 I moved from working in my business to working on my business!
Jim White, Founder Savor Dallas http://www.savordallas.com |
 I found a community of business leaders who make being in business a lot more fun and less lonely.
Jeannine Sandstrom, CEO CoachWorks International, Inc. http://www.coachworks.com |
 I now have a place to be open about my business success and future challenges.
Debbie Mrazek, CEO The Sales Company Author The Field Guide to Sales http://www.the-sales-company.com |
Posts Tagged ‘Texas’
Hi all-
Only in Texas can you see a longhorn topiary. We took a quick trip with Chance and his classmates out to the Arboretum this morning. What a beautiful day it turned out to be.
As we strolled the grounds, I realize that in every single thing we do, every choice we make, every breath we take (for you Police fans), we are sharing who we are with others. Just like the longhorn topiary, you can do things that are uniquely you in your business.
One of the things I love to do is send hand-written notes with little gift cards and quote cards. Do I have to do this? No. But I really love to and you can’t believe how people appreciate little things like that.
This spring reminds me of how creative Mother Nature can be… and what a way to get inspired to do things the same or differently depending on how you look at it!
Hugs-
Tina
P.S. What has become a drag in your day-to-day? What can be infused with inspiration? Vow to take one thing this week and look at it as new and see what a new view will do!
Hi everyone-
Last weekend, Mark, Chance and I went out to ‘the country’ to see my mom and my stepdad. They live halfway between Weatherford, Texas and Mineral Wells, Texas in a tiny little no-red-light town called Millsap.
Mom and “Grumpy” as she calls him are craftsmen artists. That means that they make art that requires an understanding of a particular skillset. My stepdad is an amazing talent in woodworking. He can eye anything and make it to order. Imagine how funny it was to see 7-year-old Chance in the woodshop with ‘Granddad’ engineering a wood scrap car.
A small rectangle block of wood served as the ‘car body’, four round discs created the wheels, a small wood knob made a great seat, and a fancy dowel served finished the ensemble for a backing to the seat. But what about the steering wheel?
Chance dug down in the scrap box and fished out a plumbing piece complete with red knob, “How about this? This would be a good steering wheel!” A couple of screws later and the new little racecar was ready to roll.
We all just stood there gazing at the racecar thinking that none of us would have thought of the plumbing piece for the steering wheel.
The point is, we often get used to seeing things the way we see them. Sometimes, with a new perspective, we can see something all new again. Try stepping into your customers’ shoes and walking around your office or viewing your website or looking at your new product or service.
What do you see?
Hugs-
Tina
P.S. Belief buster – Look at one area of your business you want to expand and list five ways you could repackage it. Hint: You can create something new, you can mix it with something else in your business to create something new, you can combine it with someone else’s product to make another offering, or fashion it after something in another industry.
A few weeks ago, I was in Wal Mart, on the prowl for some type of exfoliating cream. The winters in Texas aren’t bitter, but the dry heat inside can work a number on your skin. It’s been some time since I bought facial products at a store, but my usual facial remedies just weren’t doing the trick.
I stood in front of several shelves of products dressed up in all sorts of colors. What struck me were the names.
Clean and Clear, Anti-Dullness Face Wash, PorePerfect Pore Minimizing Wash, Easy Healthy Skin, Deep Clean Gentle Scrub
There are many ways to use names in your company. First, there’s your company name. The last 10 years, we’ve seen a surge of ‘non-definition’ company names in the marketplace. They are cool and non-evident on purpose. Xpedx, Activa, Red Hat, and others may be cool, but unless your brand takes off they don’t do much for helping your would-be customers find you.
Other names might include products or packages you offer clients. If you have a book, your title is a large part of what makes people want to buy it. If you have a seminar, the same rules apply. Even your newsletter’s name plays a role in your success.
Imagine me standing at Wal Mart looking at a bunch of bottles called Face Exfoliating Wash with the manufacturer’s name on it. How would I begin to choose? There is definitely something in a name.
But what is that something?
Here are three steps to creating a snazzy name that will be ever more attractive to your clients.
