Shaping the Market to Your Advantage
"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free."
— Michelangelo on sculpting David
The statue of David is one of the great masterpieces of the world. Sculpted in the early 1500s, it remains an elegant example of craftsmanship at its finest. Yet, its success was far from guaranteed.
Michelangelo was given a fractured, deformed block of stone to carve. Thought to be of no value, the stone had been discarded for more than 20 years, repeatedly rejected by presumably wiser and more senior sculptors. But Michelangelo had a vision and never wavered from it, refusing to allow obstacles to stand in his way. Instead, he carved into the marble, continuously making corrections where necessary, redirecting his chisel and rethinking his tools until David's famous stance was ultimately shifted to accommodate a huge, gaping hole in the marble.
The sculpting of David proved to be Michelangelo's defining moment. By having a vision, taking on a challenge that eluded others, being nimble enough to work around perceived roadblocks, and using the right tools, Michelangelo created a masterpiece whose impact is as meaningful now as it was more than 500 years ago.
Reasons and Opportunities for Market Shaping
You have a vision and you can clearly see the future. Can your potential clients?
Market shaping prepares your target audience for what you have to offer. It should occur early in the process, before any marketing initiatives begin. It is about defining unmet needs and understanding the problems to be solved. It is about educating target audiences so that when a product or solution is ready to be introduced or re-launched, the market is receptive. By employing the right market-shaping strategies, new business ecosystems are built and awareness and understanding begin. All organizations, regardless of size or industry, can engage and influence markets and in doing so, can accelerate early adoption and create a loyal foundation for future growth. How do you begin to shape your market? Are you asking the right questions? Click for a sample list of questions to accelerate your thinking. Let SculptaHealth show you how.
1, 2 Entrepreneur Weekly, Small Business Development Center, Bradley Univ, University of Tennessee Research. Research Date: 1.1.2014 3, 4, 5 2012 MarketingSherpa B2B Marketing Benchmark Survey Methodology: Fielded June 2011, N=1,745
