Does Everyone Recognize Your Differentiators? Do You?

What makes you different from others in your industry or company?  If you own your own business, its very survival can depend on asking and answering this question.  But it’s equally important when you’re working in a big organization.

For business owners:  Do your products have certain characteristics not found elsewhere?  Are you a one-stop shop, offering a fuller array of complementary products and services compared with other specialty competitors? Do you offer better or more predictable prices? Do you have better after-sale service and support?  Are you the business that stays open late on the weekend or several nights a week? Do you make house calls?  Do you provide phone support 24/7? Do all your customer service reps meet certain educational and technical qualifications? Does your website provide robust self-help?

When you’re working in a big organization:  Do people feel they can count on you to get things done?  To take responsibility for organizational, not just personal, outcomes? To share credit for success?  To own up to and learn from mistakes? Do others say they have better ideas, make better decisions and do better work when you’re around?

Here’s a four-step process you’ll want to do regularly:

1. Look at who’s “following” you.  We do it all the time on social networking sites.  Why not look at it offline, right there in your workplace, as well?  Think of customers, co-workers, bosses, people in other departments with whom you interact regularly.
2. Take inventory of your differentiators.  It’s vital to your continued success to get a clear and up-to-date picture of what your followers like and value about working with you.
3. Do things every day that will remind them — naturally — why they like working with you.  It sounds strange saying it like that, but people are busy and can sometimes forget the unique qualities you bring to the table — how their business life would be less worthwhile without you in it.  If you have your own business, imagine a competitor is calling on one of your clients right now.  Do they have your advantages sufficiently in mind to counter, or at least put into perspective, all the reasons they’re hearing about why they should give the other guy a try?  If you work in a large organization, imagine it’s time to pick someone to run a new project or division in the company.  Why should they choose you?  Your work every day should be its own advertisement for you.
4. Use your differentiators to attract new “followers.” Sometimes we’re so intent on presenting a full list of all the reasons someone — anyone — should want to do business with us, we forget to highlight and promote the ones people already value and that they’d miss if they weren’t working with us.

It doesn’t have to be a laborious process, but whatever business you’re in, it’s wise to do this exercise — thoroughly and frequently — and then use the answers to reinforce the bond with everyone you work with and to attract new followers.