With so many choices confronting a business’ prospective customers and clients, the question is: Why should they choose you?
One way is to recognize and promote your true competitive advantage while building a category-leading brand identity.
That was the message David Avrin, a marketing professional known as the Visibility Coach, delivered in his presentation to SOLD (Service Opportunities and Learning Day) - a day-long program especially designed for the owners and managers of shop operations in the parts and service industry.
SOLD was held the day prior to the opening of Heavy Duty Aftermarket Week (HDAW) - North America’s largest gathering of the independent heavy duty aftermarket - which took place in Las Vegas, NV.
Who knows you?
Business is not about who you know, it’s about who knows you, Avrin told attendees. Build your brand and you build your business.
What is your company’s brand? What are you known for?
“Building brand has become more difficult these days because the playing field has become level,” Avrin explained. “All companies are good. Product quality is good. Customer care is good. Customer service is good.”
“There is a plague of blah, blah, blah. Everyone is saying the same thing: ‘Our people make the difference. We do business with honesty integrity and trust. We care about our customers. We’re passionate about what we do. We really listen to our customers.’”
The four most dangerous words in business, he said, are: “All things being equal. Because when that is the case, customers shop on price.
“All things are never equal. You have to find the differentiators and then communicate them effectively.”
What do you do best?
A starting point for this, he suggested, is to answer the question: What is your organization best at?
By way of example, he asked the audience to name the car manufacturer that makes the safest cars. The reply: Volvo.
That may or may not be true, he said, but Volvo is what you instantly think of. The company has that share of mind, and that is what you want to strive for.
To help answer the “what are we best at” question, Avrin recommended doing a competitive analysis of your competitors. Collect their sales and marketing materials and visit their websites and then see how similar their claims are with yours.
“You can’t be a commodity,” he stressed. ”You need to find what differentiates your business and then communicate that effectively to your prospective customers.”
That is how you build a brand, gain share of mind and help people know that you’re a better choice that you competitors, he concluded.