More Clients - the Online Marketing Newsletter
for Independent Professionals
from Action Plan Marketing
and Robert MiddletonIn This Week's Issue: How do you differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace? It's not what you think.
Must You Be Different?
Imagine two Independent Professionals marketing their services.
They are very much the same in many respects. IP #1 is a consultant/trainer/coach who works with companies to help them improve overall teamwork and productivity. IP#2 is a c/t/c who works with leaders in companies to increase their ability to produce results through people.
I often say that all my clients do essentially the same thing. The only difference is that they talk about it using different words.
Now what both of these IPs are trying to do is to stand out in a crowded marketplace and get noticed. They want to be seen as unique or special in some way. They feel they need to differentiate themselves in order to be remembered and to attract more business.
My question is, do they really? Or, if they do, what is the most effective way to stand out?
One way to think about this is to look at the many ways a professional service business communicates about itself:
1. Your Target Market - Simply by catering to a specific market segment you can stand out. You can become known as the service provider who is a real expert in such and such an industry. This is simple and hardly sexy, but very effective.2. The Problems You Solve - When you can demonstrate that you know a lot about a certain kind of issue, challenge or problem that your clients face, it positions you as a real professional who knows their stuff. It's very attention-getting.
3. The Results You Produce - There's nothing quite like gaining a reputation for making things happen. If you can get teams working productively, leaders leading effectively and ultimately consistently improving the bottom line, you're going to get noticed and get lots of word-of-mouth business.
4. A Promise of Performance - I'm not necessarily talking about a guarantee, but about a reputation for getting the job done. You keep your word. You under-promise and over-deliver. You clean things up when you make a mistake. You don't make excuses.
What I'd like to suggest is that your most powerful differentiation comes from using all four of the above to communicate about your business and services. It's not one thing, it's everything you say and do.
Some people call this a Value Proposition. I like to call it an Ultimate Outcome. You can put it together into one simple statement such as the following:
"I work with growing high-tech companies who are struggling with the challenges of growth and feel they are not getting the most from their people. We have a five year track record of measurably improving cooperation, teamwork and productivity, resulting in increased revenues and market share."You have to find and settle on a statement that works for you. But it's important to realize that nobody is going to do business with you just because of that statement. You have to communicate a whole lot more in much more depth.
Nevertheless, an Ultimate Outcome should be the center of gravity for all your marketing. This is the essence of what you stand for, of what your business is all about.
But is this the only way to differentiate yourself? What if everyone in your field offers pretty much the same services?
Well, let me tell you a story...
I recently wanted to have my driveway re-paved from asphalt to paving stones. I called one company who came and took a look and then disappeared for three weeks. Then they showed up one day, saying they needed to take some more measurements. In two weeks I got a written proposal which didn't give me any of the information I asked for and a price about twice as much as I expected.
On to the next...
I called another contractor. Unlike the first one who was a general landscape contractor, this one was a specialist in only doing paving stones. I liked him, he was knowledgeable and gave me some good ideas. I got a proposal by mail about a week later but didn't hear back from him so I called him up. He let me know his schedule was very booked but that he'd get back to me the next day with a definite time. I never heard from him.
On to the next...
Two or three weeks later I called another paving stone contractor. He showed up on time and was also friendly and knowledgeable. But what I liked is that he gave me some certainty about starting. "I'll take these specifications and get back to you on Monday with a proposal. If the numbers work for you, we can start on Wednesday."
Well, I met with him today, the numbers were good and we start on Wednesday. Finally, I'm a happy camper!
So what did differentiation have to do with me hiring this paving-stone contractor? He was very much like the others in the work he actually did. But I finally chose him because he delivered on all the four points I outlined above:
He's worked with people like me on the kind of job I had. He understood the challenges of my particular situation. He had a track record of doing projects like mine and he kept his word and followed through in a timely manner.
I promise you that this approach will beat any other fancy way you might find to differentiate yourself.
I recommend that you look very closely at your marketing messages, at all your written marketing materials (including your web site), and exactly how you communicate to your prospective clients. I guarantee that you'll find several areas to work on that will make you stand head and shoulders above your competition.
More on "Must You Be Different?" in Marketing Flashes below.
Being Different or Being Successful?
Often you don't need to work so hard at being different. You simply need to focus on the four points I outlined in today's article that will make you stand out as a professional.
And to do this you may need a little help.
Since 1984 I've been helping Independent Professionals much like yourself to market more effectively. No fancy smoke and mirrors. Just solid strategies that are time-tested and proven to work. If you apply my ideas to your marketing you can expect to get more attention and interest for your services.
The best place to start is with the InfoGuru Marketing Manual. It's an all-in-one resource that gives you the information and the how-tos to get your marketing focused and on track.
The manual comes in several different formats to fit your needs and your budget. Check it out here:
http://www.actionplan.com/infoguru.htmlAnd if you already have the manual, you might want to get into some areas of marketing even more deeply. I have a whole series of Marketing Audio Programs that will help you...
- Find more clients through effective networking- Increase the number of referrals you receive
- Use speaking as a powerful marketing tool
- Build a responsive email/eZine list
- Sell your services to big companies
Complete information on these programs can be found here:
http://www.actionplan.com/transformmktg.html
Using a Book as a Differentiator
One of the best ways to stand out in a crowded marketplace is by writing and publishing a book. Prospective clients look at authors as authorities who have more expertise and credibility than the average Independent Professional.
But taking a book from start to finish and then leveraging it to attract a lifelong stream of clients takes some real know-how.
I've partnered with my friend and colleague John Eggen to do just that. He's developed a time-saving program that provides the know-how, shortcuts and support to make a book or other high-end information product a reality. I'm in the program. But it will be sold-out soon. To find out more, just click below:
http://www.actionplan.com/eggen.html
Marketing Flashes on "Must You Be Different?"
There are a few other ways to differentiate yourself, but these should be used in addition to the four main ways discussed in the eZine today.
* Compare and Contrast - Do you do things a little better than everyone else? You can't just say that, you need to be specific: "Where most executive recruiters will find you the person you are looking for in four months, 90% of the time we find the ideal candidate in two months."
* Specific Guarantee - Can you actually guarantee a specific result? Are you willing to suffer a consequence if you don't deliver that result? "We promise that we will do X. If we don't do X, then we will do Y." (Such as do extra work, until X is accomplished, lower our fees, etc.)
* Methodology or Model - You might have a way of doing things that is different than everyone else. This is actually a big "So What?" unless you demonstrate that this approach is a real advantage to your prospects.
* Package or Program - You can stand out by offering much more than generic services. By packaging what you have or creating specific programs, you turn the intangible into the tangible and make it much more appealing.
* Make YOU the differentiator - You might have the kind of background, experience, education, resources or assets that make you a much better choice than everyone else in your marketplace. Make sure to highlight this difference in your marketing materials.
Until next week, all the best,
Robert Middleton
ACTION PLAN MARKETING
Cracking the Marketing Code for Independent Professionals~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
210 Riverside Drive
Boulder Creek, CA 95006
831-338-7790© 2005 Robert Middleton, All rights reserved. You are free to use material from the More Clients eZine in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:
"By Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing. Please visit Robert's web site at http://www.actionplan.com for additional marketing articles and resources on marketing for professional service businesses."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
