls.

People inside could still hear him play and tell his stories and he picked songs that fit the vibe perfectly. Almost like it was the soundtrack to their visit there.

But they couldn’t pay him as they were inside the walls…

Thing is, the cathedral was also the last place people visited coming from the village. So they had to go back to where they came from!

That’s when the bard got his coins.

After hearing him for hours while visiting the cathedral, people felt compelled to reward him for the beautiful experience.

And on their way back they filled his pockets with gold.

Best part of this story? it really happened to me.

Yesterday here in Lisbon two street musicians were entertaining people. One picked the busy trafficked street, the other decided to stand outside the wall of Quinta de Regaleira.

The second got all the money.

Great lesson in positioning and in choosing the right market.

Go where the fish are, yes, but also where they can stick for a while and can experience your product.

Positioning and finding your unique value proposition can drive you crazy. Don’t be like the bard who missed out on a shit ton of gold coins.

Learn how I help my clients position themselves here. Let’s talk.