- State what the item or company does in benefit terms. Increase profits, Boost revenue, Transform business, Turnaround services, Decrease risk.
- State what the product is. Seminar, program, package, face wash, exfoliating scrub
- State a way your client wants it. Fast-acting, Turbo-charged, Super-easy
Put these three together and viola! You have your super magnetic name that is easy for your ideal customers to spot and easy for your non-ideal customers to bypass.
I know you would like some examples, so here you go…
Some good ones (in my opinion):
- Company: The Sales Company
- Newsletter: Bookseller’s Sell More Books
- Product: Buns of Steel
- Book title: Damn, Why Didn’t I Write That? How Ordinary People are Raking in $100,000 or More Writing Niche Books and You Can Too
- Seminar title: Born to Win
Some that could be improved (again, in my opinion):
- Company: Slo*Fit (Who wants to get fit slowly? I visited the site to check it out after seeing this on a building – only a marketer would do this – and it is called Slo Fit because you only work out once for 30 minutes, but the first impression is counterintuitive.)
- Newsletter: Name of Company + Newsletter (Snnnzzzzz)
- Product: Poo Kiss (Believe it or not, this is something you eat.)
- Book title: Nothing But Words On Paper (Amazon Book Rank: #2,087,786)
- Seminar title: Association or Organization name + Seminar (Yaaaawwwnn)
Don’t be tempted to use a name that is too cutesy or off the beaten path. Do get creative and infuse your company’s personality into your names. There are many ways to brand your company and one of them is to get your names working together. Remember, the names need to make sense to your ideal clients. Keep that in mind! There are tons of examples in the world of names that don’t follow these rules – think big companies, big advertising dollars – Starbucks, Nike, Google – but then look at these companies again and you will see the consistency in the brand names!
If you have a winning name, send it to us and we’ll feature it in an upcoming Marketing Mojo with a bit about what you do and who you do it for!
Join Debbie Mrazek this Thursday, March 6th at 7:00 am for a book signing at Einstein’s Bagels in Plano, Texas. Debbie’s book has already leaped across continents and people have reported this is the must-have sales book for 2008! If you’ve been searching for a step-by-step winning formula for sales success, your search ends here.
If you are one of our clients, no worries, we’ve got you covered. You’ll be receiving your copy in the next week!
If you are an early bird, join us at Einstein’s Bagels in Plano (7000 Independence Parkway), next to Kroger’s. Hope to see you there!
It’s often said that McDonald’s isn’t successful because they offer the best hamburger on the market, but rather because they offer a consistent product time after time. Whether you are in Paris France or Paris, Texas, your Big Mac is likely to taste exactly the same. This scenario illustrates just one of the many benefits systems bring to a business.
While consistency, such as at McDonald’s, is a great benefit, there are many others that can truly transform the way business owners view and work in their businesses. Within a company, almost every function that has replicated actions can be improved through systems. Once you start looking at your business with a systems eye, you will never be the same again.
Increased Productivity and Efficiency
A growing real estate company found that its realtors were spending a great deal more time than needed on paperwork. The solution was to develop a paper flow system that enabled realtors to touch the paperwork fewer times and that resulted in more complete files for the support staff. The solution also provided much-needed forms that realtors had been developing on their own and in many different formats. This system increased the time realtors had to be productive and the efficiency of the whole sales process and support staff.
Improved Customer Service and Quality Control
A local carpet retailer wanted to corner the market by offering incredible customer service while keeping costs competitive. The company developed a system that detailed every client interaction from the order to the follow-up survey. Nothing was left to chance. Every department uses a detailed guide that outlines the department’s part of the client service system. The salespeople have a system to follow that allows them to focus on the customer – not on paperwork. The order fulfillment group has a system that enables them to contain defects to less than one percent. Within a very short time, the company earned a strong reputation and a corner on a major metropolitan carpet market. The bonus for the company came when the owners decided to open a new store in another city. The systems transferred easily and aided new staff training. The store opened in a record 30 days, and enjoyed the same success the original store did.
