I’m positive you know all about the need to have unique selling points (USPs) which help to distinguish you from your competition. I’m also pretty sure that you may find it difficult to work out what your USPs are, to the point where your list of USPs are more than likely not that unique. Have I just described you?
There are other things you can do that will help you stand out (in a good way) and which also make it easier for people to refer you to others. Rather than thinking about what makes you unique, concentrate on what makes you (your business, your products or services) remarkable. This can include the way you deliver your product or service all the way to the niche you focus on. For example, when I work with clients face to face I always bring cookies of some description. During the first meeting with them I’ll find out what cookies they particularly like and make sure I bring those along. My weekly cookie shopping list can get quite significant but it makes me standout and, most importantly, it creates a talking point that my clients mention to other potential ideal clients. I also love to have fun working with my clients so I create Business Growth Challenges a few times a year to see who can create the most growth over a set time period.
Those 2 “things” would not have appeared on my list of USPs but they do make me stand out and are very client-focused. I also know an office supply business that sends biscuits with every order (we must be a nation of biscuit lovers). What things do you already do that are remarkable and what additional ones could you add on?
In Seth Godin’s book “The Purple Cow: Transform your business by being remarkable” he examines how some big brands have built their business around being remarkable compared to those that have lost market share because they haven’t adapted to a more remarkable way. A significant number of the successful brands have made an element of their service delivery stand out. Basically they have improved the experience their customers have. What could you do to improve the experience your customers have? Some nice ideas I’ve seen over the years are sending thank you cards and gifts for successful referrals, issuing welcome packs to new clients and so on.
Hopefully this has made you think about what you could do to help make you standout. Now it’s time to implement them to increase your client base.
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