NOW is the time to…DIFFERENTIATE

Given our current set of circumstances in business, this series is designed to help you take a leadership role in your industry…regardless of what your industry may be. They don’t sell anything…they simply HELP your business stand out and rise above your competitors. They are practical, actionable, and proven ways to elevate your business above others and make you “top of mind” to your customers. I guarantee they will make a difference in your business. I hope you will find these helpful. I hope you will share them with your fellow business owners and leaders. And I look forward to hearing about how they helped you in some way. Here’s the first one…

DIFFERENTIATION...a word often used but rarely executed.

Everyone likes to talk about how “different” they are from their competitors, but are they, really? Rarely. We all like to think we’re different. And in our own minds, as business leaders, we are. That is, until we talk to our customers. The ultimate test is ALWAYS what the customer says, not what we say. They vote with their wallets. They keep us in business. They count.

I discovered this truth decades ago and it is truer today than ever before. The customer has the microphone…their voice matters. And, unlike decades ago, they can now share their voice with hundreds, thousands, and even millions of others. They are in complete control today. Their voice is loud and it is powerful. And it can make or break a business. I’m sure you know of some…I worked for one…Arthur Andersen. Fortunately, I left just a few years before the downfall of the mightiest public accounting firm of its time. A few people brought down an entire company. But the “buzz” and “customer voice” fueled the downfall. It was sad and no one ever thought it could happen. It did. And it happens more often today than ever before. It’s worth repeating, the customer is in complete control.

When times are tough, like they are today with the current pandemic crisis, being different is more important than ever. It’s moved up the scale from “very important” to an “absolute necessity” for businesses to thrive. When there are fewer customers or the customers you have become picky and demanding, being DIFFERENTIATED is the secret sauce. Clearly standing out from your competitors in a “dog fight economy” like we are in today is critically important. With fewer customers and less dollars being spent, it’s vital to capture as many of those dollars as you can. You can if you are viewed as different in the eyes of your customers (and others).

Start with a definition...

Let me start by sharing with you a simple definition of what it means to be DIFFERENTIATED. It simply means “being viewed by your audience (customers included) as someone who doesn’t look like, behave like, or act like their competitors.” You are in a class by yourself, standing alone. No one is the same as you, you are seen as not being part of the pack of competitors. That’s being differentiated. How do you know if you are truly differentiated?

When you customers say this, you are in a league of your own…you are DIFFERENTIATED.

Stop reading for a minute and ask yourself, “How many of our customers would tell me this if Blaine called them today?” Regardless of your answer, how would it change your business if this was what I heard from 90% of your customers? Exactly…it would change your business (most likely) completely. You would be the one that stood out in the eyes of your customer…their FIRST CHOICE when buying your particular products or services. You would win out over your competitors almost every time…and it wouldn’t be because you were the cheapest.

How do you get to this enviable state of being truly DIFFERENTIATED? 

Let me share with you some ways you can get there…quickly. And stay there for the foreseeable future. These work…all the time…they just work better (and usually faster) when we are in a crisis than when we aren’t.

First, keep ALL your PROMISES.

Before you say that you do, I would challenge you to think a bit deeper about this statement. When I ask leaders if they believe their organization keeps their promises, they almost always say they feel they keep the “majority” of their promises. What exactly does “majority” mean? Is it 51% or 99% or somewhere in between? The goal is 100%. To a customer, if you don’t keep 100% of your promises, they remember those and figure you don’t keep your promises.

I ask this question all the time when interviewing customers, “Do they keep their promises?” If they hesitate, it means no. If they say sometimes, it means no. If they say most of the time, it means no. For a customer to actually believe you keep your promises, you have to keep ALL of them. I know, it’s tough and you don’t know what all your employees are saying throughout the day. I suggest you focus on this intently…it will pay massive dividends. With regard to differentiation, you will be viewed completely different from your competitors if your customers (and others) believe you keep all your promises…guaranteed! I know, not easy, but incredibly powerful in building DIFFERENTIATION.

