How to TRULY differentiate a product/service?

[DrScream]

I was wondering if any of you could guide me in the right direction on the steps that follow once you've decided on a business vehicle to use but are having trouble trying to differentiate your product/service more than "I have great customer service."

An attempt to make it clearer:
Basically what I'm asking is what are some directions I can go in to learn how to stand out from competitors. I've got plenty of business ideas but I can't seem to figure out how to stand apart from the people who are already doing these things. Does that make more sense? If not let me know and I'll try to clarify even more. I have a hard time getting my thoughts out sometimes so my bad if it isn't clear!

 

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[NursingTn]

Who are you helping?
What are you helping them with?
Why are you helping them?

Example:

I help people who love Pomeranians to have better healthier puppies because these people love their Pomeranian pups.

Once you got that down, niche down.

Examples:

1) train Pomeranian puppies that are younger than six months old through basic behavioral training such as toileting and socialization

2) train lomeranian puppies that are avid chewers to not be chewing on everything in the house

3) develop a product that stops incessant barking at strangers and unfamiliar noises

4) grooming services to keep Pomeranian puppies looking cute and clean for their wellness

5) doggy day care for only Pomeranian puppies

You get the point. I find that it matters less how you help a group of people, but what matters more is who you're helping, what the problem you're helping with, and why you want to help them solve the problem.

 

[DrScream]

Who are you helping?
What are you helping them with?
Why are you helping them?

Example:

I help people who love Pomeranians to have better healthier puppies because these people love their Pomeranian pups.

Once you got that down, niche down.

Examples:

1) train Pomeranian puppies that are younger than six months old through basic behavioral training such as toileting and socialization

2) train lomeranian puppies that are avid chewers to not be chewing on everything in the house

3) develop a product that stops incessant barking at strangers and unfamiliar noises

4) grooming services to keep Pomeranian puppies looking cute and clean for their wellness

5) doggy day care for only Pomeranian puppies

You get the point. I find that it matters less how you help a group of people, but what matters more is who you're helping, what the problem you're helping with, and why you want to help them solve the problem.

Thanks for the tips. I was wondering more on the actual product side of things. I get helping people and focusing on what you're solving for them but there are plenty of businesses doing that. I was trying to figure out the best ways to use the CENTS commandments to differentiate your products NEED in the market. For example, in your pet training business what sets you apart from all of the other dog trainers?

 

[1step]

May want to further explain your question/thought process. I for one am not even understanding what you’re asking

 

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[DrScream]

May want to further explain your question/thought process. I for one am not even understanding what you’re asking

Sorry if I failed to make it clear.

Basically what I'm asking is what are some directions I can go in to learn how to stand out from competitors. I've got plenty of business ideas but I can't seem to figure out how to stand apart from the people who are already doing these things. Does that make more sense? If not let me know and I'll try to clarify even more. I have a hard time getting my thoughts out sometimes so my bad if it isn't clear!

 

[1step]

Basically what I'm asking is what are some directions I can go in to learn how to stand out from competitors.

The above answer gave ways to stand out from competition. Confused why you shot that down

Just mention one of your business ideas and make this exercise more practical

 

[DrScream]

The above answer gave ways to stand out from competition. Confused why you shot that down

Just mention one of your business ideas and make this exercise more practical

One business I was thinking of working on is a decal & sign design business where I create decals, place them on items (e.g. shirts, cups, hats), & create signs for the businesses. The only thing I could think of is "Treat them better than the competitors." but I don't know if that would suffice. That's just one business idea there are others. I guess I was just wondering if there was like a general guideline that people follow to stand out. If there really isn't an answer and it's all just circumstantial then disregard my post as it was maybe just a dumb question.

 

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[Entre Eyes]

Start with the Big Dogs....so to speak model after them...now add something to it.

Look at all the competitors someone is doing something different..but perhaps no one is combining that over there and then that over there as well into one product/service.

 

[DrScream]

Start with the Big Dogs....so to speak model after them...now add something to it.

Look at all the competitors someone is doing something different..but perhaps no one is combining that over there and then that over there as well into one product/service.

GOLD. This is what I was looking for. Thanks, man! I've got to do more market research and look around at my competitors some more. Much appreciated

 

[NursingTn]

One business I was thinking of working on is a decal & sign design business where I create decals, place them on items (e.g. shirts, cups, hats), & create signs for the businesses. The only thing I could think of is "Treat them better than the competitors." but I don't know if that would suffice. That's just one business idea there are others. I guess I was just wondering if there was like a general guideline that people follow to stand out. If there really isn't an answer and it's all just circumstantial then disregard my post as it was maybe just a dumb question.

