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E-ssential
Message # 093:
The W5 Approach to Differentiation.
If you're in a business where you have a lot of competition, differentiation is everything.
Finding your differentiation -- and therefore your niche -- is the number one reason why independent professionals join my Essential Message Bull Pen program or buy my eLearning products; it's why event planners book me for speaking engagements, and why my client companies set up Clarity Package sessions that I facilitate.
Here's a very simple and powerful way for you to think of your own differentiation -- I call it the W5 approach to differentiation. But if you think you already know your W5, the biggest surprise for you may be at the end... read on.
Who: This refers to your clients and customers. The more you specialize in a specific target group, the easier it is for you to focus your sales and marketing budget. Using the Essential Message as an example, we define our market broadly -- we work with a lot of different target groups, but we do one very specific and crucial thing. (See the next item on the W5 list.)
What: Do you offer group programs? Do you sell physical products? Do you hold weekend retreats? Or do you sell an hour at a time? What is it the tangible part of what you provide that people buy? Go on, list them all!
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| As Chief Differentiation Officer, being fun and playful is just one of the ways I differentiate my company -- it's a reflection of my personality, and it's part of the 'how' we operate as a company. |
Why: Traditional marketing approaches recommend you focus on the 'why' -- the benefit of what you offer. But in today's information overloaded world, benefits often sound like empty promises that people have heard before. A more compelling way to frame your ‘why’ is the flipside of the benefit you offer – what are the problems that people need your help with? Be granular and list all the problems that you help your clients with. The more specific you are, the easier it is for you to identify the one problem that you solve better than anyone else.
Where: Proximity used to mean geographic proximity, but now extends to mean visibility – in person, online or in any media. Where are you most visible? And don't ignore the power of physical proximity -- if yours is the only business that delivers your service or offers your product in your geographical area -- and if proximity is important to the buying decision of your market -- highlight it!
How: Which one of these is not like the others? That's right -- it's 'how'. How you do what you do is one of the best places to 'dig' for your differentiation. For individuals, how you set up your business if you're an entrepreneur or how you approach your job if you are employed is unique. Even larger companies are uniquely shaped by the culture and values of their founders and their corporate evolution. By looking at the 'how' for my ad agency business, we discovered that we had a unique approach for developing core messaging -- and that's how we created an entirely new business based on The Essential Message.
The W5 Approach to Differentiation is one way of looking at your differentiation. And the examples that I gave you in this newsletter may not be the right answers for you. Click here for a free download worksheet to help you brainstorm other ways you can differentiate your business.
Your differentiation is at the heart of your Essential Message. And remember, your differentiation isn't the only thing you do -- but it is the only thing that sets you apart. That's why you want to focus on it.
And that's why I hope you don't just read this newsletter.... I hope you do it!
Happy selling,
Who is Michel Neray and What's The Essential Message?
The Essential Message is about discovering your true differentiation and then learning how to communicate it in the most compelling way. But higher sales, greater alignment of sales and marketing and a stronger brand position aren't the only reasons why so many independent professionals, entrepreneurs and emerging companies rave about The Essential Message.
Clients also say that one of the biggest advantages of the Essential Message approach is how it helps them gain the confidence, momentum and resilience that can only come from being absolutely clear about their strengths and unique difference – as companies and as individuals.
The Essential Message was created by Michel Neray based on 25 years as an award-winning copywriter, an entrepreneur, a tradeshow pitchman and a senior sales and marketing executive. (He also rides motorcycles, does whitewater canoeing, and has his 2nd degree black belt in karate.)
For information about our corporate facilitation, copywriting and consulting services, or booking Michel to speak at your conference, please call 416 534-4766 or link to www.EssentialMessage.com.
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