Second, OVER COMMUNICATE.

When business is booming and everyone is running around like chickens with their heads cut off (I still have a hard time visualizing that one) we almost always slack off with our communications. We’re simply too busy to communicate like we should. But NOW things are different. EVERY employee has MORE TIME on their hands than ever before. Commuting is virtually nonexistent for most people. Meetings have been eliminated and are now virtual, which means there are usually fewer of them and they are shorter. And many other things that have “freed up time” for everyone.

What are you doing with all this extra time? I’m sure some of your employees have gotten better at Candy Crush on their phones, but now is the time to turn things up when it comes to communicating with your audience. NOT SELLING, communicating. Be more proactive. Be more helpful (that’s the next area I’ll talk about). Share more information. Give them more updates on the status of an order. Do anything that allows you to communicate more than your competitors are…you will stand out…you will be more DIFFERENTIATED!

Third, find more ways to HELP.

I could write a book on this topic. In fact, it is a major part of my upcoming book and takes up several chapters. For now, I would suggest you think about one simple phrase, “How you can I improve the lives and/or business of my customers and overall audience?” If everyone in your organization focused on this one thing, you would change the way they see you. They would see how much you are trying to help them be successful. They will remember this…they will remember YOU. And when they remember you, you have become much more DIFFERENTIATED.

Fourth, LISTEN more.

I know, you’ve heard this a thousand times before…so why aren’t you doing it? It’s an obvious answer to endearing yourself to anyone. Listening more means you care more and when you care more you stand out…period. This is fundamental, yet few of us do it. We get so wrapped up in talking about ourselves, our products, our services, our (fill in the blank) that we forget to listen. Customers notice. They see a huge difference in those who spend the time to listen as compared to those who spend their time talking. I won’t bore you with all the cliché’s about listening, we all know them. Just put this on everyone’s wall and desk as a reminder it is critically important. Customer ALWAYS tell me when they feel a company “listens more” to them. It matters and is noticeable…and it definitely DIFFERENTIATES you in their eyes.

Fifth, make them FEEL SPECIAL.

This is another huge topic that I talk about in my upcoming book. How your customer “FEELS” is critically important to how they view you and your company. Make them feel special and they will see you as someone unique and different. I go back to the Disney example of when you walk into the Magic Kingdom, the “happiest place on earth.” They invest millions in making you feel incredibly special from the moment you enter the park. And as such, we talk about them to all our friends and how they are so different from all the other amusement parks. They are DIFFERENTIATED because they make you feel special…and in the end, who doesn’t want to feel special and important? No one!

All 5 of these will differentiate you…quickly…guaranteed. There isn’t one of these five where your customers won’t notice you as being different from your competitors. And the best part, often times they will tell you! That’s right, they will tell you how you make them FEEL SPECIAL, that you LISTEN MORE, you are truly HELPING them improve their life and/or their business, you are COMMUNICATING much more than before, and, most importantly, your KEEPING YOUR PROMISES.

Put in some plans to start doing these tomorrow, yesterday is already gone. You can’t start soon enough. NOW is the time to DIFFERENTIATE. NOW is the time to do something dramatic that will change your business today and well into the future. These 5 areas will do that for you…guaranteed!

My GOAL for YOU...

As with this series, my goal is always the same…help you be more CUSTOMER OBSESSED so you can become “REMARK”able where your customers (and others) are doing your marketing for you and acting as your “Marketing Agents.” Everything I share with you has this underlying purpose and goal attached…I want you to “light up” your audiences so they can become your Advocates and Marketing Agents. That’s it. If you want the same, keep reading more of my "NOW is the time" Series.  Each one will guarantee you some quick results with long lasting implications to change your business to one that is DIFFERENTIATED in the eyes of your customers...the ones who vote with their wallets.