Cost Savings and Self-managed Employees
Systems also offer structure to a business and its employees. Employees require less supervision, and can manage themselves while increasing productivity. Waste from mistakes often decreases, defects from an error in judgment decline and consistent work quality ensures clients receive what they want – the first time. Companies like CIGNA have put systems to work and cut costs by over $100 million dollars in a five-year period.
Improved Business Performance and Experience
Ask any business owner and s(he) will tell you that s(he) spends too much time answering questions and attending to details that do not add to the bottom line. Implementing systems can give a business owner his/her life back. Systems eradicate the need to reinvent the wheel and alleviate repeated questions by staff. Systems allow you to improve a gap in performance quickly and proactively. Most importantly, systems empower an owner to work on the business instead of in it. Owners who spend more time strategically planning and systematizing the key activities around the business will improve their business’s performance. Those that move away from a systemless, reactive environment often cite improved quality of life and increased enjoyment in their business.
There are many other ways systems benefit a business. We’ve highlighted some of the most potent advantages of implementing systematic processes. From a three-person flower shop to a Fortune 50 manufacturer to the local movie theater, all businesses can benefit from designing and implementing systems. If you are a business owner who is too busy to make an appointment to learn how you can improve your business and your life, chances are, systems implementation is for you.
For Immediate Release
News Release
Contact: Candace Fitzpatrick
Phone: 214-535-1313 or 972-612-0413
Is Your Company Smarter Than a Sixth Grade Class?
Underperforming Colorado School Unites and Excels After Discovering Talents
(Plano, Texas December 28, 2007) – Last year Nathan Smith, the principal of Del Norte Middle School, knew there had to be an answer. The question was, “What do you do when more than 50 percent of incoming students are underperformers in basic math?” The district ranked 161st the previous year – just seventeen slots from dead last in the state, which landed the southern Colorado school on academic watch. To correct the district issues, the school board hired a new superintendent.
The bigger concern for Smith was how to help his new students plug into learning. His new boss, Michael Salvato, a turn-around artist for under-performing school districts, challenged Smith to see if plugging into student’s innate talents would lead to student academic achievement.
Through Salvato, Smith was introduced to a woman from Texas who was doing talent-based work with company employees, helping them increase productivity and improve interpersonal relations. Seeing the similarities between his school and the corporate world, he asked what he could do to bring this same tool to his students.
“Our teachers are top notch. They were already noticing patterns within the student body,” Smith says. “We just didn’t have the language and tools to identify and work with the dynamic we were experiencing.”
The first week of school, every 6th grade student was assessed and each one received a list of his or her top three innate talents. The question posed to Candace Fitzpatrick, president of Plano-based CoreClarity, was, “What’s next?”
Fitzpatrick quickly created a color-coded mapping system that allowed teachers and students to relate to each other based on their core talents. Two district employees were sent to Dallas for training in group facilitation methods developed by the Institute of Cultural Affairs. They went back to Colorado and held a focused conversation during which the students agreed their mission was to make sure that no child was ever left behind in the 6th grade at Del Norte Middle School. Then, through a consensus building workshop, they created their own seven point plan to make sure they accomplished their mission.
What came next was nothing short of miraculous.
During the first reporting period, more than 88 percent of the 6th graders were on the A/B honor roll. The others had no less than C averages. Throughout the school year, 75 percent were consistently earning As and Bs, the others were in and out of the A/B honor roll, but never with anything less than a C average. They brilliantly executed their plan.
The shift in the environment at the school could literally be felt not only at school but at home as many parents called to report changes they were seeing in their children.
The talent-identification tool, which is owned by Gallup, Inc., is called the StrengthsExplorer. CoreClarity works with the results of this tool to map and provide a system and language so simple that students easily incorporate it into their daily lives. The color-coding also highlights for teachers how individual children best learn so they can modify their lesson plans to create a positive learning experience for all.
Parent/Teacher meetings have changed tone from focusing on the student’s academic struggles (perceived weaknesses) to highlighting their innate gifts. Communication has improved at home, too.
Denise Benavides, 6th grade math teacher, says, “It has changed the way we view ourselves, our abilities and each other. Each child, as well as each teacher, has a map of his or her talents. Now, we relate to each other in a fundamentally different way. It’s been truly amazing.”
