4 ways to get away from the crowd and be special in your business world.

We all hear the cliches "you must add value", "stand out from the crowd", "be different", but what does being special mean in your business world? I always thought the chocolate frogs in Harry Potter were a silly idea as the frogs invariably got away. I suppose if you are on a diet this could work in your favour but I would be annoyed if I lost my chocolate to a spell. Thinking out of the box and being unique doesn't always mean you will attract more customers or stand out in a positive way. Understanding your customers needs and wants is very important in making sure you get it right and your product appeals to your intended audience. There are different ways to achieve this and these are just 4 ways that you may want to consider to help your business grow.

Increase service support

The best way to find out if this will actually improve your "special" status is by asking your clients if they would find a benefit and see value in the suggested improved service. This could be via delivery services, customer pre-audits, service manuals or increased customer support either via the web or by phone. There are so many different service offering opportunities and these will be based on your particular company and could include association or cooperation with other companies. The great thing is customers will in most cases pay for these services which makes it also a cross selling opportunity!

Differentiate

Differentiation is a good strategy to implement if your products or services are very similar to those of your competition. Differentiation strategies provide customers a reason to buy your products by showing a real benefit or unique selling point that they didn't know about. This could be a pricing policy (high or low) of which a great example  is the supermarket wars between the UK/US giants and the German undercutters. Differentiation is usually derived from a feature of your product like it's faster, stronger, longer, greener, or it could be a feature of your business like locality or free delivery or it could appeal to emotions such as ego, fear or safety. Whatever you choose, make sure it's one that is attractive to your target customers.

Innovate

New product development is a sure and fast way to stay ahead of the crowd. Having a product that is unique and unavailable elsewhere is a strong advantage if there is a demand for it. The Dyson is a great example of eating up the market at a high price unit value and keeping this for a long duration due to strong IP.  Innovation is not always as clearcut, however, keeping ahead of the competition and being the leader in your field through innovation is a great place to be and will ensure many loyal customers.

Get a good brand, find a niche & be an expert

I've put these three together as I believe they are intertwined. A great brand is all about the look, the loyalty, the perception of your company and how it makes your customers feel.  It's no good having a great brand  (sorry brand people - this is not a dig as I know you agree with me) if you can't substantiate it with really great niche products and services backed up with your amazing expertise and knowledge in this area. The three together make you someone to follow and be loyal to. There are so many good examples of when these all come together such as Apple, Virgin, Mercedes etc etc..,

If you want to know more about this subject, contact me. I would be happy to help.

Be special in your world :)