Who are you doing the decal and sign design for?

What are you going to accomplish doing this decal and design?

Why is this business important/relevant? What needs would be met with this business?

You cannot find your competitive "edge" until you know who your audience is and their needs.

If your audience tells you, "yeah, lame old decal and sign business at that corner there makes boring artwork for marketing", then you know you need to capitalize on the fact that you make better artwork for marketing.

If your audience tells you, "decal and sign is a waste of time. We saw no good results from getting all that stuff. No increase in customer acquisition, etc." Then you know the problem is they no longer believe decal and sign work, so you need to work on earning trust. So that may mean you capitalize on the edge that you know how to use decal and sign to get customers for businesses.

Value skew is great. But only when you get into the head of customers and figure out what they like and don't like about a product or service, then you'll know exactly what to do and not to do to make your product or service better.

In other words, copy what is good, and obliterate the complaints.

Another example:

Lame a$$ cell phone holder for cars. Most of their quality suck. They can't hold onto phones well for long term. They break down so fast. They stick to car vents or to windshield, but they all fall off way earlier than anticipated. They can scratch the phone too.

The only good thing about current cell phone holders for car is that they work okay. They do the job. But if you can make one that doesn't scratch the phone, stays stuck to air vents or windshield 99.99% of the time, and lasts frigging forever, I'll gladly buy your product.

 

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[DrScream]

Who are you doing the decal and sign design for?

What are you going to accomplish doing this decal and design?

Why is this business important/relevant? What needs would be met with this business?

You cannot find your competitive "edge" until you know who your audience is and their needs.

If your audience tells you, "yeah, lame old decal and sign business at that corner there makes boring artwork for marketing", then you know you need to capitalize on the fact that you make better artwork for marketing.

If your audience tells you, "decal and sign is a waste of time. We saw no good results from getting all that stuff. No increase in customer acquisition, etc." Then you know the problem is they no longer believe decal and sign work, so you need to work on earning trust. So that may mean you capitalize on the edge that you know how to use decal and sign to get customers for businesses.

Value skew is great. But only when you get into the head of customers and figure out what they like and don't like about a product or service, then you'll know exactly what to do and not to do to make your product or service better.

In other words, copy what is good, and obliterate the complaints.

Another example:

Lame a$$ cell phone holder for cars. Most of their quality suck. They can't hold onto phones well for long term. They break down so fast. They stick to car vents or to windshield, but they all fall off way earlier than anticipated. They can scratch the phone too.

The only good thing about current cell phone holders for car is that they work okay. They do the job. But if you can make one that doesn't scratch the phone, stays stuck to air vents or windshield 99.99% of the time, and lasts frigging forever, I'll gladly buy your product.

thanks for the greatly detailed response. This makes so much more sense now. I'm going to go back into Unscripted to learn some more about the examples MJ gives as I realize I must've been daydreaming while that chapter was read to me.

 

[Ismail941]

A Product = Physical=Physical -> Book/App
A Service = Intangible -> Solving Customer's Problem

 

[GuestUser4aMPs1]

Read Blue Ocean Strategy and this will clarify things better for you.

 

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[DrScream]

Read Blue Ocean Strategy and this will clarify things better for you.

Is that the book that talks about finding a niche that isn't filled with a million copycats? I'll def be checking it out. Thanks for the recommendation! (Also I know I made a massive generalization, I'm sure the book is about much more than just that)

 

[Real Deal Denver]

Is that the book that talks about finding a niche that isn't filled with a million copycats? I'll def be checking it out. Thanks for the recommendation! (Also I know I made a massive generalization, I'm sure the book is about much more than just that)

I know exactly what you are talking about and seeking.

Don't concentrate on your product or service per se. The reason for that is because you CAN'T be totally unique. So give it up and don't worry about it. You CAN have a hook to get attention, and you CAN take control of the market though. What? Yes, you can.

But but but - no buts, just do better marketing. In my business, that is how successful people become, and stay, successful. The 20% of people that KNOW what they're doing AND promote what they're doing do 80% of the business. The other 80% fight over the 20% leftover scraps. It's that way in almost every business. Look around. Who is the clear leader in any business? What makes them the leader? Do they have better products or better service? Why is the guy that sells cheaper not the leader? The cheapest should always win, right? On and on.

Now for the nitty-gritty.

I sell real estate. I just had a conversation with my managing broker yesterday about some marketing concepts I have that I wanted to get her opinion on. She shot one completely down, which happened to be my favorite. Hated to see that happen, but through our discussion, we managed to morph it into something much better, so all's well that ends well. In the world of real estate, I am competing with over 20,000 other agents. I don't worry about it. Remember way way back - when you were a sperm? You competed against five MILLION other sperm - and you won! You did it then - and you can do it again!

