You hear it all the time.
If you want stand out from your competition you’ve got to have a unique selling point – a point of difference that no other company can offer.
The problem is if you sell widgets, the chances are your widgets are very similar to those that your competitors sell. Sure, you might offer a few different gimmicks, but unless they are revolutionary there’s not a lot to distinguish your product from the one sold by the guys down the road.
Before you hang your head in despair, all is not lost. All you have to do is look at things differently because there is something that makes you stand out from everyone else.
Know what it is?
It’s you.
Your company runs in a unique way. Your values are very different from your competitors. So stop wasting time trying to compete on price, or trying to convince your customers that your product’s features are better than the competitions and start shouting about you.
OK, granted that kind of goes against a lot of stuff I’ve written about marketing copy. It should always be about your customers and what they want and not about you, but what if your values are what sets you apart from everyone else?
Consider this, you source and sell promotional goods for companies. There are loads of similar companies to yours out there, but are their processes the same as yours?
You’re really hot on making sure everything you source is ethically produced. Now that is going to be something that a lot of companies will buy in to (a major benefit for them), so make sure you tell your story.
Create materials that shout about your values and the lengths you go to, to make sure all your suppliers comply with your ethos.
If ethical products are a high priority for companies they will seek you out. Just like if you want something innovative and that ‘simply works’ you’ll go to Apple, that’s the sort of brand image you need to create for your business to people instantly know what you stand for.
Of course, if you’re making claims like that it’s essential you follow through. One slip up will ruin your credibility so be careful about what you claim and make sure you can prove it.
You see, competition isn’t just about who sells what the cheapest. Buyers will always look at the bigger picture when it comes to finding a supplier. Take a long hard look at your company and pinpoint what it is that makes you different, then make sure you tell your story.