One of the resource children, after receiving his results, exclaimed, “It’s not blank! I have talents!” In this way, each child can focus on what is best about himself or herself, yet still learn to work with others who are better suited to other activities.
Another child who opened his locker and found himself overcome by the contents falling to the floor cried out, “I need an organizer! Where’s an organizer?” Two students who excel at organizing things immediately rushed to assist him.
“Our school has moved from a place that needed to be fixed to a place where individuals are celebrated and honored,” says Smith. “Bullying is down by 75 percent in this class. In all my years in education, I’ve never seen anything like this. These students will never forget this experience.”
For a baseline, the class was assessed using a national test in September 2006, then again in December and May. They not only excelled as a student body, progressing two or more years in science and language arts, and a full three years in reading and math; but in September 2007, the results confirmed that as a class, they retained 100 percent of what they learned last year.
Fitzpatrick’s corporate clients have experienced similar, dramatic and accelerated changes after utilizing the company’s proprietary program. From leadership groups to nonprofit organizations to Fortune 500 companies, CoreClarity has helped individuals unite under one mission, increase individual and team performance, and work together more harmoniously.
Clients who have experienced the program have called CoreClarity an “Excelerant” – because they accelerate the removal of years of accumulated personal debris and move individuals and teams quickly to excellence. This clearing allows the true essence and excellence of individuals, teams and organizations to shine through in both adult and student programs.
For information about Del Norte Middle School contact Mr. Smith at nsmith@del-norte.k12.co.us. For more information about CoreClarity visit www.coreclarity.net. CoreClarity is not affiliated with Gallup, Inc.
Every year clients ask me what they should give their very best clients. Every year there’s a struggle between something old and something new, something edible and something material, something memorable and something forgettable.
Which is what got me thinking… Just why is it so hard to gift our clients?
WARNING: I have very strong opinions about what works, what doesn’t and why. Keep reading only if you really want my truth as I see it!
To me, a gift says a lot about the giver. In all relationships – personal and otherwise – the gift selection says a lot about YOU! I believe this may be what causes so much of the fuss around this time of year.
What to do? Well, let’s look at the DOs!
DO give gifts that match the RECIPIENT. Give the gift that speaks to THEM. Match loves and passions to something that says, “Hey, I know who you are and I like it!”
DO give gifts that are memorable. Why waste money on something utterly forgettable? For years I gave away food for gifts. People would say to me, aren’t you afraid they aren’t going to remember you gave them something? I would think… But I’m not thinking about ME, I’m thinking about them and what they might like! I can tell you that if you have every wondered about giving food items for a gift, the key is to get something SUPER MEMORABLE! One year I gave 6 lb. apple pies. Since most of my clients are outside of Texas, the comments came flowing in! Notes like… “They sure do make everything bigger in Texas!” and “I will never forget the look on my wife’s face when she saw that pie!” Now THOSE are memories, folks!
DO give the gift and then detach from any expectation! No one wants to get a gift with strings attached (read this like: Did you get my gift, huh? Huh? What did you think?)
Do give gifts that reflect the value you have for the relationship. Many people believe a million dollar client might require a million dollar gift. While it doesn’t have to be dollars to dollars, you certainly wouldn’t want to send a $15 wood car with chocolates to a client that you are billing $500,000 a year with! Often, high-wealth clients care more about the sentiment than they do the actual gift.
Do give gifts that show how much you know the client. If a client, for example, lost a mother or father during the year, you might make a donation to a charity in that person’s name. The card might say… We are thinking about you this holiday season and have made a contribution to XYZ organization in your father’s name. Sincerity goes a long way and people can feel the intent behind a gift.
DO make it personal. Anytime it is possible, match the gift to the person. It may take a little more time, but it’s often worth the extra effort! If you have a client who is from New York, why not gift a Junior’s New York Cheese Cake?, for example.
Now that we’ve discussed DOs, let’s discuss DON’Ts.
DON’T make the gift about YOU. I believe giving gifts with your name printed on the side is tacky. It’s like gifting advertising. Ewwww. ‘Nuf said?
