Winning Through Difference

In the promotional products industry there are alot of competitors and it is important to run with your point of difference to get the most out of your business, strategically and financially.

Some strategies which can help you stand differentiated in a big pond of competitors include:

1. Product Differentiation
• Unique products (fresh products new to the market place or niche products)
• Better offerings
• Wider offerings
• =more choice & unique proposition for the client
2. Relationship Differentiation
• Customer trust and loyalty
• Persevere to build trust and loyalty with customers
• Take time to strengthen relationships
• =the more time spent building relationships, the better the relationships with client
3. Process Differention
• Selling products in a different way
• Internet
• E-Commerce
• Creating more convenience for the client
• Being able to sell at a global level (if you are online, anyone else who is online anywhere in the world can view your products and buy)
4. Technological Differentiation
• Teleconferencing with clients
• Smart phones
• Laptops
• Again creating more convenience for the client
5. Experiential Differentiation
• Customer service excellence
• Willing to go that extra mile for a client
6. Marketing Differentiation
• Smart marketing tactics
• Product/price discussions to keep the business profitable AND the customer happy at the same time

So there you have it, 6 strategies of differentiation that will help your business stand out from the crowd in such a saturated industry in such a forward thinking technological age.

Source: Don Hutson: Stand Out From The Crowd, 2011, January Counselor Magazine