So, the question is: How do you sell to a target market that
has an almost unlimited supply of high-quality choices? If you’re
looking for a magic bullet, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but there
isn’t one. Quite simply, you have to dig deeper, work harder,
out-promote, out-create and out-market the other guys. You
have to make yourself, not just another choice, not even a little
bit better choice, but a choice that is impossible to ignore. It’s
not easy, but it is worth every minute you pour into it!
Here are some effective steps to get you started:
and hand your key staff members different colored highlighters
and “go-to-town” highlighting key phrases, slogans, claims and
headlines. Then review as a team. You may be very surprised at
how common your claims are to theirs. In many cases, they will
be identical! If your prospects are hearing the same things from
your competitors as they are hear ing from you, they will assume
that you are all essentially the same. When everything is the
same, they will make their purchase decisions based on the
worst possible criteria—price!
Do a real competitive analysis. Identify your top five competitors—and not just those who do exactly what you do, but
others that your market might choose instead of you. Gather,
request, print, etc. all of their promotional materials. Print off
their web pages. Pretend to be a customer and have them send
you their brochures. (Don’t be squeamish! They give these
away for free!) How are you supposed to know how to market
against your competitors until you know how they are marketing
against you?
Take all of your competitors’ printed materials and lay them
side-by-side with yours. Spread them out on a conference table
Conduct a “Brandstorming” session. Gather your key staff
(and be sure to include people from different departments) for a
deep-dive discussion. With a flip chart in the front of the room
and a designated “scribe,” ask the question: “What makes us
great? Not just qualified or competent, but what makes us truly
great.” Then take some time to write down a list of 10 to 20
truthful statements that set you apart. Use statements like:
“We were the first center in the region to offer X ingredient.”
We are the exclusive provider of bath products to the W hotel.”
“We were named ‘Best New Product of 2012’ by XX magazine.”
54 PULSE
■
July 2012
(CONTINUED ON PAGE 56)