Last week on the John Adam Show (Friday’s 9am on KFNN 1510 in Phoenix, or by podcast at www.thejohnadamshow.com), we received a question from Andrew Simms of Sonoma, California. Andrew wondered how to stand out from the crowded green building crowd.

In most market segments, competitors tend toward messages that emphasize ‘we’re the best’, or ‘we’re cost-effective’, or ‘we have better service’, or blah, blah, blah. That’s the impact of this kind of message, isn’t it? Been there, done that – and we stop listening because it’s the same as everybody says.

Of course it’s important to mention your strengths. It’s just that things like customer service are often expected. If yours is extraordinary then absolutely you should mention it and possibly lead with it in your primary message. Of course those companies that are great in this area – like Disney – don’t need to mention it. They can lead with other messages, and we all know they are great!

So how do you get your business to stand out?

1. Understand what makes you fundamentally different. Hopefully you have something that makes you stand out from the crowd in an area where clients really care. What is it? Verify with some of your best customers. Ask open-ended questions like, “Why do you buy from us?”, “What is it that sets us apart in your mind?” and “Do you feel that there are any elements of how we serve you that are extraordinary, and what are they?”

2. What makes you different makes you stronger. Everyone knows the Purple Cow by Seth Godin, right? Our brains don’t differentiate between similar-looking cows until a purple one shows up. Bam! That one sticks out. It’s called cognitive dissonance. Let’s use that by finding something that makes us different, and then let’s communicate it in a Bam! instead of a ho-hum.

3. Find a message that touches an emotional level. Bam! comes from hitting the emotional level. Fortunately there are only 6 emotions that marketers work to touch. For most Business-2-Business firms, it’s achievement, for the company and the individual. An example of an achievement message is ‘We don’t make the products you use, we make the products you use better’ by BASF. The other 5 emotions are: family (‘Choosy mothers choose Jif’), pleasure (‘What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas’), wellness, security and relationship. Don’t pick more than one! I’ll talk more about these in future postings.

4. Always keep the target in mind. It doesn’t matter what you or anyone else thinks about these things. It’s ALL about the person you’re trying to attract. So ALWAYS think of #1 through 3 in their terms and from their perspective.

5. Keep it short and sweet. For one of our clients B2B CFO®, the over-riding message that we developed was ‘Cash. We help you get it.’ It clearly and crisply articulates precisely what their target customer cares about. Cash. That’s it. And, B2B CFO helps them 'get it'. Because CEO Jerry Mills has a sense of humor, he likes that double meaning on ‘get it’, i.e. they get the cash AND they 'get' other important findings about their business by working with a B2B CFO partner.

Coming up with a ‘stand out’ message is HARD to do by yourself. We all get engulfed by our view and product, and it is very difficult to precisely see our firm and product from our client’s perspective. Even if we could, it’s hard to be creative about it.

That’s why Growth Nation developed a process over the past 20 years that always works in developing a message just right for our clients! It’s the best investment you can make because it sets the tone for your brand and we can identify your best marketing campaigns to the best targets.

Keep marketing!

All the best, Doug

Doug Bruhnke
www.growthnation.com  
Scottsdale, AZ USA