See what I mean? Don't worry about something you can't control. So what do you do then?

First of all, you have to remember there is ALWAYS room at the TOP for anyone in any business. Huge dominant players have risen and fallen, such as K-Mart, Sears, Woolworth, etc. all the time. And that cycle will continue. There will always be newcomers rising to the top. So change your dire outlook at the size of the mountain you are climbing, and concentrate on climbing ONE step at a time. Look up at all the people ahead of you. Depressing isn't it? Well, you're AT the mountain. Concentrate on that. Be glad you have a mountain to climb at all. Many will never ever get that opportunity. Even if you only make it halfway, that is far better than most people will ever do. So - concentrate what is front of you and what you can do TODAY.

Here is HOW you do that. In a word, you promote. Is it that simple? Absolutely. I have a friend that bought a pizza place that just couldn't get traction, and today he crushes his competition. I asked him how he did it, and boy did I learn a lot. He said HE took control and DROVE business to his pizza place. What? How do you take control of a market? He promoted the hell out of his business and tripled his sales, and he's still growing. He doesn't have the best pizza in the business, and he's not the cheapest either. In fact, he's NOT unique in any way, really. BUT he does get in front of people in many different ways.

HOW does he do that? He's EFFICIENT. He works smarter, not harder, and he spends much more on advertising (in many different and creative ways). He shifts the balance of HOW he runs his business. He provides pizza that is good enough - but not the very best. And he spends much more time and money on promoting.

Look around. I'm just about to get lunch through a drive-through. I have a McDonalds I drive by every day, and they are ALWAYS busy. Even though I kind of hate their food, they're always busy. Why is that? Could you set up a burger place next to them and steal their business? Yes, you could. The reason I say that is there ARE two burger joints next to them. Jack in the Box is right next to them, and Wendys is across the street. I love Wendys but hate to go there because they are so damn slow. Jack in the Box beats the crap out of McDonalds there. But why does McDonalds still thrive? Well, to be honest, they are the easiest to get in and out of, and they are fast. And even though they are not "good" they are good enough.

Location - catching people's attention. That is what you need! If you don't have a retail location, such as McDonalds, then NEVER let them forget who you are. Catch their attention and keep it.

I am launching a FaceBook ad campaign. I am using a hook to get noticed. I have five or six hooks that I rotate through. They are all better than the "nothing" campaigns most of my competitors use. Will I be the top producer in my area? Not today, and probably not next week either. Am I discouraged? Nope. Will I do better than the majority? Absolutely. If I wanted to, I could become the top producer, but there is a give and take balance to get there. I am not fanatic about my business, so I will settle for doing better than most, but I don't have to be the top dog. I could be the top dog, but there are more important things in my life. I can only spend so much money and I only have so much time every week. I CAN have it all though - which doesn't mean ALL the business, but ALL that I want to have while having a great life. Really? Is this possible? What if my competitors won't LET me dominate the business? Well, they can't stop me, to be honest. THAT'S how you have to think.

There you have it. You CAN'T be unique. You can't be super special. But you CAN take control and steer business your way, and therefore you can succeed.

I have a LOT of inspirational books and posters. One of my posters says that although I can't control the headwind I am facing, I CAN adjust my sails. You are not helpless or at the mercy of fate. You don't have to play follow the leader either.

Market, market market. I don't' figure things out on my own. I consume books. Go to Amazon and start reading a book a week on how to market. That's what I do. I absorb and assimilate. Kind of like the Borg, if you are familiar with Star Trek. I don't work hard at figuring things out - I work hard at FINDING what has been successful, and then I adapt.

When you know HOW to do all of what I have described, you can do well in any business. ANY business. Even going up against McDonalds next door.

Now you know where to turn your attention to and what to focus on. The world awaits!

 

[DrScream]

I know exactly what you are talking about and seeking.

Don't concentrate on your product or service per se. The reason for that is because you CAN'T be totally unique. So give it up and don't worry about it. You CAN have a hook to get attention, and you CAN take control of the market though. What? Yes, you can.

But but but - no buts, just do better marketing. In my business, that is how successful people become, and stay, successful. The 20% of people that KNOW what they're doing AND promote what they're doing do 80% of the business. The other 80% fight over the 20% leftover scraps. It's that way in almost every business. Look around. Who is the clear leader in any business? What makes them the leader? Do they have better products or better service? Why is the guy that sells cheaper not the leader? The cheapest should always win, right? On and on.

