September 2004

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2004</I></div> <div> <I>The following article was first published in the Eastern Daily Press' 'The Business' on 14 September 2004</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>`Do different' to succeed</B></div> <bR> <div> Last week at a Chamber of Commerce business breakfast, I enjoyed an entertaining and passionate talk by James Malcolm, the headteacher at Langley School.  In describing some of the things that distinguish his organisation from others, he said that the school had, in marketing-speak, a `Unique Selling Proposition' or USP.  Except he didn't call it that - he just said that he and his staff try to `Be Different'.</div> <bR> <div> I liked very much his simple way of looking at this key to successfully marketing a business.  The competitive reality of commercial life today means that only those companies that differentiate themselves from the average players will stand a chance of achieving top results.  Being prepared to `Be Different' is a good place to start when thinking about your business and how to position it in the marketplace.</div> <bR> <div> If you can't articulate, in 30-60 seconds, what makes your business unique, why people should buy from you and not one of the others, you need to invest some time in developing your own USP.  Probably the best place to start is to take a look at your main competitors and answer at least the following questions:</div> <bR> <div> What do they do well?</div> <div> What do they do poorly?</div> <div> What would an average customer say about each of them and the service they provide?</div> <div> What can they do that you can't and vice versa?</div> <bR> <div> Next, it's worth having a general think about your industry or the marketplace in which you operate and the changes that have taken place in recent years and what you expect to change in the next few years.  What are the perceived standards of quality and service in your industry?  How well do you already measure up against these industry standards?  In short, anything that might help you determine something about your business that is genuinely unique.</div> <bR> <div> Have a go at defining your specific niche - how would you define your current average customer?  Your ideal future customer? What do you think your ideal future customer will care most about?  What is your business currently most noted for in your marketplace? Is it quality, customer service, speed of response, reliability, or price?  It's can be very enlightening to ask yourself what five things about your products or services you take for granted that your customers don't know about.</div> <bR> <div> Of course, you can always ask your customers what they think…..  Why do they buy from you and not a competitor?  What, in their eyes, sets you apart from your competitors?  If they would like you to improve two or three things, what would they be?</div> <bR> <div> From all of this, you can build a picture of some of the ways in which your business might `Be Different'.  People need to have a reason to remember you and to want to return.  This can also be a good way to encourage referrals to your business by your existing customers.  Identify one or two things that set you apart - a guarantee of same-day replacement of faulty goods, perhaps, or a promise that an example of everything you sell has been used or tested by a member of your team - and focus your marketing efforts on that uniqueness.   `Being Different' and letting people know why that is good for them is a great way to grow a business.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=180 BGCOLOR="#CC3333" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>