Differentiation ? Smart Marketing Strategies for the Solo Entrepreneur
Are you ever frustrated or hesitant when you talk to prospective customers because you can't readily explain why they should come to you rather than go to your competitors? Sure, you might have your 30-second elevator speech, but then they ask you that dreaded question, "So what makes you different?" Then, all those self-doubts creep in, and you just aren't sure what to say. Differentiation can boost confidence--yours in yourself and that prospective customer's confidence in you!
-- Dif-fer-en-ti-ate v. tr. To perceive or show the difference in or between; discriminate. --
In business terms, to differentiate means to create a benefit that customers perceive as being of greater value to them than what they can get elsewhere. It's not enough for you to be different--a potential customer has to take note of the difference and must feel that the difference somehow fits their need better. (Other words that mean virtually the same thing: Competitive Advantage; Unique Selling Proposition; or Value Proposition.)
As you are building your business, you can use differentiation to attract more customers. Once you have momentum, differentiation allows you to charge a higher price because you are delivering more value to your customers. Make a point to evaluate and adjust your differentiation methods at least annually.
The various methods of differentiating your businesses fall into four general categories:
Price Differentiation
Focus Differentiation
Product/Service Differentiation
Customer Service Differentiation
Price Differentiation
Differentiating on price is probably the most common and easily understood method. HOWEVER, for Solo Entrepreneurs, caution is in order. On the one hand, potential customers might expect a lower price from you than from your larger competition because they perceive you as having less overhead, etc. On the other hand, cheaper prices can evoke perceptions of lower quality, a less-stable business, etc. And if you compete on price against competitors with deeper pockets, you can price yourself right into bankruptcy. Be creative with this differentiator by competing on something other than straight price. For example, you might offer:
- More value--offer more products or services for the same price.
- Freebies --accessories, companion products, free upgrades, and coupons for future purchases.
- Free shipping, etc.--convenience sells, especially when it is free!
- Discounts--includes offering regular sales, coupons, etc. (see cautions above)
Focus Differentiation
For Solo Entrepreneurs, this is the most important method of differentiation, and in many ways, the easiest. Why? Because as a Solo Entrepreneur, you simply can't be everything to everybody, so you must pick a specific way to focus your business. Once you have done that, you have an automatic advantage over larger companies because you can become more of an expert in that one field --and you can build close relationships with key customers that will be hard to duplicate. For example, you might differentiate yourself through:
- Location--take advantage your closeness to prospective customers.
- Customer specialization--be very specific about what characteristics your customers will have-for example, racing bicycle enthusiasts or companies with a spiritual conscience.
- Customer relationships--know customers really well, form partnerships with them, and get them to speak for you!
- Affinity relationships--associate your product/service with a well-known person or organization.
- One-stop shopping--offer everything your target market needs, in your area of expertise.
- Wide selection (within your niche)-although this one may seem to be the opposite of focus--the key is to be very specific in one dimension and very broad in another.
Product/Service Offering Differentiation
How much you are able to differentiate your product or service offering will vary based on what type of business you are in. For instance, if you are in a highly regulated business, your options may be limited. Explore a totally new market or type of product or service, however, and the possibilities abound. The key to successful differentiation in this category, again, is to know your customers, really, really well. Talk to them often, and you will know what they need most and be able to offer it, long before your competitors know what is happening. For example, your product or service could stand out in one of these ways:
- Quality--create a product or service that is exceptional in one or more ways. Examples: Lasts longer
- Better
- Easier to use
- Safer
- New/First--be the first one to offer something in your location/field.
- Features/Options--offer lots of choices, unusual combinations, or solve a problem for a customer in a way no one else does.
- Customization--as a Solo Entrepreneur, you may be able to more easily handle special orders than big, mass-market competitors.
Customer Service Differentiation
Have you noticed how customer service seems to be out of vogue these days? This situation makes excellent customer service a great opportunity for differentiation and another natural advantage for Solo Entrepreneurs that already know what's important to their customers. Build your reputation on making customers feel really good about doing business with you. Works great with referral marketing, too. Examples:
- Deliver fast--next day, or one-hour--make it faster than customers think possible.
- Unique channel--offer a service over the phone or Internet instead of in person or in their office rather than yours.
- Service-delight customers!--it may seem expensive to offer exceptional service--but it pays off in word-of-mouth advertising.
