PDA

View Full Version : So What Makes Your Business So Special?



SpotZero
08-05-2009, 07:09 PM
We use this as our big drum-roll question for our LA contest and it has gotten some fun, clever and unexpected answers. So we thought we'd post it here. What does your business offer that differentiates you from your competitors? What makes your business so special?

Best,
-SpotZero

Dan Furman
08-05-2009, 10:30 PM
I'm friggen' great at what I do. :)

Now a lot of people say that, but in my case, when you read my site, you (hopefully) just know it. The proof is right there. Any "artist" type work is that way - you can just "see" who's good and who isn't.

Spider
08-05-2009, 11:57 PM
Well said, Dan. I think my business experience - varied as it is - is quite clear and the success I have created for myself is transferable to the next generation of businesses. Never mind times change, the value of a business coach is in the exchange between coach and player(business client.) I don't preach to my players, I don't try to tell my business players how to play their business game, but I do challenge them to think. Even when my suggestions are opposed, the thought process that led to them being rejected induces new synaptic connections in the brain that benefit the player. Consider it "exercise for the brain," if you like, talking about business, mental exploration of different ideas, and finding modern ways to accomplish longstanding ideals, tests the player and stretches their abilities.

What my business offers that differentiates me from my competitors is my 50-year business history.

I am in the fortunate position that any and every business owner will gain from engaging a coach, so even though every coach is unique, they don't have to be to benefit the player. Results from using me may be no different than using any other coach, but those using no coach at all cannot outperform businesses using a coach, everything else being equal.

vangogh
08-06-2009, 12:53 AM
I'd say in my case the differentiator is also me. I'm not the same as the others who do what I do.

However if we forget me for a minute I've tried to differentiate myself in a couple of ways.

1. By being a bridge between web design and seo - most designers don't understand how search engines work. I have a pretty good grasp of it however and the sites I develop are search engine friendly. A full time seo could take over a site I've developed and not suggest recoding it, which could end up being a big savings as I'm not charging extra for the search friendly part of the code.

With smaller businesses who aren't going to go on to hire an SEO company I can help serve as SEO with some work and general advice.

2. Over the last year or two I've begun to work almost exclusively with WordPress. So for those looking for a WordPress site I can stand out a little more. As WordPress is mostly search friendly out of the box and combined with a search engine friendly theme I'd develop this goes with #1 above.

cbscreative
08-06-2009, 11:43 AM
If I said "ditto" to the above, I wouldn't be much different, but, ditto to much of it (especially Dan's opening point). Vangogh and I share a lot in common with our business models, and with Dan in the discussion, all 3 of us write.

I agree with VG that SEO knowledge for web designers is rare, so although I will echo his points, it does separate us from most of the market.

I would say the one area where I really stand out is being able to help a client who has little to no knowledge of what they need and help them with an effective marketing approach. I work primarily with web design, but I also realize that there may be other priorities. Someone who does only web design will naturally sell web design. If I believe direct mail is a higher priority, I can scale back on the web site and focus on an effective mailer. Like Spider, I draw on a lot of business experience, but mine is barely over half of his 50 years (still enough though).

SpotZero
08-10-2009, 03:40 PM
Great stuff guys. You really have to understand what you do and know your business to answer my question. Knowing your answer to this will definitely help assure your clients. Keep 'em coming.

Best,
-SpotZero

KarenB
10-03-2009, 11:36 AM
Being a virtual assistant in a growing sea of other VAs, it's a challenge to differentiate oneself because we offer so many different kinds of services.

Primarily I offer customer service, day-to-day office administration and transcription.

I think there are two reasons I stand out a bit more:

1) I become a 'partner' with my clients instead of just an independent contractor they've hired to do certain tasks. I find out as much as I possibly can about their business, I truly care about their success and I think about ways I can help them grow. It's more of a 'team' mentality than a pure 'service' mentality. My customer loyalty is pretty much 100% and almost all of them become long-term and/or continue to come back for one-off projects.

