What Makes You Different

Submitted By manda220
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Pages: 4
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Overview – Just telling prospects who you are and what you do is not sufficient in today’s marketplace of me-too, off-the-shelf, and one-size-fits-all products and services. You must also tell people what distinguishes you from other companies and why they should buy from you. It’s about finding your place on the “court” and then reminding people of it all the time. If you’re the shooting guard that’s known for accuracy and spectacular athleticism, tell them you’re the “accurate and athletic shooting guard” company, and do it so consistently and persistently that when they think of shooting guards, they automatically think of you.

Determine What Makes You Different:
I. First, conduct a SWOT analysis of your company. Answer the questions listed.

STRENGTHS
Consider your strong points – from both your own and your customers’ point of view:
What distinct advantages do your services offer?
Why do customers say they enjoy doing business with you?
Is there anything you currently offer that cannot be copied by a competitor, now or in the future?
WEAKNESSES
It’s not easy to think about and discuss your weaknesses, but it is best to be realistic now and face any unpleasant truths as soon as possible. Evaluate your weakness not only from your perspective, but also from the perspective of your competitors:
What do you do that can be improved?
What do you do poorly?
What do your most fierce competitors do better than you?
Do certain competitors have a particular market, market niche, or market segment locked up? Have some of them underpriced and outperformed us…or achieved supply or distribution leverage (e.g. Microsoft’s DOS operating system, airlines with landing rights at airport gates, or Kellogg’s with lots of shelf clout).

OPPORTUNITIES
Consider areas in your market that offer you room to grow. These can come from changes in technology, changes in government policy related to your industry, changes in social patterns, demographics, and customer lifestyles, or local events such as the closing of a store near you. What and where are the interesting opportunities in your market?
What are the important trends occurring in your local area as well as across the nation? What do you anticipate happening in the future that may represent an opportunity?
THREATS
Although we don’t like to think about them, we all face threats in our business. Many times they’re out of our control, such as a downturn in the economy, a shift in market demographics, a giant corporate merger, etc. It’s all about being prepared and knowing how to respond. What are the obstacles that you will face?
What are your most fierce competitors doing that could take business away from you or stunt your sales and profit growth?
Is the changing technology threatening your company?
II. People buy products and services for two primary reasons: to move toward pleasure, or to move away from pain. It goes beyond simply people “what you do” or “what you offer”. You aim is to uncover “a complaint” in your industry or local area, correct it, and make that correction obvious. Check off
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