Don’t Focus on Being the Best, Focus on Being Unique

By Jon Allo

In a world where competition is the constant factor, it’s hard to differentiate and build your own identity. It’s difficult, but it is possible to be unique!

Photo by Nick Fewings
Photo by Nick Fewings

Effective differentiation is one of the main challenges many business owners face, because they focus on competing with big companies. Here are four ways to help your business be unique and stand out from the crowd. Each one of these factors has worked well for countless companies. How many of them are part of your current business strategy?

1. Deliver Extraordinary Service

This is what makes the most successful companies unique and different. However, saying isn’t enough. You must deliver an extraordinary service that your customers can’t get anywhere else.

If you want to beat your competitors, don’t focus on being the best; instead, focus on being unique. You can be unique and different if you think about offering extraordinary service to your customers that goes beyond what your competitors are offering.

2. Address Customer Needs

If you want to impress your customers, the best way to do that is to meet their needs and desires. Think about how you can solve common problems for your customers. This’ll help you stand out from the competition.

3. Do Business Differently from Your Competitors

Doing business differently than your competitors will help to be stand out. Find and exploit holes in your competitors’ business strategy; this is the best way to be unique.

Get into the habit of analyzing your competitors regularly. Find out the products/services they offer, how much they sell them for and how they run their company. This information can make your business stand out from the rest. For instance, if a competitor sells a product at a low price, you can lower your price.

Remember, your goal should be to give customers a reason to do business with you and this could be one way to help achieve this goal.

When looking at your competitor’s business strategy, don’t just copy what they have. Instead, focus on their weaknesses and see how you can improve on them. Being innovative will help your business become better and different. How you can do the same thing differently?

4. Give a Powerful Offer or Guarantee

Offers and guarantees are the best ways to reduce the perceived risk of buying your products/services. Removing the reluctance for making a purchase can generate more sales. Also, a guarantee will make your company seem more trustworthy and likable.

For instance, you can make sure you answer every email or social media query within one or two hours. This will improve your responsiveness, and it will give customers more reason to contact you and do business with you.

Innovation is a common characteristic among successful organizations. If your business is innovative and unique, it’ll grow fast. So, if you want to take your business to the next level, focus on being unique, and don’t copy your competitors’ business strategy.

A unique brand is important for small businesses as well as large ones. If you have a limited budget, smart branding is perhaps the most inexpensive business tool you can create. To learn more about how to make you and your business stand out, download my free checklist, Branding For Small Businesses at https://jonallo.com/branding.

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