Be Different In the Eyes of Your Customers

Getting ahead in today's market (or any other time for that matter), whether we're talking personally or professionally, isn't about highlighting how you are the same as everyone else, it's about making sure everyone knows what makes you different.

In business, it's often easy to see others around you being "successful" at what they are doing and try to repeat their success. That's a natural thing. But if you build your entire business plan around being just like everyone else, how are you going to answer the question, "Why would your potential clients choose you over every other way to spend their money?" And more important, how are you going to do what everyone else is doing and steal business away from them - if you don't offer anything else?

Creating success, either professionally or personally, isn't as much about being like everyone else, as it is being different. You need to offer something that no one else offers - make a promise that no one else is willing or even capable of making.

Look at Dominos Pizza in the 1980s - they were an obscure Pizza Restaurant in a small college town, until they made a promise that no one else was willing to make - Hot and Fresh Pizza Delivered in 30 Minutes or Less. Not only did they break the mold, but they did so in such a manner that they dominated the industry for decades to come. They became the model that everyone else copied

And what about Zappos. Who would have thought that people would be willing to buy shoes online, like they do - without ever trying them on first? But with their customer service and commitment to your satisfaction, they've been able to sweep the market place. Do you think they would be as successful as they are today, if their business model was the same as Famous Footwear? I doubt it!

Figure out what makes you unique - what separates you from you competition. And find out what the market wants or needs from your industry that aren't being addressed. When you do, and you embed it inside your Marketing Message - you will see a difference both in the way your current and future clients see you, as well as how your competition looks at you. And instead of you chasing them for marketshare, they will be chasing you.