Beating the Competition

To win in business you must develop a business plan, product or service that is consistently ahead of the competition and cannot be easily copied.

In a very difficult economy like the one we are experiencing now, you cannot do the same as everyone else and expect to survive and thrive. You must distinguish yourself and stand out from the crowd.

What exactly are people looking for in today’s economy? They are looking for:

• Some kind of assurance that they are making the right decision more than ever;
• The best value possible in spending their hard earned dollars; and,
• The right contractor to deliver that assurance and best value.

You, as a contractor, must deliver these two items named above or you will not get the job. The customer will buy from you when “your offer meets or exceeds his needs.” It is that simple.

Here are some things that the customer does not care all that much about, believe it or not.

• Family owned business;
•  25 years in business; and,
• Member of this, that and the other thing.

The customer cares about what you are going to do for him. How are you going to solve his problem? What unique product, service or quality do you have that will win the job?

These other things are all good and important but if you think that this is what sells the job you are sadly mistaken. I, like many other contractors, had to learn this one the hard way.

Sit down and think hard about what makes your company and your offerings to the public unique. If you cannot think of something then you need to reinvent your company so that you appear unique and better in all your marketing and sales efforts.

A small example is Chevrolet. Just a few months ago GM, its parent, was in bankruptcy. Chevrolet came back out swinging by showing that at every level its cars are more fuel efficient than those made by Honda, a company known for fuel economy. Secondly, it offered a 60-day money back guarantee. On top of that, each model sells for less than the comparable Honda.

Are those ads going to sell everybody on Chevrolets? I would guess the answer would be probably not; but I personally am noticing a lot more new Chevrolets around lately and their sales figures are backing up my observations.

Take the time to figure it out now while you still have time. We can help you!

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Tagged as: Business, contractor, customer, economy