Small Biz Marketing News Sample

Vol 2 Issue #15 - Differentiate from Your Competition

Ahhh Summer...

"Summer afternoon, summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language"
~Henry James

...'nough said. :)

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Announcement:
We've recently developed a 5-step marketing system specifically for small business. Feel free to drop us a line at info@detailssbs.com if you'd like to know more about our newly expanded services and how we can help you get more leads and more sales.

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Lack of marketing is consistently cited as one of the top four reasons for small business failure, so a marketing plan is crucial to your small business success. So far we've talked about identifying your target market and giving your clients what they want. This week we'll talk about the third part of our definition of marketing… "giving them what they want better than the competition".

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It's not enough to know who your target market is. It's not enough to know what they want. You need to be able to give them what they want and you need to be able to deliver it better than your competition. Otherwise, you're simply one of a sea of many.

Think of it this way. Most likely you have competition. And lots of it. Let's face it. It's pretty hard to reinvent many wheels these days. And if, on the off chance you don't have competition because your idea is just that new, if it's any good, you will have competition soon. So why should anyone buy from you rather than one of those competitors?

The answer is simple. You have to be different in some way. And it's not enough to say they'll get quality products or services. That's a given. You need to be different in a more unique, fundamental way.

So how do you figure out where you're unique? The best way to start is by looking at your competition. Find out who offers the same thing you do, and take a really good look at a minimum of three of them. Go to their web site and take a look around. Where are you different?

Order one of their products. What's their level of service like? Is yours better? Do they offer a guarantee? Can you give a better guarantee?

Write them a letter. How quickly do they respond and what's their follow up material like?

What benefits do they offer? Are they stated or implied benefits?

Now take a good look at your features. For every one of them, list the benefit. Why? Because your target market (especially if it's consumer-based) is only interested in your benefits-not how long you've been in business, what you do, or how you do it. Just the benefits. "What's in it for me?" That's what they really care about.

So compare every benefit you've found about your product or service with your competitors' benefits. Which ones are on your list, and not on theirs?

Make note of them and congratulations! You've just found your competitive advantage, which forms the basis of your marketing message, your tagline, your sales brochures, and everything else representing your business.

And that's how you give "them" what they want better than the competition.

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If your sales aren't where they could be, and you need some help marketing your small business, give us a call at 306-373-1459 or email info@detailssbs.com. We'd be happy to evaluate your small business FREE of charge.