When was the last time you gave serious thought to what you’re business is about? For many, the last time was when they wrote their business plan. Businesses are created because the owner saw a niche that they could fill or they traded a paycheck for business ownership.
As a business grows and evolves, so do its strengths and weaknesses. But often times, the marketing message of the business does not change to reflect those. For your businesses stand out above the competition, you must focus on your strengths rather than trying to be like the competition.
Here are some questions to help you identify your strengths and regain your focus.
- What do we do better than the competition?
- What does the competition do better than we do?
- Why would a customer choose to do business with us?
- What do our customers say they like about our service/product?
- Do we really give good customer service? If so, how specifically do we provide good service?
- Is price a factor in closing a sale?
I went through this exercise with a prospect of new website client recently and the answers were eye opening. When I asked what they did better than the competition, they answered, “we all do about the same thing.” So why would I choose your business if you are the same as everyone else? And doesn’t it come down to price at that point? If you’re no different than the competition, then I’m going make my decision based on the lowest price.
During a different interview, I asked the same question and the response I got was, “we are better at customer service.” Oh yeah. That’s the same thing the competition said about you. How do you know you give better customer service? What specifically do you do that’s above and beyond the norm? And how do you measure and monitor your customer service? You may not hear complaints but that doesn’t mean your service was that good. The silence of customers leaving may speak louder than their words.
Find your strengths and shout those throughout your marketing messages. Facebook them, tweet them and blog about them. Make your service or product special. While talking with client that does mobile auto repair, we replaced the phrase “basic diagnostic test” with “Company Name Comprehensive Initial Diagnostic test.” Did he change any of his procedures? No, but now the message conveys a whole different meaning.
What are your strengths? And what is the message your sending?
Gary Wagnon is the owner of 800biz Ninja Marketing Strategies and the Ninja Marketing Dojo, a program designed to help businesses master all aspects of online marketing. The goal of the Ninja Marketing Dojo is to improve search engine rankings, increase web site traffic and convert more browsers into buyers.