What do you do that is truly remarkable?

In other words, if I walked into your business and asked you to tell me why I should choose you over your competitor, what would you say?

We have found this to be an extremely interesting question that we ask our marketing consulting clients.  We get all sorts of “gray” answers.  Anything from “We truly care about our customers” (do you think that your competition truly doesn’t care about their customers?) to “We have a good price” (someone out there will always be willing to undersell themselves faster) to “Um, I really don’t know” (at least they are honest!).

And frankly, if you can’t give me a remarkable reason for doing business with you, chances are, I won’t.

Sometimes I find that business owners get so wrapped up in the day-to-day running of their business that they lose sight of what they do best.  And when they lose sight of that one thing that sets them apart from their competition, they lose their ability to show to the world what they have to offer.   Every business owner MUST discover and commit to something that allows them to differentiate themselves in the minds of their prospects. To put it simply, you need a Purpose Statement.

A Purpose Statement can also be called a Core Message.  This is the one thing that helps drive your business in every aspect.  It should not become just a goal – or a saying that goes on your letterhead – but the overriding purpose for everything about your business.  It is meant to be the basis for all of your marketing and customer service activity.  It is not necessarily your “tag line,” in fact, it is better if it is never communicated to your customers or clients.  But it is the driving force behind all decisions that you make.

We are currently working with a restaurant that serves some of the best barbecue in the Midwest (and, as you can imagine, Kansas City has some pretty stiff competition in that area).  We have helped this business owner begin to think through what sets him apart from his competition – and what he is truly passionate about.  It takes time to drill down to a Core Message.  We weren’t content to stop at “I make great BBQ” – that actually is very subjective.  One person may think it is the best, and another person may favor the competition.  We kept asking him for more:  “What makes you different than your competition? What do your customers say they like about your restaurant? Why should I choose you over the BBQ joint that is down the street from my house?”  What did we land on?  His consistency.  This restaurant is consistent in every aspect of the dining experience.  From the great BBQ, to the awesome sides, to the friendly staff – every time someone steps foot in that restaurant, they know what their experience is going to be like.  Now that he knows his Core Message, it drives every decision he makes.  This helps him decide on the type of pork he is going to purchase, the kind of server he is going to hire, even the style of music that will be played in the restaurant.

So now it’s up to you.   You’ve got to decide – and then communicate – what you do better than every other business that does what you do.  You’ve got to find a way to stand out in the mind of your current and prospective customers and clients.  Get that Core Message down, and don’t stray from it!