| |
| |
|
Marketing Information |
|
|
|
Eliminate Your Competitors With 2 Simple Steps
In business, having competitors goes with the territory. There's almost always someone selling the same product or service you are selling, or at least trying to solve the same customer problem you solve. Not only can competitors out-market you and steal your valuable prospects and customers, they can put you out of business if you're not careful. Trying to fight back by out-marketing your competitors can not only get expensive, it can be frustrating. But there is another solution. Eliminating your competitors is the easiest way to increase your chances of business success. And it isn't that hard when you know what you're doing. And, before you worry that I'm advocating violence, relax. I don't mean literally eliminate them, in the sense of doing something "bad" to them. When I say eliminate, I mean ... take them out of your prospect's consideration set for your product or service category. Make it so your prospects ONLY think of your business, product or service when they are contemplating making a purchase. That way you get their business, instead of your competition making the sale. What this means is if you sell widgets, you want your prospects to only think of your widgets when they are thinking of buying widgets. This is pretty easy to do if your business is not in a competitive industry. But let's suppose there are all kinds of businesses selling what you are selling, or filling the same consumer or business need you are filling. How can you make sure your prospects ONLY think of you - and therefore only BUY from you - and not all those other companies? Answer: By thoroughly understanding those competing businesses and then doing one of two things: (1) Finding a position in the category you can own. This will separate you from all the other businesses and will make you uniquely qualified in the eyes of your prospect to fill their need. This usually requires finding a specific market niche you can focus on, or finding a specific product or service attribute or benefit, that is of value to your prospects, that none of your competitors can claim or are currently promoting. This puts you in a class of your own and virtually eliminates the competition. No one does exactly what you do. Or in the quite the way you do it. (2) By turning your competitors into "co-opitors." What the heck is a "co-opitor?" It is a competitor that you turn into a partner or a cooperator. Are there businesses or individuals with whom you could partner, with the idea of referring business to each other? For example, a wellness coach could partner with a weight watchers clinic or a health club or a massage therapist. All of these practitioners are selling improved health and well being, but they can also be positioned as complementary services. And they could easily refer business to each other as an added value or service to their customers. Or, let's say you are a web site designer and you decide to focus primarily on working with small businesses (a market niche). You could create a partnership with another web site designer who has decided to focus on large corporations. If you both agree to only take on business that fits your identified niche, and to refer business outside your niche to the partner, you both win. You can partner with other businesses in your exact business in this manner, by identifying niches, by geographic area served, or by size or type of clients served. And you can partner with businesses in different categories that fill a similar customer need by agreeing to work together to help each other get customers. There is not a business out there that cannot effectively use one of these two strategies to significantly reduce their competition. So figure out which strategy fits your business best, and make it a priority to eliminate your competition this year. © 2005 Debbie LaChusa 20-year marketing veteran, consultant, author, teacher and coach Debbie LaChusa, has developed The 10stepmarketing System to help small business owners successfully market their business, themselves. To learn more about this simple, step-by-step program and to sign up for her FREE audio class and FREE weekly ezine featuring how-to articles, tips and advice, visit http://www.10stepmarketing.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Marketing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Making a Hit with Your Marketing Campaign Considered a vital link in a show's promotional plan, direct marketing is vital only if it's done right. It's certainly not as simple as typing a letter, adding an address and stamp, and popping it in the mail. Six Secrets to Creating Successful Tourism Marketing, Websites, Ads, Tradeshow Booths, & More If you want to substantially increase your tourism prospects and sales without a lot of effort and expense, then read on and prosper. You are going to learn the power and impact of the written word. Translation and Your International E-Commerce Strategy Most businesses realize that they are simply a click away from any corner of the globe. Well, actually two if you include the Yahoo! search a potential customer does to access your shopping cart. Do I Need an RSS Feed? RSS has been around for more than 10 years but has only recently become popular. RSS provides headlines and summaries of information in a concise and standardized way. Eliminate Your Competitors With 2 Simple Steps In business, having competitors goes with the territory. There's almost always someone selling the same product or service you are selling, or at least trying to solve the same customer problem you solve. First Steps to Developing a Marketing Plan Direct Mail . . The Power Of A Story If you want your marketing to be effective, you absolutely must connect emotionally with your prospects. And one of the best ways to do that is by telling a story. What You MUST Understand About Your Web Numbers Two years ago, when I first started selling online, I focused on doing what I did best: generating useful content that people would want to pay for. But I quickly learned that selling a product online required me to have to learn about . Pamphlets and the Money They'll Put in Your Pocket People are making a fortune on pamphlets. If you go into an airport you can purchase a pamphlet for around $6. How Testimonials Can Put You in the Spotlight If you need evidence that a testimonial or referral can help you, let me tell you a personal story:My friend Dave raved about his boss all the time. "She knows I'm still in school," he said, "so she always asks about my schedule. Go Guerrilla Jay Conrad Levinson coined the term guerrilla marketing, which I define as low-cost, creative and typically self-implemented public relations techniques.Here are a few thoughts that might spawn some ideas for your own business. Networking, iNetworking, What Is The First Rule? Networking on the Internet is the same as networking in person, or is it? Let's take a conversational tour together on this topic.At an in-person networking event you wouldn't just attend not to network. Business Cards That do the Business A business card makes a statement about who you are and what your business is about. It needs to convey the quality of your business and an insight into your personality. To Web or Not to Web? Do I need a web site? That is the question often asked by business owners. The answer will usually depend upon the type of product or service offered and what the business is trying to achieve. One-A-Day Marketing Vitamins Is your business growing, or are you on a plateau in need of a boost to move up? I know that I always tell you it is best to have a positioning statement and a plan. But sometimes, you just need something to get you off square one. Why Your Business Need a Website Web Presence gives your business a distince edge over your competitors, especially when you want to expand your current customer base. For exmaple, if Jane wants to find a real estate agent but she does not know who is the best in her area. Sowing and Growing Your Network The N-word! We all know the value of networking and we feel we should be doing more of it. Unfortunately, for too many of us the very thought of attending an event where we have to mix and mingle with total strangers is enough to drive us into hiding until it's all over! What a pity we often force ourselves to go to a potentially great conference, but we're so busy worrying about the networking part that we forget to enjoy the event!But networking is like so many other activities in life-it's easy when you know how. Marketing On The Cheap: Speak Out! No matter what business you are in, you probably have something to sell. Furthermore, if you have something to sell, you have something to say. Get FREE Web Tips From Your Competition I knew this one would get your attention. How can you, the savvy business entrepreneur, get FREE ANYTHING from your competition? The answer is simple: Google!Yes, there are many things that Google can solve. 5 Print Ad Essentials! Writing an effective print ad, particularly a classified advertisement, requires that you remember five essential points. Failure to implement these points correctly can cost you much in the way of time lost and a sale missed.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
