What’s Your Point Of Difference?

The other day I went down to grab a quick lunch from a little group of shops in old school Port Melbourne, across the road from the Fisherman’s Bend Precinct.

This little group of shops consisted of about 7 shop fronts, 3 of which were ‘bakery-come-convenience-store’ set ups. They all had plastic chairs out the front, they all had those plastic flaps hanging on the front entrance door and they all had signs saying “Roast Pork Roles” (SOLD!).

I stood on the curb and was baffled by which one I should walk in to - nothing stood out as to why I would walk into one shop over the other.

After a couple of minutes I decided to approach the one on my left, purely because I was closest to it. I walked away with a delicious $7 roast pork roll.

When I got back to my car, I thought, “What is the difference between each one of those shops? How can they possibly ‘win’ over customers when there is nothing seriously distinguishing them?” (Apart from the distance from your car).

The answer was ‘NOTHING.’

They are basing the success or failure of their business (i.e. attracting customers) purely on luck!

And this is distinctly true with many other businesses, particularly in the services industry, such as mortgage broking.

To an outsider, there aren’t too many differences between one mortgage broker and another. That’s why 80%+ of their business is written for direct client or partner referrals.  

KNOWING what your point of difference is and being able to COMMUNICATE it is fundamental to moving forwards rather than stagnating.

So, have you thought about what is TRULY defining you from another?

What is your ABSOLUTE point of difference?

Well, here’s a hint...

It’s YOU!

It’s YOUR service delivery.

It’s how YOU communicate.

And it’s how YOU make people feel.

The best thing you can do is take a step back and observe why people choose to work with you.

Once you’ve identified that, ENHANCE IT and LEVERAGE IT to find your edge over the competition. Continually work on it to ADD VALUE and build your personal brand, and most importantly, deliver amazing outcomes for your clients.

It sounds pretty simple but you must find it in order to survive and thrive.

So, what makes your different?....

I would love to hear your feedback. Feel free to get in touch.

Onwards and Upwards