May 21

Leave Your Competition In The Dust with 3 Game-Changing Strategies

If there is one thing we can all agree on about today’s marketplace is that it’s crowded – so crowded. It feels like every prospect you call on is being inundated with opportunities, product selection, and a long line of sales people just waiting to cut a deal or lower their price.

It’s tough out there, and globalization, technological advancements, and constant shifts in consumer demand have made it more challenging than ever to get the decision maker’s attention and your foot in the door.

If you want to leave your competition in the dust in today’s marketplace, you need to compete and win. And, it starts with understanding that it's no longer just your product or service that you are selling. It’s bigger than that, more complex.

Products and services are easier than ever to find and buy these days. Consumers have the luxury of sitting at home and googling to their hearts’ content, and having information and products at their fingertips. It’s that easy – for consumers. For business owners, it’s a whole new world.

So, with so much competition out there, how do you gain market share? How do you differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace? How do you get the consumer to choose you over the competition? How do you leave your competition in the dust?

Well, it’s simple – there are just three strategies you need to implement. Three strategies that are simple to understand, but three strategies that are a little more challenging to consistently implement. And consistency of these strategies is the secret to leaving your competition in the dust.

Maybe this would be easier if I share a story. About a year ago, my long-time house cleaner had some health issues, and had to quickly retire. She had been with me for years, and it was like losing a member of the family. Luckily, her health scare was temporary, and she and her husband moved to Florida where all good retirees go to enjoy life.

I was happy for her, but in distress trying to find someone new to clean my house. Well, finding someone to clean my house was not the hard part, finding someone good to clean my house was the challenge.

I started the same way most people do when they are looking to buy a product or service. I asked all of my friends who they use and who they would recommend. Everyone gave me suggestions, but none of them would commit to a recommendation. Saying things like they liked their person or team, but they just did an okay job, not anything to brag about.

Or you could not rely on their cleaning person, they did not always show up when they said they were going to, their cleaning skills were lacking, or their staff was constantly turning over and it was like starting new every month, and the list of complaints went on and on.

Frustrated and a little desperate, I decided to give a few of them a try anyway. And everyone I hired was exactly what my friends said they were – unreliable and needing to be supervised if the job was going to get done right. And what was the point of staying home and supervising my cleaning team? I might as well just do it myself. Which I did.

Then I was on a plane flying to Denver, Colorado, when I heard a woman behind me on the phone confirming a date to clean her house. When she hung up, she shared with her husband how great it was to be headed off on vacation and be able to trust her cleaners to come in and take care of things. She could truly relax.

Still desperate to find a cleaning person like that, I could not help but turn around and ask her how she found her cleaning team. I should have been embarrassed. I was eavesdropping, but remember, I have been so frustrated.

The woman laughed, and said “I get it! I had the same experience as you, until I found Merry Maids.” She said they had been recommended to her early on, but she thought going with a small independent cleaner made more sense. But she had to admit she was wrong.

With Merry Maids, she gained a team she could count on, one she could trust, and a team that was not only passionate about the work they do, but exceptionally skilled at it. She said when she found Merry Maids it was easy to choose them over the competition – the experience, the value, and the outcome was just so much better.

And that is what it takes. If you want to leave your competition in the dust, stop selling the product and start selling the experience, the value, and the trust. 

3 Must-Have Strategies To Leave Your Competition In The Dust

Differentiate

First and foremost, you need to know what you offer that no one else does. What is unique about you? When I called to talk to Merry Maids they led with safety, professionalism and reliability – three things none of their competitors ever discussed. Their staff is so nice, so outgoing, and takes such a high level of interest in my home, my dog, and my needs. Again, their competition does not even come close.

Ridiculously Convenient

Second, if you want your customers to choose you over your competition, then ask yourself, how easy are you to do business with? Have you removed every obstacle? And are you working on adjusting your style to meet your customer? I love the fact that with Merry Maids I can communicate via email. They have a chat bot on their site that actually works, and they text and keep me updated before, during, and after the service. They are so much easier to work with than their competition.

Consistent

And last but not least, you need to establish trust, and the only way to do that is to be consistent – deliver on what you say you will deliver on. In all the time I have been working with Merry Maids, they have been 100-percent consistent. They show up when they say they will. They deliver exceptional service, with a team that is delightful to work with and exceptional at what they do. Never once, never, have they not delivered on their promise.

So, it may be challenging out there, it may be competitive, but there is opportunity in the marketplace. You just need to realize that what you are selling, what you are offering, needs to be so compelling, it is easy for your customers to choose you over your competition. Do that, and you will leave your competition in the dust.

Meridith Elliott Powell


Voted one of the Top 15 Business Growth Experts to watch by Currency Fair, highly engaging corporate motivational keynote speaker Meridith Elliott Powell delivers a cutting-edge message, rooted in real-life examples and real-world knowledge. Meridith’s presentations are full of powerful content, highly interactive, and fun. She helps her clients learn the leadership development, sales and business growth strategies to turn uncertainty to competitive advantage.

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