Differentiate Yourself .
No matter your industry , you exist in a sea of competition . You ’ re competing not only against other businesses that would love to take your customers , but you ’ re also competing against all the noise that bombards us : news , social media , and all the other signals streaming our way every moment of every day . How do you deal with the competition ? You stand out . Whatever it is you do , wherever it is you are , find your “ EST .” Be the most interesting , most vibrant version of you , and you ’ ll differentiate yourself and your business from the competition . I ’ m not saying you should be outrageous , garnering attention just for attention ’ s sake . But the first step of tenacious marketing is to make yourself stand out from the crowd .
If you commit to a print ad , make sure the colors and font pop . If you ’ re doing a series of networking or speaking events , choose something that makes you memorable , whether it ’ s a cool hat , awesome ( and comfortable ) shoes , or an unforgettable tagline . You want to stand out in a good way that reflects positively on your business and your brand .
It ’ s not always easy to find a memorable and positive way to differentiate yourself , but it ’ s worth the work .
Attract Your Ideal Customer .
Some items on your work to-do list are things you get to cross off and move away from . Some items ... like this one ... never go away . Attracting your ideal customer is a perpetual task . Not only do you have to identify your ideal customer , spend time where they do ( both physically and virtually ), and tailor your pitch to resonate with the right person , but you also have to make it easy and comfortable for your prospective customers to say yes .
Part of the challenge of attracting your ideal customer is infusing your business and your brand with your values — values your customers share . The other part , of course , is communicating those values to those customers . And that means you have to get to know them . You need to engage with them frequently . You need to establish yourself as a trusted authority in your industry , a member of the group you ’ re selling to . If you ’ re an insider , it ’ s much more comfortable for customers to support you and your ethos .
This job isn ’ t one and done . It ’ s achieved by sustained effort over time . Tenacity is required .
Direct Your Customers .
I used to know a guy who was always one of the smartest people in any room . He was funny , charming , and knowledgeable , so he was a logical , natural fit for sales . He gave the greatest presentations . He ’ d lead you by the hand through whatever he happened to be selling at the time , and people would be absolutely enchanted . And then the presentation was over . He never asked for the sale .
He didn ’ t direct his prospective customers . He didn ’ t ask for the order . He didn ’ t set appointments to follow up . It was almost as if he found the act of taking an order to be distasteful , somehow , but after years of frustrating and disappointing results , he finally had a manager who handled him like a coach . The manager walked him through a pitch and taught him that he had to ask for the sale , had to direct customers about what they were supposed to do with all this amazing information they ’ d just been given .
Overnight , the guy ’ s sales improved , and they never declined . It ’ s not enough to run most of a triathlon if you ’ re not going to take the final few steps . Persist to the end and give your prospects a clear , logical directive . What ’ s your goal for your pitch ? Do you want them to make an appointment ? Try your new service ? Share your newest blog ?
When you ’ ve been tenacious and differentiated yourself , along with attracting your ideal customer , don ’ t fall short of the finish line . Direct your customers to take specific action .
Get Different . Get Tough .
Anyone who ’ s ever trained for something like a triathlon has had blisters . They ’ ve had sore muscles . And they ’ ve had days when they just didn ’ t feel like putting in the work . The same is true for marketing , too . Nobody gets it right all the time . We try things , and they fail . What differentiates good marketing from bad is that one failure doesn ’ t stop good marketing .
Marketing requires work . It requires creativity . It also requires grit . You have to be determined to succeed . Some days you may not feel like it , just like there are travel days when I ’ m tempted to blow off a workout and eat an enormous cheeseburger instead . What I ’ ve learned , though , is that I feel better if I ’ m disciplined . If I ’ m mentally tough enough to go work up a sweat , then I can have that cheeseburger .
Great , powerful marketing only happens when you ’ re willing to put in the work , when you ’ re tough enough to stay the course . It ’ s worth it in the end . n
Mike mi-KAL-o-wits is the author of “ Profit First ,” “ Clockwork ,” “ Surge ,” “ The Pumpkin Plan ,” and his newest release , “ Fix This Next .” By his 35th birthday , Mike had founded and sold two companies — one to private equity and another to a Fortune 500 . Today , he is running his third multimillion-dollar venture , Profit First Professionals .
Mike is a former small-business columnist for The Wall Street Journal and the former business makeover specialist on MSNBC . Over the years , Mike has traveled the globe , speaking with thousands of entrepreneurs , and he is here today to share the best of what he has learned .
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