- Before/during/after-sales support--provide technical or other support to customers using your product. You might use joint ventures to provide that support--but customers will perceive it as being from you!
- Guarantee/warranty--offer 100% money-back, or free replacement parts.
- YOU--offer yourself, your unique blend of talents and skills, to attract customers. Make sure they get access to you, too!
Keys to Successful Differentiation:
- Know your customers, really, really well.
- Pick a blend of differentiation methods that, in the eyes of your customers, truly sets you apart.
- Talk about your differentiation in terms of customer benefits.
- Tell everyone about what differentiates you--often.
- Keep your differentiation fresh by listening for changing customer needs.
Copyright 2002-2003, Terri Zwierzynski, Accel Innovation, Inc.
_________
Terri Zwierzynski is a coach to small business owners and Solo Entrepreneurs. She is also the CEI (Conductor of Extraordinary Ideas) at Solo-E.com and the author of 136 Ways To Market Your Small Business. Terri is an MBA honors graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill. Terri has been coaching for over 10 years in a variety of settings, including 6 years as a senior-level coach and consultant for a Fortune 500 company. She opened her private coaching practice in 2001. You can reach Terri at http://www.TerriZ.com.
_________
***** Find more articles like this at http://www.Solo-E.com ? Keeping Solo Entrepreneurs Juiced in Business and in Life. Our team of Solo Entrepreneurs are comprised of small business experts who support others in finding business success with the flexibility and freedom to have a life, too. Network with other freelancers, self-employed and Solo Entrepreneurs in our forums, enjoy our articles and newsletter, and find other online training opportunities. *****
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Essential Tips for Starting Entrepreneurs - Ignore these at your Peril!
1. Do What You LOVE: If you've chosen your business because you read that this niche was the next hot one, or because your favorite uncle (or your best friend) thinks you'd be well-suited for this business, you may as well pack up now and save yourself some time and money. If you don't love what you do, it will show...potential customers will know it and will go elsewhere. Is it possible to be successful anyway? Sure -- but it won't be easy and it won't be fun...and isn't that why you want to be in business for yourself anyway?
Your Company Needs A Mission Statement; Make It Count
Does anyone remember that book "Built to Last" done y the Stanford class and professor? Well change that to "Built to Merge." My grandfather was personal friends with Bill Hewlett and David Packard and I bet they would not have wanted this merger with Compaq either. It is interesting that one night about 3 in the morning I was reading that book and decided to change or mission statement and focus on the things that meant the most to our team and our customers. I stayed up all night writing that mission statement to make sure it was in line with the books comments on what it takes to make and keep a company great. This was about 5 years ago when "Built to Last" was the talk of the business world and it was written up in many of the newspapers, and magazines I was reading at the time. WSJ, Financial Times, Investors Business Daily, The Economist, NY Times, etc. Even hit the best sellers list for a while, not bad for a business non-fiction book by a professor.
Youth Entrepreneurship, A Disappointing Truth
The psychology of entrepreneurship can be very rewarding to one who dreams of starting their own business. The freedom of being your own boss has billions of people seeking financial independence and other entrepreneurial expectations. But is entrepreneurship for everyone? Are their any restrictions on who can become entrepreneurs? Sadly, the answer is yes. Many people turn their heads when it comes to assisting young people with business projects, they believe age plays a vital part on the success of an entrepreneur, this in some cases causes the entrepreneur to abandon their dream.
Part-Time/In-Home Business - Low Expense and Low Risk
As a first time entrepreneur, there are a variety of franchises, dealerships, distributorships, and licensing opportunities available for purchase. Many of these you can start by working part-time from your home. In doing so, you save thousands of dollars in start up and operating costs, while at the same time reducing your overall risk.
Think - Dont React
How you think, your relationship with yourself is what decides how well you communicate with your customers and relate to your team.
Message to Prospective Franchisees for Franchisors
Many franchise companies fail to send the proper message to their prospective franchisees. This is partly due to the over regulation and intensity of litigation in the industry. Smaller franchisors are generally hurt the most from these factors and consumer or buyers of their American Dream seem to feel slighted at a the impersonal approach. Many franchise company's sales departments walk a fine line between disclosure laws and the information they are allowed to depart to the prospect franchisees. This immediately causes friction. To alleviate this problem smaller franchisees need to send a more personal message in the name of their founder to re-assure prospects that they care. Below is a sample letter our company, The Car Wash Guys, www.carwashguys.com , has used to allow our prospects to see thru the legal quagmire created by the regulatory bureaucracy and the franchise lawyers in their haste to sue franchisors. I recommend you copy this article read the letter a few times and put it into your own words so that you convey how you truly feel, make it sincere and understand that your prospect needs to know they are more than just a number.
