Why choose you?

Separate yourself from the competition

Your business has competitors and your customers know that. Your customers also have to find a way to decide which company to buy from. According to Joe Calloway’s article “What’s your Tiebreaker? Creating a Clear Reason to Choose You Instead of Your Competition” most customers end up depending on price to be the factor that makes their decision. You and your competitors all have good quality products and services, making it harder for customers to choose.

Calloway says this is the commodity trap, where the lowest prices almost always wins because the customer does not see any other difference. Most companies don’t want to deal with this. Here are some of Calloway’s tips on other determining factors your company should have besides price:

Be the fastest: quick response and always be on time. Become known for returning customer calls in an hour or guaranteeing two-day delivery but always doing it in one.

Be the easiest to do business with: become the no hassle choice. Look at every aspect of how you interact with customers. Correct anything that might make you the least bit difficult to do business with.

Let the customer choose: offer more selection and customization. Customers know exactly what they want, so let them decide. Give them what they want, not what you want to give them.

Demonstrate value: competitive price and clear value. You don’t have to have the lowest price, but you do have to demonstrate that you’re a great deal. Never take for granted that your customers understand that you’re worth what you charge.

Be relevant: take a “big picture” approach to serving your customer. Look beyond your customer’s immediate needs and think about how you can help them succeed, make their lives easier or create new opportunities for them.

Solve problems on the spot: empower employees to make it happen. Train employees to resolve customer problems without having to state “I’ll have to ask my manager” or “I’m sorry, but our policy is…”

The ultimate tiebreaker: consistency of performance. If customers know that they will receive the same level of service every time, no matter who they deal with at your company, that is the most powerful differentiator there is.