“They” say that you should be different to stand out, so people will buy from you. The implication is of course that if you don’t succeed at making yourself stand out from the competition, it is your own fault if you don’t get sales. Yes and no. They say a lot, don’t they. So let’s have a ponder from a slightly more constructive angle, shall we!
How Many Businesses Are There Worldwide?
I find that breaking a seemingly tough situation down to its parts helps demystify things, so the first step is to consider the worldwide number of firms of different types. Depending on your source, the estimate is around 350 million, and over 400 even. But let’s go with 350 million businesses for now.
That is a lot. And more importantly, most (close to 100% in the EU!) are small and medium-sized businesses, SMEs, just like ours and possibly yours, too. This is a fact.
What Do The Businesses Registered Around The World Sell?
How many of these do you think sell at least partly the same products and services? Many businesses do indeed close doors due to anything from selling (i.e. the whole firm) to bankruptcy, whilst others continue selling the exact same offerings, so on average it isn’t the offering itself that is unattractive.
We conclude that there is room for duplicates of the same offerings on the market. Right? Let’s call this a fact, too.
Why Do Some Firms Sell More And Some Less?
Sometimes business owners decide to compete by lowering prices, but there are cases even at low price points where customers feel more inclined to go with the more expensive option. Somehow they perceive the more affordable offering to be less valuable, of lower quality even.
The product price tells only part of the story of why some firms reach success.
Why Do We Buy—Regardless Of Price?
So if the offering is the same and the price is, too, what makes us buy from one firm and not the other? Think about how you choose a hair salon for a service that their literal neighbour can sell at the same time, or what makes you choose a particular grocery store over its competitor across the street.
Pick daily scenarios and sit with them, because your own responses tell valuable secrets about shopping behaviour. You understand yourself reasonably well, I assume, so instead of asking others, consider different customer experiences over the years: what has caused anger in you, feedback to be expressed, and praises about excellences spread to your network. Why? What set those businesses apart, both positively and negatively?
Don’t forget where you feel lukewarm when shopping either. Maybe you can think of things those firms could improve to move you from neutral to delighted and even further to loyal. Then implement in your own firm if those are lacking still.
Business is at the heart about people with rather simple needs. We want to feel seen, understood and respected. When things go wrong, we hope for a genuine apology combined with some type of fix, and when they go very well, we come back another time.
Your First Next Steps To Stand Out
When you sell the same stuff as your competitors down the road, you take extra care to be authentic and genuine. You show gratitude and consider a loyalty programme.
You work hard to create a high-quality shopping experience regardless of who the customer is and how they behave. Rudeness can be met with neutral rather than upbeat optimism, but it would be a mistake to veer into impolite yourself. Vent at home, to a trusted friend, or the sandbag in your gym.
If you can’t stand out with your actual offering, you do work-arounds like this. It does work, I can happily share from experience.
Wrapping Up
When things feel gloomy, get back to basics. Is there one thing you can improve today, right now? Can you as an introvert share with your customers in a not-very-exuberant way why you feel genuinely pleased about a particular offering, and what makes it a wonderful addition in your life? Or do you think people would appreciate a comparison between two similar products that are priced differently, with pros and cons for each? People also enjoy before-and-after scenarios, come to think of it.
Step into a customer’s shoes when looking at your own firm in its entirety. What do you enjoy? What makes you proud? And where is there room for improvement? I am certain a fresh perspective can help you update your thoughts about something that is very close to home. “They” will never know your business the way you do.
Please post thoughts and questions in the comments below!
Photo credit: Kübra Arslaner.
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