Dear Mr. or Ms. Business Owner:
Let me ask you a question…
Does your laundry list of services and features look just like your competitor’s lists?
If it does – don’t feel bad, because you’re in the majority.
But just so you know – this can be a big problem for your business – but one that can be solved by using a little brain power.
Let’s assume you’re in this group and see why it’s not a good thing…
Because you offer the same business products and services as everyone else – your prospects don’t have even one compelling reason to choose YOUR business over the others. In other words, you don’t offer them any advantage over your competition.
Then, the only way to differentiate yourself is with price. And I’m sure you’ll agree that price cutting just to get a sale doesn’t make good business sense in the long run.
That’s because people will buy from you just because of the deal, and we all know a successful business is built from long-term customer relationships.
Not to mention the fact that discounting severely cuts into your profits, especially when it’s a one-time customer.
Fortunately, it’s not too difficult to solve this, and start converting more of your prospects to paying customers.
All you gotta do is add some extra value to your services... something unique … or something your competitors don’t or can’t offer.
Many marketing types call the a Unique Selling Proposition, or USP for short.
Here’s a perfect example of adding value:
I was researching local auto body shops in the Portsmouth, N.H. area because I needed to get some body work done.
Now there’s a ton of body shops around here, (lots of really bad drivers, I guess), but I finally chose Jason Batistelli of Mirror Image Automotive in Greenland New Hampshire to do the work.
Why? Many of the prices were similar, which made it a tough choice, if I was making my decision based entirely on price. But Jason offered something the other shops didn’t (several things actually).
He was personable, was very detailed in his quote, and up front in his recommendations. You could say – he made me feel comfortable.
He provided a lifetime warranty on his auto body work.
He gave me rides back and forth to drop off and pick my vehicle up when it was done.
Plus… he completely cleaned and vacuumed the interior, and washed the vehicle when it was done, so the dust and dirt was gone!
These “extras” sealed the deal for me. Convenience for me and the fact he cared enough about the final results made me a customer for life. (though I hope to not get into any accidents soon).
None of the body shops I talked with even came close to the value Jason offered.
Once you add value, you give your prospects a “smoking gun” reason to choose your business instead of the “others”.
And the value you add doesn’t have to cost you a ton of money, maybe none at all, but your prospect needs to perceive it as different and valuable to them.
So start thinking what you can do to add value to your business, and see how it affects your profits.
Dare to be different! If you don’t know what you can do, look at marketing materials and ads from other industries. Find something and adapt it to your business.
Oh… if you already offer something different, make sure you promote the heck out if it any time you can!
What do you think?
And visit www.webcontentNH.com for help with Website design, writing SEO copy, e-mail marketing, or other online marketing strategies.
To your marketing success!
Merrill Clark
Website and Marketing Copywriter
