Local Competitive Advantages

That is a good start. Competitive advantage is a powerful weapon once you can distill it down to the real reasons people buy from you.

You can build your competitive advantage by putting a few different pieces together. It is what I start with when coaching any business owner. It doesn't matter what type of business it is, offline marketers included.

The first pieces are your Unique Selling Propositions (USP). Each business has several of these and it can be very difficult for you as a business owner to figure them all out. There are just things in your business that you are taking for granted.

The second pieces are your Extra Value Propositions (EVP). These are ways in which you can bring extra value to the table compared to your competitors. This requires you to actually know who your local competitors are (including everyone who is competing in your space, out of town, local, large companies...everyone who is playing in your sandbox). Once you know your competitors, you figure out how to develop several EVP's over them.

When you combine your USP's with your EVP's you end up with a competitive advantage (CA). Once you have a clear idea of your CA, you are in a very, very powerful position to know what types of customers you work best with and how you can serve them better than anyone else.

Honestly, I feel this is the #1 way that a lot of offliners here miss their target. They are just another person selling websites or SEO. There is no clear differentiation. The biggest threat to ANY business is the commoditization of their business. Every single industry is fighting against becoming just another commodity.

Anytime a new industry develops, the minute the innovator releases the model to the world, other people are attempting to turn it into a commodity. Look at SEO...a subject most here know about. It has turned into a commodity to be bought and sold like coal, corn, or sugar. Everyone is doing "about" the same thing in the eyes of the customer. They don't need YOU. They can get your product anywhere. Now if you are doing something different, you MUST put that in words right in front of your target market.

This is where your CA reigns supreme in the marketplace. Every business has one. They just usually aren't aware of what it is and therefore are not able to communicate it clearly to their ideal customer.

When working on your CA, what you came up with above is a first step. Much more needs to be done. These are simple ideas about your service. You must come up with the reasons that your ideal customer must have YOU and only YOU.

For example, I see you have built a passive solar home. That is something that likely none of your competition has done. You have extremely specialized knowledge of the marketplace in which those materials are sold. Think of ways only YOU can use that knowledge to make money.

For example: You know where people hang out who are interested in those sorts of things. You know where the passive solar "geeks" go for info. You know the conversations they are having. You can seriously help companies who are struggling to reach those consumers.

Now, this may be a simple example, but it is the only thing I know about you. You must examine literally EVERY bit of specialized knowledge you have. Combine the WHOLE picture of who you are and how you can help. Then turn that into money.

For example, I am willing to bet there are wealthy people who wish to build passive solar homes and would pay you a lot of money to come help them. In fact, a quick search for "passive solar consultant" turns up plenty of results. Not saying you should go this direction BUT - I am willing to bet again that you could help these people market their solar consulting businesses. You could do both. What if you used your marketing skills to become a well-paid solar consultant and at the same time you built systems that OTHER consultants could use to get customers? You could be quite wealthy from these two pursuits.

Again, this is the only thing I know about you. There are many other aspects of who you are as a person that will lead to money. Many times, it is difficult to see the value of our own knowledge.

Don't get hung up on it. Keep trying to sell. But while you are selling, always be looking for your perfect customer. I don't know you but I suspect that your perfect customer is NOT Fortune 500 companies. Your perfect customer is probably someone just like you. So, seek to figure out who YOU can best help and then show them your CA to show them that you can help them.

Often competitive advantage doesn't need to be explained it can simply be demonstrated.

The biggest advantage you have is being able to build a personal one on one relationship with your clients.

So if you're going out of your way to build those deep personal relationships with your clients (and prospects and referral sources) they'll always see you as the first person to talk to whenever they think of anything marketing or internet related.

One other advantage you have as a small business owner is the ability to adapt and change VERY quickly (almost instantly or within whatever time it takes to train yourself.)

In internet marketing that's a pretty big advantage.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

If you are dealing with local clients, you know the local market better than your non-local competitors.

If you are talking about you versus a large non-local company, then you should stress that your life experience and marketing knowledge is far superior and more personal and thorough than the competitions account rep or "business coach" who is likely fresh out of college. And who has a bajillion and two accounts to serve.

Thanks for all the great responses. Let me ask the question again. What are other local offliners doing to position themselves against non-local IM companies?

That's what I was trying to get at above. Someone else's positioning will not work for you. It must be totally personal. The people who do business with you will do it because they know, like, and trust you.

My positioning would not help you one bit. It is completely wrapped up in who I am as a person. As such, it would be almost impossible for me to tell you my personal positioning without writing a biography.