Why You Need a Compelling Point of Difference Now!

Thanks to the French Open (ah-mazing!), I’ve watched a ton of commercials lately. I’ve also witnessed brands creating worthless points of difference. Here’s a rundown:

1) Vegan Bed by The Reformer

Quick, what’s your bed made out of? I’m guessing that it’s foam or another crazy formulation. Or, perhaps it doesn’t even matter to you. But, for a mere $27,500 you can buy a king-sized vegan bed and rest assured that no wool was used in its manufacture.

2) Hand-Sliced Avocados from El Pollo Loco

Is it really important to you that your avocado was “hand-sliced” vs. machine sliced? I actually use an egg slicer to make perfect wedges, so do I violate this crazy chicken’s slogan? Is it a meaningful point of difference?

3) Real Red Wine Vinegar from Red Grapes

Jersey Mike’s Subs boasts that its vinegar is real, really? Who’s ever even heard of fake vinegar? Is that such a thing? When it comes to a sandwich, I would have thought the meat, cheese, or veggies were important, not the vinegar. Bottom line: Is it meaningful?

We’ve all learned from Marketing 101 that you need a point of difference. Wrong! You need a compelling point of difference!

To put it more succinctly, if you don’t have a point of difference, you don’t have a brand! (CLICK TO TWEET)

A point of difference must be relevant, compelling, and have proof to back up the claim. If, for instance, you tout that you have excellent customer service, we don’t believe you. But, if you guarantee that your called will be answered within 3 minutes by a live customer agent, you have created a compelling, relevant, and proven differentiator.

If you’re an entrepreneur, you probably founded your company based upon a void in the market. Voila! That’s your point of difference.

FreeByrd, for example, started its company based upon the fact that there was no easy all-in-one platform for beauty and wellness creatives and coaches who weren’t tech geniuses.

Rothy’s was started to create fashionable shoes out of plastic bottles and marine plastic. Its goal is to produce shoes with as little carbon footprint as possible.

StartUp NV was founded as the only non-profit incubator within the state of Nevada to support entrepreneurs throughout every stage of development from marketing to funding to an exit strategy.

To tell your story and sell your story, you must have a compelling point of difference. If you’re an existing business and can’t articulate it, you need to say, “Houston, we have a problem.” I’m here to assist. 

To your sizzling success,

Liz