In politics, “spin” is what turns the “inexperienced” candidates into the ones with “fresh ideas,” and the “entrenched” candidates into those who “know how to get the job done.” In business, “spin” can be used as part of your marketing positioning efforts—including to turn potential liabilities into assets.

When is a potential liability not an actual liability?

A potential liability is not really a liability if you can turn it into an asset through clever marketing positioning. Sometimes whether something is a positive or a negative is really just a matter of perspective. To illustrate this concept, let’s look at some examples…

Lack of experience – Perhaps you just started a business. Some might consider your inexperience to be a liability. Maybe business is still a little slow. How can you put a positive spin on things? You’re not “inexperienced,” you’re…

• Affordable
• Flexible
• Offering a fresh perspective
• Ready to tackle the client’s project immediately

High prices – Not everyone wants to be the low-price leader. But you also wouldn’t want to tout that you’ve got “the highest prices in town”! You’re not “expensive,” you’re…

• A highly-skilled expert
• In demand nationwide
• Providing customized and unique solutions
• Catering to those with discriminating tastes

Low prices – On the other hand, maybe you do want to be the low-price leader, but your pricing makes prospects wonder if there’s something inferior about your products. You’re not “suspiciously inexpensive,” you’re…

• Offering the same high quality products or services that are available elsewhere…for less
• Dedicated to keeping things affordable for everyone
• Keeping your overhead low so you can keep your prices low
• Following a different business philosophy than your high-priced competitors

“Me too” service provider – What if you’re in a service industry where all of the players offer essentially the same thing (or it at least appears this way to the average consumer)? How can you position yourself to stand out from the crowd? You’re not “just the same as your competitors,” you’re…

• A specialist in a particular niche of the market
• The organization with the most longevity
• The go-to provider in a given geographic area
• The one that provides the best value

Deal with these things head-on

Many businesses try to hide their potential negatives completely, hoping that no one will notice them. This approach can back-fire. It’s often far better to confront these potential negatives head-on—by spinning them around and turning them into positives.