No matter what industry you’re in or how long you’ve been in business, the chances are, there’s a company out there that’s bigger. Bigger in numbers, bigger in profits, bigger in reputation and reach. Depending on the particular product or service you provide, it might be Amazon, it might be Google, Walmart, Tiffany, whatever…
Doesn’t matter. What’s important to recognize is not that they’ve gotten bigger… it’s that they’ve stayed big. They have recognized their unique value proposition and they have figured out exactly how to use it. It’s time for you to do the same so you can take your business to the next level. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Define What Makes You Valuable
People will never buy from you if they don’t understand why you’re special and worth their investment. You have to tell them explicitly what makes you uniquely valuable. You don’t have to be the world’s best in every way. You just have to be the world’s best in the particular way your customers care about. Then you need to communicate that to them clearly.
So the first action you need to take today is to figure out what makes you special when compared to those other guys. Is your customer service team friendlier? Do you return calls and emails within 24 hours? Do you offer a full money-back guarantee? Do you include the cost of shipping? Do you deliver to Antarctica? Is all your stuff custom-built? Whatever it is, figure it out and learn how to articulate it. Someone out there wants to choose you because you’re the only one who offers that particular feature. They don’t care that Amazon offers something cheaper or more well known.
Step 2: Communicate Proof
Nobody will believe you’re the best at what you do unless you can prove it. But proof is a tricky thing. Most of us deliver products or services that don’t come with hard and fast numbers proving they’re “the best”. If you’re in that same boat, then you need to use testimonials and case studies to prove that you have delivered on your claim time and time again.
Using testimonials not only helps to prove your value proposition, but it also serves to remove the specific doubts your potential customers might feel about your promises. When a new client comes to us after looking at dozens of other web design companies, we are able to set ourselves apart by stating that the website we build for them will not only look professional, but it will also help streamline their business through web-based systems integration. But why should they believe us? Well the best we can do is bombard them with testimonials we’ve gotten about how we’ve over-delivered on that exact claim with our clients in the past. That way they don’t have to take it from us. They can take it from other people like them.
Step 3: Beat Them Over the Head
Revisit every piece of marketing you have and center it around your unique value proposition. Review the way you talk about your business to prospects, to your staff, to your buddies and your kids…
What you “do” or what you “sell” is your unique value proposition. Tell it to your prospects in every way you can imagine. Over and over and over again. Tell them exactly what it is you do. Tell them you’re the best at what it is you do. Tell them again. Then tell them another way. Then tell them a different way. Then emphasize it. Then stress it. Then repeat it.
You’re the best at what you do.
Right now there is someone out there looking for you. How will they know they’ve found you when they do?