Now for the nitty-gritty.

I sell real estate. I just had a conversation with my managing broker yesterday about some marketing concepts I have that I wanted to get her opinion on. She shot one completely down, which happened to be my favorite. Hated to see that happen, but through our discussion, we managed to morph it into something much better, so all's well that ends well. In the world of real estate, I am competing with over 20,000 other agents. I don't worry about it. Remember way way back - when you were a sperm? You competed against five MILLION other sperm - and you won! You did it then - and you can do it again!

See what I mean? Don't worry about something you can't control. So what do you do then?

First of all, you have to remember there is ALWAYS room at the TOP for anyone in any business. Huge dominant players have risen and fallen, such as K-Mart, Sears, Woolworth, etc. all the time. And that cycle will continue. There will always be newcomers rising to the top. So change your dire outlook at the size of the mountain you are climbing, and concentrate on climbing ONE step at a time. Look up at all the people ahead of you. Depressing isn't it? Well, you're AT the mountain. Concentrate on that. Be glad you have a mountain to climb at all. Many will never ever get that opportunity. Even if you only make it halfway, that is far better than most people will ever do. So - concentrate what is front of you and what you can do TODAY.

Here is HOW you do that. In a word, you promote. Is it that simple? Absolutely. I have a friend that bought a pizza place that just couldn't get traction, and today he crushes his competition. I asked him how he did it, and boy did I learn a lot. He said HE took control and DROVE business to his pizza place. What? How do you take control of a market? He promoted the hell out of his business and tripled his sales, and he's still growing. He doesn't have the best pizza in the business, and he's not the cheapest either. In fact, he's NOT unique in any way, really. BUT he does get in front of people in many different ways.

HOW does he do that? He's EFFICIENT. He works smarter, not harder, and he spends much more on advertising (in many different and creative ways). He shifts the balance of HOW he runs his business. He provides pizza that is good enough - but not the very best. And he spends much more time and money on promoting.

Look around. I'm just about to get lunch through a drive-through. I have a McDonalds I drive by every day, and they are ALWAYS busy. Even though I kind of hate their food, they're always busy. Why is that? Could you set up a burger place next to them and steal their business? Yes, you could. The reason I say that is there ARE two burger joints next to them. Jack in the Box is right next to them, and Wendys is across the street. I love Wendys but hate to go there because they are so damn slow. Jack in the Box beats the crap out of McDonalds there. But why does McDonalds still thrive? Well, to be honest, they are the easiest to get in and out of, and they are fast. And even though they are not "good" they are good enough.

Location - catching people's attention. That is what you need! If you don't have a retail location, such as McDonalds, then NEVER let them forget who you are. Catch their attention and keep it.

I am launching a FaceBook ad campaign. I am using a hook to get noticed. I have five or six hooks that I rotate through. They are all better than the "nothing" campaigns most of my competitors use. Will I be the top producer in my area? Not today, and probably not next week either. Am I discouraged? Nope. Will I do better than the majority? Absolutely. If I wanted to, I could become the top producer, but there is a give and take balance to get there. I am not fanatic about my business, so I will settle for doing better than most, but I don't have to be the top dog. I could be the top dog, but there are more important things in my life. I can only spend so much money and I only have so much time every week. I CAN have it all though - which doesn't mean ALL the business, but ALL that I want to have while having a great life. Really? Is this possible? What if my competitors won't LET me dominate the business? Well, they can't stop me, to be honest. THAT'S how you have to think.

There you have it. You CAN'T be unique. You can't be super special. But you CAN take control and steer business your way, and therefore you can succeed.

I have a LOT of inspirational books and posters. One of my posters says that although I can't control the headwind I am facing, I CAN adjust my sails. You are not helpless or at the mercy of fate. You don't have to play follow the leader either.

Market, market market. I don't' figure things out on my own. I consume books. Go to Amazon and start reading a book a week on how to market. That's what I do. I absorb and assimilate. Kind of like the Borg, if you are familiar with Star Trek. I don't work hard at figuring things out - I work hard at FINDING what has been successful, and then I adapt.

When you know HOW to do all of what I have described, you can do well in any business. ANY business. Even going up against McDonalds next door.

Now you know where to turn your attention to and what to focus on. The world awaits!

Well then. You've unleashed a fire in my belly man. As I read it my wheels started to turn and I came up with a few ideas for DRIVING business my way. Thanks for the encouraging motivational post & the gold nuggets sprinkled on top

 

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[MattL]

Learn what your business does.

Learn what your competitors do.

Learn what your clients ACTUALLY want.

Fill the gap.

Sounds dumb but it really is that simple.