Growing The Value of Emerging Business    

What’s on Your Sign?

Martha went to her favorite nursery one day looking for a new native plant for her patio planter box. She walked down each aisle and examined lots of beautiful, healthy plants. Then the bargain table caught her attention. There she found several flats of lantana that looked a bit wilted. Some of its leaves were dried up, and no blooms were evident. A sign beside them read: “Bargain of the Day – Trailing Purple Lantana. Add a little TLC for perennial beauty.”  

She carried all the lantana she could to the cash register. The cashier, who knew her well, congratulated her on a good deal. After Martha left, another clerk who had observed the transaction asked why she had passed up so many healthy plants to buy the sickly ones.

“Oh, that’s easy,” said the clerk. “The sign told her everything she needed to know. It made the lantana stand out from the other plants.”

As we try to stand out from the crowd, considering how we are different from everyone else might determine whether we just break even or whether we see our profits soar. For a brand-new business, getting noticed properly in a noisy world might mean staying in business through the rough early years until we are firmly established. It’s important that our sign distinguishes us from our competitor’s sign.

Telling people why they should use your services instead of a similar one nearby should not present a problem if you have established who you are and what you do (see “Vision Keeps Us on Track”). This of course requires that you think of, and write down, the things you do better than anyone else. Do you offer free shipping? Can you bundle products or services to make the customer a good deal? Is your service faster and better than anyone else’s? Maybe you offer more choices than anyone else, or your experience at troubleshooting and installation leaves your clients agog.

Once you have determined what makes you stand out, how do you let your customers know? Keeping your light hidden under a bushel is not an option here. You cannot be shy; just like the sign on the trailing lantana, you must trumpet your features. If you know you’re in second place, you can use that to your advantage. Remember the car rental company that humorously noted it was No. 2 with the famous slogan, “We try harder.” Use humor if it suits you and your business, or be serious if that’s a better fit. The important thing is that you tell people how you are different from the rest.

What does your sign say? We can help position you. Call us at 254-757-1709, extension 101. 

Click Here for more information