One of the most important things you can do for the longevity of your business is to get it to stand it out from the crowd. Whether that message is delivered from a webpage, printed collateral, social media, a video or directly from your mouth, a message that sets you apart from the competition is what will get you noticed time and time again.
Here are some tips to help your business stand out:
7 Tips to Stand Out From the Crowd
1 – Solve their problem. Think about it, whether you sell a product, service or both, you solve problems for your customers. Businesses that “stand out from the crowd” clear convey this in their marketing and make it very easy for the prospect to see how they can get what they want – their problem solved. Remember, people will pay ten times as much to relieve pain over experiencing pleasure; use this knowledge to your advantage.
2 – Develop (or rethink) a tag line which clearly demonstrates the solution to the problem. In other words, it should show the major benefit of working with you in as few words as possible (i.e. More Time • More Profit • Better Quality of Life!). This should not be about “what you do” but rather about what your client receives from your products or services.
Most likely your competition has got this wrong therefore you can quickly take the lead by simply telling your prospects how they will benefit by choosing you.
3 – Convey the Solution. Clearly show people how easy it is to get their problem solved. People want their problems solved for them in the fastest way possible. If you make this convoluted and have them jumping through hoops just to closed the deal, they will be less likely to pick you. Make it easy!
4 – Quantify the Results. Backup the benefits you convey with proof and testimonials. People need to see (and know) that they will get what you promise. Show them in any way you can that you are the expert, you’ve done it before and you can do it again for them.
5 – Over-Deliver. When you give your clients more than expected you move right to the head of the “Standing Out From the Crowd” class. The good news is, you are probably already doing this but you’re not letting your customers know about it.
Don’t assume they know the extra time you gave or service you performed is part of the deal (if it really isn’t). Tell them that you appreciate their business and want to repay their kindness by giving them the extra product or service as a way of saying thank you.
6 – Guarantee Happiness. This is the most powerful way to stand out from the crowd, especially if your competition isn’t doing it. Don’t just guarantee the product or service, guarantee their happiness. For example, I offer a 30 day happiness guarantee with all my coaching programs. If after 30 days you’re not happy, you get a full refund. That puts all the risk on me to deliver quality effective coaching and it lets you try coaching out of a month to see if it’s the right thing for you. Simple and effective!
7 – Tell Them What to Do Next. Every marketing study I’ve read on this subject and been involved with over the past 12 years indicates the same thing: people need to be told what to do next to get what they want.
The majority of businesses leave this to chance. They think because their email address or phone number is there in plain sight that the prospect will inherently know what to do net. Not true! And, when conducting business in person, most small business owners choke and don’t ask for the sale because they think it’s being pushy. Again, not true!
If you done steps 1 through 6 correctly and the prospect is still with you because you’ve showed them you are the one to solve their problem in the fastest and best possible way, then tell them what they need to do next. You’ll be amazed at the results.
