Reposition your Competition
Reposition your Competition
When I first looked at the “Unique Selling Proposition” marketing theories, I thought, “Wow! This is great stuff!” Having a USP is a very powerful and effective branding tool. But as I started to do more and more research, I found it was only a small part of the answer. You see, for this strategy to work, you need “First Position.” I’ll give you an example of First Position.
Domino’s Pizza offers pizza delivery within thirty minutes or it’s free. This is great if you are Domino’s, but what about the other one thousand businesses selling pizza? Offer two for one? Now what can the next offer that is better? As you can see, this strategy works if you can think of your Unique Selling Proposition–USP–first and take First Position. Unfortunately for most of us life doesn’t always work that way.
Another glaring problem I found when I tried to implement this in my business model was that quite honestly, “I’m not trying to sell pizza’s” I sell complex business solutions that won’t get sold through catchy slogans or clever marketing and most likely you do too. What you and I sell requires salesmanship and/or a consultive approach that gets us into the nitty gritty of what ails the company or the individual who has hired us.
I’d much prefer to “Reposition my Competition”. Repositioning your Competition is your USP at its ideal. This new and innovative sales and marketing strategy I developed is all encompassing. It is a salesman’s tool and a marketing tool all in one. It separates you from the herd and makes you the provider of choice in your industry.
It can be used by anyone; salespeople, business owners, fortune 500 companies and entrepreneurs – no matter what you sell or what you market – online/retail/wholesale it doesn’t matter – and once you understand and implement it into your business – you will never look at selling or marketing your product or service the same way again.
So you need to ask yourself, In what ways can I “Reposition my Competition?”
I would like to this opportunity to share with you 3 of the 7 powerful sales and marketing strategies I have developed for my clients.
Industry Stereotypes
Imagine if you were a bank and you could advertise, “Tired of Waiting? Got things to do? Never line up again!” Would you not completely “Reposition your Competition”? If you want to dominate your industry you need to consider how you can exploit the stereotypes, biases, and beliefs prevalent in your industry.
This is not a tool that only companies can use, but savvy salespeople can adopt as well. Are you a small company, an entrepreneur or a home based business? You can use your competitor’s large size against them. When I sit down with clients and explain my services – I emphasize the fact that I am small and how this is to their benefit.
“Bob, actually we don’t have a 1-800 number with 5 different options when you first dial in on purpose. I don’t know about you, but one of my biggest pet peeves is when I have a pressing problem or a question about something, I absolutely hate it when I have to wait in voice mail hell for 10 minutes and then I can’t speak to the guy who sold me the thing in the first place!”
Sit down and brainstorm every single stereotype, bias, pet peeve and belief about your product, service or industry and use it to your advantage!
Openly discuss with your clients and prospects what they should look for in a supplier, what they should look out for and most importantly what are some of the biggest frustrations customers have when doing business in your industry.
It’s vitally important to your success as a salesperson or business owner that you learn how to “separate yourself from the herd”. Know your industry and its pet peeves and “Reposition Your Competition”!
Innovation and Creativity
There simply is no room for complacency.
“We have built it, and they shall come,” may very well be true in the movies and fairy tales, but in today’s fast paced business world you need innovative business and marketing practices and processes. We need to continually create, anticipate and capitalize on emerging trends and technologies, but at what cost? Is all growth or change good, or just good for us?
When designing my sales training programs I used a set of core values as my compass. As Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world.” If we truly want to make this a better world, innovation should not be just tied to achieve growth objectives but also be tied to a company’s expressed set of “core values”. And the core values you use as your compass should be centered on your desired customer’s experience.
In essence, moving away from a “customer satisfaction” model to a complete “customer dedication” model and delivering real value to your clients that ultimately delivers the desired results your customers are looking for.
The next question we have to then ask ourselves is how do we communicate value to our customers and prospects? We need to make our selling compelling. How are you piquing your prospects’ curiosity and making them interested in what you have to say? Ask yourself, “In what ways do my sales, marketing, and promotional efforts make me stand out from the crowd?
It is extremely critical for business owners and salespeople alike to ask this one crucial question: How do I differentiate myself from the sea of my competitors?” Consider how you might effectively make your selling more compelling on your business card, Web site, flyers, or presentation.
Expertise
People will generally seek out and would rather do business with people they perceive to be experts in their product or industry.
Do your business associates see you as an expert? Does the marketplace see you as an expert? All too often when I work with salespeople to improve their sales, they see themselves as merely salespeople. If you don’t see yourself as an expert in what you sell, why would people seek you out for your advice and partnership? Remember, you must always position yourself on top of the heap, not the bottom.
Become a trusted friend, a resource for your customers. Help them by pointing out what to look out for and, conversely, what to look for when buying your product or service. Problems arise constantly, and you don’t need to create them. You need to be able to identify them and solve them. Be the one customers turn to in order to solve their problems. You need to be the resource.
Establishing expertise in your industry effectively locks out your competition. Even if you do think of yourself as “just a salesperson,” there is no reason why you can’t be an expert in what you do! This is the best way to consistently reposition your competition and put yourself on top rather than on the bottom.
Would you like to learn practical sales skills and strategies on how to get your foot in the door, book more sales appointments and dramatically improve your sales results?
Kevin Boyle
Author / Public Speaker / Sales Trainer and Coach
“The Secrets to Sales Mastery”
ps – Did you enjoy this post? Do you have any tricks or tips on how you can “Reposition your Competition”? Please feel free to add your comments!
More great articles are coming your way!
