The easiest way to nail your point of difference

One of the first things my clients ask me to help them with is to help them articulate a point of difference. It might be something you’ve thought about before and found it difficult to figure out WHAT MAKES YOU DIFFERENT?

So I thought I would record a short tip for you about this.

First, lets consider why it is we want a point of difference:

1. So more clients choose you over the competition
2. To communicate your value
3. Be able to charge premium fees instead of being a commodity
4. Build a recognisable brand in the market

And probably a few other reasons I haven’t mentioned.

I know of many businesses that have invested a lot of resources into creating a kick-ass point of difference. They end up with tag lines, a few sentences or paragraphs of words that they believe their clients want to hear about. Things like:

• Excellent client service
• Personalised service
• Experts in XYZ
• We care
• Not just accountants
• More than lawyers

Yes they are things clients want, but the problem is, it’s not a point of difference if everyone is also saying those same things.

If you’ve been to my workshops or worked with me in some other way, you will hear me say that the point of difference is overrated.

I’m not saying that marketers, brand experts and those guys aren’t worth investing in. I am saying that the best strategies are those that focus around behaviour -- not words. 

And it’s this behaviour that’s persuaded a number of my clients to bring me in to work with them - I behaved differently from the moment they heard about me. From my blogs, the initial phone conversations and the meetings leading up to them saying “Yes”. And then even after we finish our work together, they still get something extra.

I’ll give you a day to day examples of great ways brands are creating a point of difference:

Harvey Norman, a retail store that sells technology and large household items has a swap for new warranty policy. The swap for new warranty policy is amazing because it means you don’t have to wait for repairs to happen and be without your device - Harvey Norman will give you a brand new one.  They’ve created a point of difference that makes me want to buy from them even if an overseas store sells an item for less. They’ve done it by BEING different.

So what can you do to create a point of difference that means something?

Make a deliberate choice to do certain things in your business in a remarkable way. A way that surprises and delights your clients. And you can make a plan by looking at the different things you do in each phase of your business. Now in my 12 month sales growth program, this is one of the things we work on throughout the year.

• Marketing
• Sales
• Delivery

The key thing is not to try and do everything at once - there’s a reason why it takes about 12 months for me to work with clients. Focus on 2-3 key areas you can change immediately and build from there.