2) I transcribe a lot of social media marketing seminars and summits, so by osmosis I have effectively taken every single class. (I have to pay attention because I am listening to every single word.) Because of this, I am constantly offering suggestions and/or answering my clients' questions about how to increase the visibility and uniqueness of their 'brand'. They appreciate this input and will think nothing of picking up the phone and saying, "Karen, what do you think of this idea?"

Like the other respondents, I think it boils down to the 'me' factor and my devotion to excellence in everything I do for them.

vangogh
10-05-2009, 10:54 AM
it's a challenge to differentiate oneself because we offer so many different kinds of services.

Karen I would think all the different services is one way you could differentiate yourself. You probably offer some services that other VAs don't or maybe it's the combination of services other's don't offer.

greenoak
10-07-2009, 09:59 AM
i think mine is about the amount, its huge, and quality of our inventory.....and my prices....we have enough to offer to make people drive a hundred miles....
and hardly anyone has come up with our main plot...great stuff at reasonable prices....many think medium prices means trailer trash at worst or middle of the road.......not true!!!! rich people like good value too... there really isnt a pricetag on good design....you can get it many ways...
one more thing...i definitely want to sell....
ann

lav
10-09-2009, 04:19 AM
LOVE!!......in fact Im going to go give the Sales Manager a big kiss right now!.... then she can cook my dinner..... while I play barbie dolls with her daughter.....tomorrow I'll mow her lawn for her....cause its the LOVE that makes my business special! :)

vangogh
10-09-2009, 11:26 AM
I wish I had a sales manager with those same skills. Where do you find one? Did you place an ad in the classifieds? Craig's List? :)

Patrysha
10-09-2009, 08:12 PM
Those are great skills for a sales manager. I can kiss and hug my video and photography crew, but kissing myself might be a tad awkward.

In any case, back to the OP.

Until I actually tried the Shop & Win (and learned an immense amount from the experience) I didn't know that my thing was going to be Community Connected Commerce. Essentially it's a full throttle marketing program that can be customized and put on autopilot in a cooperative marketing effort. It's expensive as a whole, but affordable on a per business level. It benefits local charities and combines online marketing with publicity and traditional advertising.

I haven't seen anything like it...so that's what makes it unique.

I call it Simple Math Marketing because I like naming things :-)

vangogh
10-09-2009, 09:02 PM
The autopilot part sounds like an easy sell. It makes your system not only unique, but easy and pain free. Does it only work with charities? I bet it could over well with small business owners who don't have the time to be marketing all the time as well.

Patrysha
10-09-2009, 09:14 PM
It combines charities and business...hence the name Community Connected Commerce.

It revolves around membership cards that several businesses agree to sponsor certain discounts for card holders (this part is what the business owner decides upon for him or herself once they've had a consultation - you want to look at high margin products/services to promote) it would differ for each business a salon may offer a free service for every fifth haircut or something along those lines.

They'd share in online email marketing (weekly) and a web presence...and a few other things...

These cards would be sold by non profit organizations for $20 and the non-profit would keep $15.

Then you throw in some publicity efforts and draws and events (something each quarter) and it's pretty easy to keep things happening.

I am hoping it goes well in small towns and malls :-)

Though it could scale well enough to larger places I suppose, I am just used to working with small business owners...

The fees to the businesses that become sponsors covers all the joint marketing, advertising, printing, publicity & media relations, event planning and prizing.

vangogh
10-09-2009, 09:17 PM
Sounds like a good idea. I guess the autopilot comes in only after the system is all set and in place. A little different than what I was first thinking, but should still be a relatively easy sell. Especially once you have it working and can show it as an example to others.

Patrysha
10-09-2009, 09:27 PM
Of course, early adopters will get the best deals...but the system is already working in Fredericksburg, VA without the additional components (prizing, publicity etc). That one is done strictly word of mouth/in-store.

It was what I was missing during the Shop & Win and actually incorporates ideas I had but just couldn't see bringing together economically - until I networked my way into finding this software service.

Yeah, it does require the merchant sit down for about an hour to go through an interview so that the recommendations can be made as to what might work best for them and they do have to spend a little bit of time approving ads/press releases etc that pertain specifically to their business promotions. But beyond paying their bill each month and making sure they are approving their ads on schedule it's quite easy.