Before your customers can get to know you, it's important to first know yourself and your company's vision and mission in the marketplace. In today's highly hyper-competitive environment, it isn't enough to simply say, "I own an exhibit business." You must define the type of exhibit business you own. Are you a walk in business for everyone with wall to wall exhibit choices and information that can easily be identified and the same products purchased at other exhibit businesses? Or do you specialize in unique products or services, thus attracting those people who demand more than what they can purchase on the Internet that are unique and not readily available at other locations or maybe it is the added value they see and feel?
Having distinct product attributes can deliver a promise of some special status. In the customer’s mind, you must be able to make a legitimate claim to being number one in some important aspect and deliver that promise.
A good example of this would be if you are a hospital claiming that you are number one in the state. You may have a large billboard and many printed materials supporting this statement, but can you prove the claim with statistics or award recognition? Basic principles must be applied when making marketing messages about “being number one” and it is the responsibility of the person doing the advertising to conduct truthful and non-deceptive advertising.
Back in the early days, I had a marketing statement that listed us as the “Largest Rental Exhibit Provider in New Mexico.” I had a competitor challenge me on this. When I first opened my business, I did a competitive analysis of what was offered in New Mexico and EXHIB-IT! was, in fact, the largest rental provider in the state. We actually had over fifty exhibit rentals and could rent at any given time without having to go our manufacturer or other sources to provide the rental products. Support claims made to build credibility and market those results.
To be sure you are a thought leader and forward thinker in your industry, research these things in your own industry to define who you are in the market place.
• Describe how your industry has changed in the last 5 years.
• Describe the changes you expect to see in the next 12 months in your industry.
• Describe the changes you expect to see in the next 5 years in your industry.
• Become familiar and up to date about any regulations on marketing in your industry.
• Describe the perceived standards of customer service in your industry.
• Describe the perceived standards of technology in your industry.
• Describe the perceived standards of product quality in your industry.
• Describe the perceived standards in sales & marketing in your industry.
• How does your business compare to these industry standards?
• Customer Service?
• Technology?
• Product Quality?
• Sales & Marketing?
• What are businesses in your industry required to guarantee?
When you are done reviewing this data, and then conclude with:
• List 3 things that you can not confidently guarantee today, that you would love to be able to guarantee and focus on this.
• What is the one thing, if you could guarantee it that would make you the market leader? (For example, a news agent that guarantees to sell you a winning lottery ticket every time?)
• In an ideal world, what would you like your customers to see as the main point of difference between you and your competitors?
Now you are ready to write your company’s unique selling proposition, also known as USP, that has a guarantee, or more than one guarantee, that also delivers a compelling reason to do business with your company with some type of guarantee or experience based on the customer feedback you receive from listening. Once this has been accomplished, be sure the entire company has the same buy in to the guarantee and the message is communicated from the owner, managers, to the face-to-face employees who engage with the customers on a daily basis.
DJ Heckes,
Author & CEO EXHIB-IT! Tradeshow Marketing Experts
www.exhib-it.com
Full BRAIN Marketing
www.fullbrainmarketing.com
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