DON’T be cheesy and DON’T be cheap. It’s better to not give a gift at all or give a simple card than it is to give a cheap gift that speaks volumes (in a very bad way) about you!
DON’T give a gift for the wrong reason. If the only reason you are giving someone a gift is because it’s on the to do list or because someone else is or because someone gave you one, then don’t give one at all. People know the difference and if you think they don’t, then you are missing the boat! People can tell when care was put into the gift selection and when it isn’t!
DON’T just pick something. See the memorable part above – choose something that reflects what you and your client share together. Many of my clients are adventurers, so I love to gift them with adventurous food, crazy toys, interesting and off-the-beaten path books. What do you represent for your clients and how can you share that message in your gift. That way, you are thinking of them and gifting a piece of yourself too!
DON’T be a bah humbug. Oh, you know the types. Bah! Holidays! No one says you have to wear a necklace made of mistletoe, yet there’s something to getting into the holiday spirit. Is this an opportunity to take a client to lunch. Cut out early and hit the links? Whatever the urge – explore it!
DON’T stress and overextend. Do what you can and do what is best for you in the long run. Our world is full of consumers with more ‘stuff’ than they know what to do with (another reason why food works well). If cards are it for you, then choose another holiday to play up client delight – Valentine’s Day, St. Patty’s Day, Spring, Spring Break. Let your creativity take you away!
If you have specific questions about holiday gifting, feel free to email me! I would love to share your question and my response via this ezine or in our new blog!
What’s New
10 Crazy Gift Ideas
I just love the holidays, don’t you? I love to see crazy gift ideas that I can share with everyone. I’m telling you… if you have a person on your list that is hard to buy for, this is the list for you!
Number 10 – Crazy Illustrated Dancing Bobble Heads – There are lots of site out there that allow you to take a photo, cut your recipient’s head off and attach to an illustrated body that dances to the beat. Some of my favs are www.jibjab.com and www.boogieheads.com. OfficeMax has a clever little viral version that you can do too at http://www.elfyourself.com/!
Number 9 – Singing, Dancing Toys – Okay, now this is really crazy, but I have to say it is a huge phenomenon. If you aren’t privy to the singing, dancing toy phenomenon then, trust me, there is one! It started many years ago with the Boogie Bass. Remember the ‘mounted’ bass on a wood backboard that would sing to you? As crazy as that little gadget seems, it and others like it have sold millions and millions worldwide!
Number 8 – Any Food Item That is Outrageous – Hmmm, how about a 8 lb. cheesecake, a 6 lb. award-winning apple pie that takes two hours to bake/reheat (that comes prebaked), or a dozen $3.25 cupcakes? Mix in a little geographic flavor, some exclusivity (you can only get those pies from Neiman’s and a couple of other retailers) and you’ve got a winner!
Number 7 – Stupid Gifts – I bet you didn’t know there are sites dedicated to selling ‘stupid’ gifts. Well, if you are on the search for gag gifts, the completely inane, or the downright wacky, look no further than Stupid.com. Stupidiotic.com sells Be Unseen glasses for those A-listers who would rather be unseen – there’s a little craziness for every generation out there. Or entertain your inner child or someone else’s with gifts from the Perpetual Kid. And, if that’s not enough, I just heard about a little boy from Wimberley, Texas who has taken Fart Gifts to a whole new level! This is a budding entrepreneur!
Number 6 – Electronic Gadgets and Goodies, Oh my! For the electronic gizmo-lovin’ guy or gal in your life, look no further than Engadget.com for crazy electronic holiday gifts. There are holiday gifts for him and holiday gift ideas for her. Don’t forget Apple, Newegg.com, Amazon.com, and Sharper Image.
Number 5 – Anything Extreme from the Neiman Marcus Catalog – Oh, you know you know all about this year’s crazy gifts that cost an even crazier amount of money! This year, the Dallas retailer boasts the news-getting really crazy gifts, and if you go to the site you can click through the Top 100 in your PJs! Anyone for a $615 bath set?
