For months, you’ve been working hard for the opportunity to get in front of a big, prospective client–the CEO of #itsabigdeal.com. You’ve loaded your company’s YouTube videos onto your tablet, you’ve got the high-gloss brochures tucked into your briefcase for easy access, you’ve been rehearsing and honing your spiel at every spare moment, and the moment of truth has finally arrived! You’re sitting across from this dream client with your best materials and visual aids in tow. You’re smiling confidently, making the right kind of eye contact with her, striking up casual, light, warm-up conversation, and it’s all going smoothly.
And just as you’re about to transition to the meat and potatoes of the meeting, the prospective client smacks her hand on the table and says: “OK, you have 5 minutes to convince me this meeting isn’t a waste of my time. Tell me–what makes you and your company so damn special?” You are now frozen–totally thrown off-guard, feeling confused and defensive, and you’re totally tongue-tied.
This actually happened to me a few years ago. It was one of the first times I’d gotten rattled in a sales situation. Nobody had ever asked me this question before: “What makes me and my company so damn special?” What this specifically means is: What makes me, my company, and my services significantly different from others in my line of work? And is that difference compelling enough for a big deal prospective client like her to want to sign on with me without using any Jedi mind tricks? Moreover, are those differences exactly what she is searching for? (The latter point is worthy of an ENTIRE article on its own but for now let’s focus on differentiating yourself from everyone else out there.)
Even if you haven’t been put on the spot this directly, can you imagine how you’d answer these blunt questions? How is your business significantly different from your competition? Do your marketing materials clearly convey those differences? Can you, personally, articulate the uniqueness of your company in a clear and concise manner, and would that be compelling enough for someone to choose your product or service over someone else’s?
I’ve posed these questions to some of my clients, and most of them immediately point to, and over-emphasize, the features and benefits of their company’s products, which is to miss the most crucial point.
Surface benefits and features are great, but what ultimately sets your product or service apart from others in your field is its capacity to significantly and essentially address and satisfy the needs, wants, hopes, and dreams of prospective clients. Once that is achieved, people looking for those particular types of differences will naturally start gravitating toward you and those people are far more inclined to make a purchase. Here is a way to start exploring and discovering the superior aspects of your company, i.e. those aspects which separate your company’s product and service from the competitors in your field.
What’s so special about…
…what you do?
How is your service or product innovative, creative, and truly unique? What sets it apart? What value does it bring? What does it (or you) do better than everyone else out there? If you aren’t there yet, how could you become an “Expert” at what you do?
…your clients?
Who are your perfect fit clients? What are the defining qualities of this population? What specific needs do they have, and how does your service or product uniquely address them? If it doesn’t, what would you have to change?
…how you do it?
In what ways does your company uniquely serve those perfect fit clients? What aspects of your product and service consistently deliver a special experience to your customers? If it doesn’t, what innovative processes and systems could you employ to set yourself apart? For example: EVERYONE boasts they provide “superior customer service,” but there’s only one Ritz Carlton for a reason: the unique lodging experience. In fact, the Ritz team has done such a great job of consistently providing that level of service, they don’t need to do a lot of advertising. That’s why folks looking for and who can afford that that level of service, windup at the check-in counter. Isn’t that what you eventually want for your own company?
…your measurable results?
What authentic data or statistics do you have that reflect the benefits of your product or service? How are those benefits specifically meaningful to the ideal population you wish to serve?
After some reflection, this may prompt you to do some retooling within your business but when you have done so and can clearly answer at least two of these questions, you are well on the way to giving yourself a competitive edge. If you can successfully address all four questions, you have arrived at being very ‘damn special’ indeed!
NOW that you have clearly separated yourself from the herd, how can you position your highly specialized difference in such a way that your perfect-fit clients seek YOU out instead of you having to go find them?
Look for that answer in my next article.