Street Smarts Vs Book Smarts, What Does It Takes To Be An Entrepreneur
The latest series in "The Apprentice" features 2 distinct group
of candidates. One group, who are only high school graduates are
termed as "Street Smarts" by Donald Trump whereas, the other
group are all college educated with some having MBAs and advanced
degrees. They were termed as the "Book Smarts".
If It Was Easy Everybody Would Do It
Q: I started my business about a year ago and everything is going fine. We're growing and making a profit, but the stress of running the business is really starting to get to me. I spend more time worrying than working. Sometimes the pressure is almost more than I can take. I'm starting to think that I'm not cut out to run my own business. Do you have any advice that might help me decide what to do?
-- Steven S.
Oil Change Guys History; Part II
Franchise companies are not born they are made and when studying the history of franchise companies, it is amazing how similar they really are. To continue this story we are in the height of the Dot Com Bubble with money flowing in Silicon Valley and personal services and labor is at a premium indeed;
Are You An Entrepreneur?
With all the buzz about everybody being an entrepreneur these days wouldn't it be nice if you could really find out if you have what it takes?
The Danger Of Hate
As you have shown an interest in starting a business of
your own it would be safe to assume that you want to change
your life. You want more money - more control over your
life - more respect. But just as we each have a dream, we
also have a reality.
7 Small Business and Self Employed Law of Attraction Principles For Success
It is widely held that one of the most important ingredients in small business success is perseverance. Deciding on a strategy and sticking with it. I would agree but you need to be clear that the strategy is in alignment with your passion in business and your natural action and communication styles. It's also helpful to have effective strategies to follow through on what you set as your priorities, goals, plans, calls to action... and other components of your daily business activities. These principals will give you ideas to be effective when working on your business; so you can be persistent, passionate and productive in your small business.
Two Types of Business Plan Executive Summaries
Companies seeking capital often ask how long the Executive Summary of their business plan should be. The answer depends upon the use of the summary, mainly determining if 1) it precedes the full business plan, or 2) it will be used as a stand-alone document.
The Lonely Hat: A Marketing Parable
Jones was a typical entrepreneur who worked long hours and wore many hats.
The Ideal Length of Your Business Plan
How long should a business plan be? A business plan needs to be whatever length is required to excite the investor, prove that management truly understands the market, and detail the execution strategy. From surveys of investor needs, Growthink has found that 15 to 25 pages of text is the optimum length in which to accomplish this. Any more and the time-constrained investor will be forced to skim certain sections of the plan, even if they are generally interested, which could lead them to miss essential elements. Any less and the investor will think that the business has not been fully thought through, or will simply not have enough information to make an investment decision.
Differentiation ? Smart Marketing Strategies for the Solo Entrepreneur
Are you ever frustrated or hesitant when you talk to prospective customers because you can't readily explain why they should come to you rather than go to your competitors? Sure, you might have your 30-second elevator speech, but then they ask you that dreaded question, "So what makes you different?" Then, all those self-doubts creep in, and you just aren't sure what to say. Differentiation can boost confidence--yours in yourself and that prospective customer's confidence in you!
The Deal is in the Details
What Startups Need to Get a Business Loan, Part 2
The Myth of Undercapitalization - Six Ways Entrepreneurs Achieve Success in Spite of Start-Up Money
This year more than 17 million people will become entrepreneurs, according to the National Association of Self Employed (NASE). By the end of the year, 8 million of them will return to the corporate world because their entrepreneurial effort did not succeed. Many will say the businesses failed because of insufficient capitalization. Actually under-capitalization is not the cause of failure, but a symptom of a far more serious problem.
Why Most CEOs & Entrepreneurs Fail?
Times are tough. The economy is in a constant state of
upheaval. Is your company doing better than most? Are you
placing greater emphasis on pure performance?
The Perfect Little Coffee Shop: Are You Afraid of Failure? Are You Letting that Failure Cripple You
Ah, coffee, the drink of choice when I want to share a special moment with friends, when I want to sit and ponder life or when I want a moment alone. I am an avid coffee drinker. I love coffee and I love the atmosphere of a good coffee house, a café.
|