You Are Your Own Best Differentiation Strategy

To stand out from the crowd we need a good differentiation strategy.

We need something that showcases what we do well ideally better than anyone else. The key is to showcase what differentiates us without showing off.

Everyone respects people who are really good at what they do; no one likes show-offs

Marketing Strategy vs Differentiation Strategy

It’s important to keep in mind that a marketing strategy is not the same as a differentiation strategy.

The purpose of professional services marketing is to generate more new business by attracting more clients for our existing services or providing more services to existing clients.

Marketing strategies are about connecting and maintaining relationships with people who can help us grow our businesses. These people include past, present and future clients as well as referral sources.

Through our marketing messages, we help these people understand who we are and how we help clients. Certainly our brand plays a key role in our marketing messages. But differentiation goes far beyond branding.

A Differentiation Strategy Defines Who You Really Are

As individuals, each of us is unique.

When serving clients we can draw upon more than the standardized professional training that qualifies us to do what we do. We also bring our own combination of personality, skills, talents, experience and network of contacts.

It is this one-of-a-kind combination of factors that make you who you are.

There is no one else on earth just like you. No one on earth serves clients exactly the same way you do.

A Pool of Value-Rich Resources

Given our unique combinations of personality, skills, talents, experience and network contacts, we all have huge pool of value-rich resources that can help clients even more.

Drawing upon these resources to deliver added value to clients is the absolute best differentiation strategy.

It dramatically expands your ability to draw upon your own resources to serve clients in your own unique way.

Offering this extra value is not intended to position yourself as the ultimate authority on everything.

Most people respect a know-it-all about as much as they like a show-off.

The rationale is to maximize the benefits that clients receive from your help, which is a key element of your differentiation strategy,

Provided you avoid giving advice beyond your area of expertise, limiting your help to sharing only your personal experience and information, you are unlikely to be sued or run afoul of any professional or ethical restrictions.

No one gains by allowing fears and limiting beliefs to stand in the way of serving and satisfying clients even more.