Number 4 – Adventure Gifts – What about giving an adventure that creates memories? Horseback lessons cost about $40 an hour, I’ve heard a couple of people report that you can get a flying lesson for as little as $10 for the first one. Incentive travel packages can be found for as little as $250 for three days and two nights. Use your imagination and go where the adventure is! And if you really want to give your client an experience that is out of this world, check out Zero G.
Number 3 – A Taste of the Best – The home of one of the world’s most expensive chocolates – Noka Chocolate – is right around the corner from where we live. At $854 a pound, it isn’t the most expensive chocolate, but it might be fun to see what $20 bucks will get you. Other items that you can gift for a fraction of the full cost – rent a luxury car for the day, a small portion of fine caviar, a smaller portion of a fine wine. For high wealth clients and those aspiring to high net worth, consider a subscription to The Robb Report, the Global Luxury Resource. Let your creative juices run wild.
Number 2 – Unique and One-of-a-Kind – How can you place a value on unique gifts? You can’t! As Mastercard would say… *Priceless!* Name a star or planet after the recipient, or create a blog (free!) for the writer in your life, secure a web domain for the budding entrepreneur you know.
Number 1 – DNA Artwork – For the really hard-to-buy-for person, here’s the intersection where biology meets art. It’s called DNA11. This really cool site allows you to take a swab of the recipient’s mouth and turn DNA into artwork. Talk about a gift that is personal AND memorable!
When you differentiate, make sure it’s hard to copy!
I have to tell you that I was really dazzled by Hampton Inn’s new image. It was several years ago now, but the image and design of all of their hotel branding was just too cool and fun. When you walked in, they had a rug that was split into two pieces – two rugs basically – and the first one said “welcome” and the second one said “we love that you are here” or something like that.
Those rugs were what caught my attention. Then we received our room key and the key card holder had a guarantee printed on it with a very direct, explicit outline of a money-back guarantee. Talk about bold risk reversal! On the inside of the holder, our key had a small black and white photo with a road sign and below, the words said “welcome to Texas.” At the time, we were staying in Austin for the weekend. Accompanying the key card was a complimentary in-room wireless access code. When other hotels are charging from $10 to $20 bucks for that alone, that’s just one of Hampton Inn’s value adds.
The black and white photo theme is what really pulled in my heart. My love of clean design and practical marketing that really works ate up this branding – big time! When we got in the elevator, I was delighted to see the same branding images. Imagine a black and white photo of two donkeys walking down a road sitting next to a band of sage green with reversed out white text that read “road warriors.” I knew I was hooked.
The problem I’ve always had with a lot of branding is that it is big hat and no cattle. The branding can be beautiful and stunning (like this branding was), but without substance (that means that you have a good product or service and it does what you say it is going to do), the branding is worthless. It’s like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s still swine!
When we got to the room, I was on the lookout for more cool branding pieces. Now, I had an expectation, and I’m so glad to report that I wasn’t disappointed! From the little ‘do not disturb’ sign that reads ‘recharging’ and has a photo of a guy with headphones on, to the toiletries, there were plenty of items to take in.
The product, which, in this case, was a hotel room had much to write home about. Everything is just a cut above the other similarly-priced hotels (anywhere from $89 to $129 in most markets). One of my favorite upper mid-line hotels is Westin. Westin is wonderful because of the linens and the quality of the pillows, and the excellent service. Hampton Inn combined a great bed (I’ve got scoliosis and Mark has a herniated disk, so with these backs comfy beds reign supreme), wonderful linens, microwave and frig in the room. I found out on this last trip that Hampton Inn now has the Hilton-level beds and linens and the whole ensemble can be purchased at http://www.hamptonhomecollection.com/comingsoon.htm. This is a great example of how offline companies are integrating their customer experience with different products, other companies, and new ways of marketing. You can do this too!
Were we happy? You betcha. It was one of the first times in a long time that I stayed in a hotel and didn’t wake up feeling like I had been run over by a Mack truck. The branding made it just that much more fun, and guess what? It worked. We now look for a Hampton Inn when we travel, and it’s fun to see what photos will appear in different cities and states. Each hotel has a photo that is geographically specific and represents the appeal of the location area.
