Now I’m not talking a new haircut or shade of lipstick here, let’s just get that clear right away!
What this blog is about is making it a no brainer to choose you over a competitor. Positioning yourself so that your ideal client doesn’t take longer than two seconds to say yes, and sign on the dotted line.
We’d all love that, right?
Although you can’t control the decision your potential client finally makes, what you can do is to make your proposition so enticing and appealing that there really is no choice – and between you and someone else, there is no competition.
That works for you because not only you are getting business in, you’re working with clients that you love, and they love you, all the time you are doing the work that you love doing. A win-win situation.
The thing is, that when people get to know you, they see how good you are at what you do, but it can be very difficult for some people to demonstrate to potential clients just how good they are in a way that’s appealing and instantly attractive to the right people.
So here are some tips to help you do just that.
Firstly, don’t talk about how you get the job done. Talk about the benefits of working with you. So, for example, I don’t tell my clients the ins and outs of how I collate their expenses, calculate their tax liabilities, I talk about how much money I can save them, how much time I can give them back in their business, and the peace of mind they’ll have when they know that I have their accounts in hand, and that they know that I’ve got their back and are on the journey with them. You see how that’s much more appealing?
You see, the truth is that no-one cares how you do it, they just want to see the results. They want to know what’s in it for them. Why should they choose you over someone else? This is why. You’ll save make them feel more attractive, more confident, give them more time with their family, more money to spend on holidays, etc., you get the jist. You should make it emotive if possible, put it into pictures and get them to imagine how life with you as a supplier/provider will be a heck of a lot better. That’s so much more valuable than just saying how great you are, and what qualifications you’ve got.
Think about your offer. They key here is to make it as valuable as possible. Note that I’m not saying as cheap as possible, valuable. So you have your price point. It may be more expensive than your competitors. But what do you give them, that they won’t? More 1-2-1 time, perhaps? Additional bonuses that come included? Access to new contacts/networks? Think of what you can be offering that you might think is a given, but actually, positioning them as additional extras is just another way of thinking about it, and making yourself more appealing.
Think about giving value. Some people shy away from giving away freebies or information about their service or products thinking that they don’t want to give away their offering, open themselves up to be taken advantage of, or even that competitors can easily see what they are doing. This is the wrong way to look at it. By giving away some of your best info/products, you give your customers a chance to see who you are, try before they buy. It works for many brands, people want to be reassured they are making a purchase they can feel confident about. It makes it easier for them to sign on the dotted line.
It shows you are trustworthy, honest, transparent, and people like those qualities, and that’s why they buy from trusted brands. And if your competitors try and use it to their advantage – well hey, imitation is the best form of flattery. And no-one will be able to do what you do better than you do. So don’t sweat it. Get gifting.
So why not give the above a trial? Think about what you are doing currently, and whether implementing some of these tactics could make a difference. I bet they do. I’d be surprised if they don’t.
And if they are working, then share your successes with me over on my social media pages, I’d love to hear about them.