DIFFERENTIATE is defined as “To become distinct or specialized; acquire a different character”. This is essential to the survival of your organisation.

Let me explain…

Put simply you must identify why you are different from your competitors. This requires a close look at your products/services, your competitor’s offering and the customer. Why do your current customers buy from you?

In a world which is becoming increasingly smaller through enhanced communication and the internet, we have choice! Long gone are the days when Henry Ford successfully produced a car which you could have in any colour as long as it was black. Now customers state that they want the car in this colour and at this time. If you cannot supply it, then they will purchase it on the internet from someone else even if they are hundreds of miles away.

Your competitors are no longer in the same town, not even the same county, now they need not even be in the same country….hence the need to stand out from the crowd. The bottom line is that you need to stand out from your competitors so when customers have to make the choice, they will buy from you.

So what is your differentiating point?

Some companies spend thousands of pounds inventing factors that will make their products different – Cereals without salt, without sugar, with added vitamins or with wholegrain.

However you may not have thousands of pounds to spend so look for other examples which are all around you. You could differentiate yourself through a guarantee or a trade-in service; it could be price or even the level of after-sales service.

Put simply, you must understand what your customer really NEEDS from buying your product or service and when you have established this, simply do it BETTER than your competitors.

Have you bought one brand over another? Think about why this is. Do you shop in a particular supermarket or café because of something they do that others don’t? If you prefer to buy your clothes from one retailer over another – why? What need are they satisfying that their competitors are not. When you identify these reasons, you will often notice that they are not ground breaking differences, but they do make a difference to you.

Great examples include a cafe having fresh homemade products or a gift shop that only sells fair-trade items.

Take these thoughts back to your organisation and look at what needs your customers have. Go back to basics and look at what you are already doing or could do differently that would better suit the customer. If you do not know, why not ask your customers? Whatever you choose as your differentiator, make sure it is sustainable. There is no point in differentiating yourself as the freshest/happiest and so on if you cannot maintain the standards!

If you follow these key rules, you can easily build some key differentiation points for your organisation and then your next task is to make sure your staff are not only aware of the focus but also understand why it is important and then you  communicate your differentiation points consistently to both customers and prospects in every marketing opportunity available.

Nicola Bury from Haybury Marketing is a specialist in helping small and medium sized businesses and organisations to market themselves. To find out how to extend the marketing of your business without spending a fortune visit our new website at www.hayburymarketing.com, call 028 4273 9222 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .