Product/Service Offering Differentiation
How much you are able to differentiate your product or service offering will vary based on what type of business you are in. For instance, if you are in a highly regulated Business, your options may be limited. Explore a totally new market or type of product or service, however, and the possibilities abound. The key to successful differentiation in this category, again, is to know your customers, really, really well. Talk to them often, and you will know what they need most and be able to offer it, long before your competitors know what is happening. For example, your product or service could stand out in one of these ways:
- Quality--create a product or service that is exceptional in one or more ways. Examples: Lasts longer
- Better
- Easier to use
- Safer
- New/First--be the first one to offer something in your location/field.
- Features/Options--offer lots of choices, unusual combinations, or solve a problem for a customer in a way no one else does.
- Customization--as a Solo Entrepreneur, you may be able to more easily handle special orders than big, mass-market competitors.
Customer Service Differentiation
Have you noticed how customer service seems to be out of vogue these days? This situation makes excellent Customer Service a great opportunity for differentiation and another natural advantage for Solo Entrepreneurs that already know what's important to their customers. Build your reputation on making customers feel really good about doing Business with you. Works great with referral marketing, too. Examples:
- Deliver fast--next day, or one-hour--make it faster than customers think possible.
- Unique channel--offer a service over the phone or Internet instead of in person or in their office rather than yours.
- Service-delight customers!--it may seem expensive to offer exceptional service--but it pays off in word-of-mouth advertising.
- Before/during/after-sales support--provide technical or other support to customers using your product. You might use joint ventures to provide that support--but customers will perceive it as being from you!
- Guarantee/warranty--offer 100% money-back, or free replacement parts.
- YOU--offer yourself, your unique blend of talents and skills, to attract customers. Make sure they get access to you, too!
Keys to Successful Differentiation:
- Know your customers, really, really well.
- Pick a blend of differentiation methods that, in the eyes of your customers, truly sets you apart.
- Talk about your differentiation in terms of customer benefits.
- Tell everyone about what differentiates you--often.
- Keep your differentiation fresh by listening for changing customer needs.
Copyright 2002-2003, Terri Zwierzynski, Accel Innovation, Inc.
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Terri Zwierzynski is a coach to small business owners and Solo Entrepreneurs. She is also the CEI (Conductor of Extraordinary Ideas) at Solo-E.com and the author of 136 Ways To Market Your Small Business. Terri is an MBA honors graduate from UNC-Chapel Hill. Terri has been coaching for over 10 years in a variety of settings, including 6 years as a senior-level coach and consultant for a Fortune 500 company. She opened her private coaching practice in 2001. You can reach Terri at http://www.TerriZ.com.
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***** Find more articles like this at http://www.Solo-E.com - Keeping Solo Entrepreneurs Juiced in Business and in Life. Our team of Solo Entrepreneurs are comprised of small business experts who support others in finding Business success with the flexibility and freedom to have a life, too.
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