Why being different will win you more customers

Identifying Points of Difference

For small business, being different is a good thing.  In fact it is probably a great thing.  When it comes to marketing a small business I often like to do an exercise with clients to help identify what are known as ‘Points of Difference’.  It is often an enlightening process for the business owner because all too often I find that business owners are way too focused on making sure they do exactly what their competitors do… only better.

While doing things better than the competition does have it’s merits, I would suggest that doing things differently from what your competition does is a far more effective strategy when it comes to winning over customers.  You see if a customer (or prospect) can’t distinguish you from your competitors than you have a problem.  A very big problem.

What most small business owners don’t realize is that when a customer makes a switch to a new service provider (or even a product for that matter), more that half of the time it has absolutely nothing to do with the level of service they are receiving (or functionality of the current product).  In the majority of cases, customers make the switch simply because the new provider is offering something that is different.

Offering something that is different gives the customer a very specific reason to do business with you.  This is the very essence of marketing.  On the most basic level, marketing comes down to identifying a problem, finding a solution and then formulating an offer that prospects can understand and relate to.  Good Points of Difference are easy for prospects to understand and relate to and will provide that very specific reason for them to do business with you.

When it comes to communicating or marketing your Points of Difference there are two things you want to focus on.  First, you want to differentiate what you do from what your competitors do.  Second, you want to differentiate how you tell people what you do.  Be sure to be as specific as possible because a confused prospect will always say no regardless of how good your marketing or Points of Difference are. 

Take a good look at your own business and try to identify the things that you do (or could do) differently from your competition.  With some effort and a little bit of creativity you will easily find good solid Points of Difference that your prospects can understand and relate to and when you do, more prospects will choose to do business with you instead of your competitors.