Hampton Inn clearly knows what its primary target wants. Business people is the hotel chain’s target. Families traveling could be on the list too, and the manager at a Hampton Inn in Quincy, Florida revealed that he was beginning to work with that market. Both target markets are also served by the hotel’s free full-service breakfasts. For us, that saves a minimum of $20 and an extra hour each morning. We love it because when we are on vacation, it allows us to get moving and on to what we went to visit in the first place!
When you combine the savings for breakfast and the free internet connection, the $10 or so more that Hampton costs is not a big deal. Same with business travelers. If you are an employer, per diem is per diem, but what if you do actual receipts and your people stay in a place where breakfast is free? It’s a win-win-win, right?
So what does all of this have to do with YOU and your differentiation? It has to do with choosing things that are difficult to copy. True differentiation is nearly impossible to copy. Think the Disney experience and Apple. They are in a league of their own.
Here are five things you can consider to really pull out the differentiation at your company!
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Invest in cutting-edge technology or innovations your clients really want. If you have a proprietary program your company has created, that’s even better. With our Hampton Inn example, they were one of the first to offer the 100% guarantee, and now those are popping up all over the place in that price range. Sure, other hotels offer a continental breakfast, but to offer a buffet, that requires an investment – and a commitment. Investing in things you think would be cool, but your best clients could care less about is a waste of money – keep those clients in mind and if you aren’t sure, ask them!
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Let the “you” shine through! In professional services, especially, this is a great differentiation strategy. If you are edgy, fun-spirited professionals – let that work to your advantage. If you are passionate about a certain pet project, go where those people are and connect to other just like you. The more that you create marketing that speaks to who you are, the more you will attract those people already looking for you.
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Align differentiation with values. Once you know what your highest values are – what you really believe in – then look around and see what is great out in the world and then put your unique spin on it. For example, I’ve had the fortunate experience to meet and work with many amazing professionals who I would call “entrepreneurial accountants” – Glenn Baldwin and Bonnie Houldsworth are two of the best. Setting themselves apart from the competition isn’t difficult because they truly are not like the competition – they are business people and entrepreneurs first and accountants second. The combo is out of this world and super hard to copy!
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Take stock of what you have. It’s so easy to look around and know what you don’t have. Take a look around and see what you do have that is exactly what your clients are asking for. Sometimes it is a certain type of specialization, sometimes it’s the way you work with clients, sometimes it’s just the work philosophy you bring to the table. To make differentiation work for you, you must use it. Put it out there. Just like the Hampton Inn guarantee – they may have had it all along, but when they put it front and center, it becomes much more powerful.
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Allow your clients tell you. It’s so easy to go into the toe tapping “aw shucks” when clients begin to spew accolades. When clients share with you what is amazing about you, be sure to take it in fully and make a note of it. Chances are that those same things are what others are loving about you too. When you know what those things are, ask yourself: How can we strengthen these? How can we do more of this? How can we continue doing this?
When it comes to differentiation, it’s important to choose things that set you are apart, and are difficult to copy. The combination of these two together is the leg-up in the minds of your customers.
Radisson (our #2 mid-line choice) is great, but Hampton Inn is what has captured our needs and how we feel about ourselves. We identify with Hampton Inn because of the branding, the excellent – usually quirky, fun employees – and the consistent product we really appreciate and love.
Is it likely another hotel chain will copy their branding? Probably not. It’s funky. It’s not really ‘out there,’ but it’s out there enough to ward off the ‘me-tooers’ and the copycats. This is an excellent example of really serving a target market and being okay with letting others slide by – own your target market sliver is what I always say!
So when you are thinking about creating differentiation or choosing your differentiation, think of Hampton Inn and think – what would someone else not want to copy? In the hotel biz, if one hotel gives out ‘free’ items the guest has forgotten, that’s easy enough to copy. Need a map of the city? No problem. Want a Sleep Number bed (a Radisson offering)? Whoa, that’s going to require an investment – will other hotels go to that expense? Probably not – or not easily. What can you do in your industry that is similar?
Even better, what can you spotlight that is ‘business as usual’ for your company and would make your competitor squirm and your client squeal with delight? Figure that out, and you’ve got your differentiation!