Differentiate From Competitors to Encourage a Larger Clientele

Differentiate From Competitors to Encourage a Larger Clientele:rom Business 2 Community by Elinor Stut

Do you believe you and your service are special and will benefit your clientele?

If the answer is yes, say so! But recognize there are numerous steps that come before.
To begin with, contemplate how you and your service(s) are special.

What sets you apart from others in your industry?

Did you notice the avoidance of the word “competitors”? If you are, in fact, different from your “competitors”, then there are simply others in the same industry but no true competition. Recognizing where you each stand on services offered and customer service will serve to establish and build your brand.

It is your brand that becomes the differentiator.

Understanding this concept will set your mind free to run with your uniqueness to attract increased and well-qualified numbers. Increased numbers without qualification will only serve to frustrate you as more time seems to be wasted. However, as you establish your uniqueness or brand well, the attention you attract becomes highly qualified and far more likely to purchase.

Focus on the two service providers you encounter most frequently.

Recognize all of the products and services they offer and how they differ from those you offer. When you meet with a client of theirs, pointedly ask how they like the service provided. Get a reading on the customer service they provide as well as which products are purchased and how they are received. Be careful to not badmouth the other service providers but ask pertinent questions regarding problematic service.

Keep your conversation light and cheerful.

Ask permission to remain in touch and keep the owner up to date on your advances. By so doing and getting to know one another better, you may well become the next service provider for that company.
Later, replay and analyze the conversation you had with your prospective client still beholden to the other provider. Determine where loopholes may exist. This is where you may more easily enter the picture as a provider. And, on other occasions, you might acknowledge the current service provider offers a great product except for one necessity that they are unable to provide. In this instance, offer to be a backup vendor.
By working to solve problems and understand your prospective client’s outlook, you build your brand as a caring consultant. In turn, this builds trust which leads to an eventual sale.

The secret to larger sales and building a returning and referring clientele

Welcome the initial sale with open arms no matter how tiny it may be. As a client moves from one vendor to you, it becomes a test to see if you live up to your word. Demonstrating you honor your word will encourage additional and larger sales as time moves forward. Done well, this is the road to becoming the new sole provider.
As you further develop the relationship with your client express your appreciation for their trust and faith in you. And should they reciprocate by offering words of praise, ask permission to use those words as a testimonial on your website and for your marketing materials. Build a collection of these for each product and service you provide so that you may offer the testimonials upon request.
Over time, you will be able to ask if your client happens to know of anyone else who may need a similar service. The warm introduction builds in the likelihood of a new sale provided you deliver the same undivided attention and care.
As your testimonials and referrals build, the journey will seem as if it were always a Smooth Sale!