The RV Entrepreneur podcast host Rose Willard shares how to make your product stand out or your service shine in a competitive marketplace with effective niche strategies and exceptional customer service.
When it comes to differentiating yourself from the competition, there will be a lot of “noise” or “static” that you need to rise above just to make your product stand out and be noticed. How a business stands out and markets itself has changed more in the last two decades than in the previous hundred years. I realize this is stating the obvious.
The question remains: How do you make your product stand out in your industry as a superior choice to those you’re marketing your service or products to? That’s the million-dollar question!
If you intend to scale your business at some point (and you should), you’ll have to ask yourself the following questions:
- How can I make my product or service genuinely stand out against the competition?
- Does my service or product have a unique selling point?
- Do I have social proof or testimonials that back up my product or service’s claims?
Standing Out Against The Competition
There’s more than one way to make your product stand out and rise above some of the noise. How did I do it with my business before selling?
My previous business which I’m referring to was in the fitness and rehab industry. If you know anything about that industry, it’s a very saturated market. How did we stand out among the large number of gyms, personal training studios, and rehabilitation clinics in our area? It wasn’t easy, but we made it a priority to:
- Niche down and specialize in injury prevention for figure skaters. This evolved after several decades to specialize in pre and post-rehab for joint replacements.
- Offer “out of this world” customer service and never compromise.
- We made it so easy to do business with us that the client/patient paid us along with a smile.
All of this required a lot of work as well as checks and balances with our staff. But it paid off handsomely. Now, let’s break some of these points down to see how they apply to your nomadic business.
The riches are in the niches, but the fortune is in the follow-up.
— Pat Flynn
Zero In On Your Niche
This is simple. The more refined your niche, the fewer competitors you’re marketing against. Perhaps your service is financial consulting. Well, there are a lot of financial consultants in competition with you!
But, what if your marketing focused on your specialty in financial consultation for full-time RV dwellers who own and operate a small business? You just eliminated ninety-five percent of your competition. Yes, it’s a small population, but you’ll eliminate most of your “junk leads” that are time wasters.
On top of that, it raises your status to an “authority” on a particular skill set.
The phrase, “the riches are in the niches” may be overused at this point, but it is true.
Offer Amazing Customer Service
I recently wrote an article focusing on customer service for RV entrepreneurs, which we can sum up below.
- Filter your leads to save you time and focus on solid leads.
- Respond as quickly as you can.
- Interact with your lead/client like a family member (that you like).
- Follow up frequently and quickly.
- Ask your best clients for a review.
Great customer service is one of those components that will take some time and effort to reflect on how you stand above the competition, but once there, the message it generates is very loud.
Apply Your Personal Touch To Your Marketing
Again, the population is numb to standard marketing. For a while, humorous marketing worked well and still has value. But if it’s not genuine with a personal touch that reflects your strong business ethics and personality, it too will get lost.
The takeaway on this aspect is to inject as much of your personality into your marketing to get those who view your marketing to like, know, and trust you. It might be better stated as “branding yourself.” This, of course, only applies if you’re likable.
Avoid The “Price Game”
The last thing you ever want to do in an attempt to make your product stand out is to compete on price. This will only make you stand out to junk leads, tire kickers, and difficult customers/clients. Many shoppers base their value on price, i.e., the $50 widget must be better than the $35 widget. Is that necessarily the case? No, but it’s still the perception among many consumers.
Set your prices based on:
- Your financial overhead.
- The amount of time and effort required to reach your level of “expertise.”
- And lastly, market demand.
Also, keep in mind that a fair deal is when both parties benefit.
Make It Easy To Do Business With You
This particular aspect requires a lot of attention to detail as well as empathy for your customer/client. What do I mean? First, your leads should never be confused by what your marketing means or how to contact you.
Second, your customers/clients should never be in a position where they’re not sure how to proceed. This is best evaluated by putting yourself in the customer’s shoes every, and I mean every step of the way.
Go through their entire experience from finding you to ending their time with you. Every step should be clearly defined with directions “canned’ and ready to go. What do I mean by this?
For example, let’s imagine you’re the financial consultant we mentioned earlier. You’ve closed a new lead (because you quickly followed up) and now it’s time to send them an “easy-to-read” explanation of what to expect and how your interaction will flow.
That’s followed by reminders and links to your Zoom meeting leading up to your first meeting. Of course, all of your payment systems need to be clear and easy to understand as well. Finally, you’ll quickly follow up with them explaining what’s next and a summary/reinforcement of the guidance gained from your consultation.
At no point along their path, should your customer/client wonder what’s next or what’s expected.
Your Clients Should Feel Like They’re Your Only Client
Their entire experience should feel customized, not cookie-cutter. The population is overwhelmed with sub-par service and being treated like a number. They know what to look for when evaluating a business with which to do business.
Rise above that and it will reflect in your testimonial reviews, ultimately helping you stand out among the competition.
Refining Differentiation Through Feedback
To refine your marketing, you need genuine feedback from those you have already done business with. This can be through surveys and reviews, but if your business is small enough, ask them directly.
The information gained is crucial for refining your marketing, ultimately gaining you better exposure and more leads for less money spent on marketing.
How do you make your nomadic business stand out among all the noise?
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