Let’s take a scientific approach to brand differentiation and use a DNA analogy:

Naturally, as humans, we are all unique. Our bodies are made up of innumerable cells—each with a nucleus containing valuable genetic information. DNA exists in the TINIEST nucleus of these cells. So, what defines us and sets us apart are the SMALLEST DETAILS found in the nucleus of our cells and how they are sequenced.

Applying this concept to business, it’s equally important to identify the TINIEST OF DETAILS found in the center of an organization and how they are sequenced. Within these details are answers to an owner’s prideful passion in its original business plan, an industry challenge or unfilled need, and a clear understanding of what customers value most about its products/services. By uncovering such details, you develop a basis for a sequence (or marketing plan) to attract “like” customers to your business.

An effective marketing strategy built from your unique DNA will help you exploit what you do best to people who value what you offer the most. You end up using your natural, authentic strengths to build your business and set yourself apart from your competition—the true power of effective marketing.

We have hundreds of competitors in our industries vying for the same customer. Where we do ourselves a disservice is not making it clear to our ideal customer why they should be choosing us over our competitors. Without that clarity, we’re giving our potential customers too many choices.

There should be ONE clear decision to make…to Choose YOU based on the unique VALUE you offer—based on YOUR Unique DNA.

If there is anything that resonates with you today, I hope that it is the important message that marketing isn’t about “making things look pretty”. It is not simply brochures, advertising and social media, although these tactics are important in strategy development.

Marketing is the experience you give the world when your messages and actions are all in alignment with your greatest strengths.

How are you imbedding your unique DNA in all aspects of your business? We welcome you to share your success stories.

Passion is what motivates a business owner and her development team to stay up until 4AM to honor a client commitment to launch their website by 6AM.

Passion is what inspires a New York Mets pitcher to deliver the franchise’s first-ever no-hitter

Passion is not to be confused to mean someone who is “excited” or one who has a “positive attitude”. Passion, described according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means:

“intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction; or a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object or concept.”

Now, that’s the kind of passion I’m talking about.

As a consumer, if I am the object of a business owner’s passion, I am made to feel special, understood and engaged with the company’s product or service. If the business owner or staff have a strong liking or desire to create for me a remarkable customer experience or sell me a reliable, quality product, I’m going to feel that passion. It’s going to make me feel good and I’m going to want to come back for more.

Without that passion, the experience is less than thrilling, and in some cases damaging. Take for example, my experience at a winery near Marblemount, WA.

We had just come off of a “Wine Tasting River Rafting Trip.” The person behind the counter looked and acted less than enthused to be there. She didn’t talk to us about the grapes or the flavors that could be found in the wine…she just poured each taster into a glass – acting disinterested and even expressed her dissatisfaction of being associated with the rafting trip (a separate marketing issue to be addressed altogether—the repercussions of false advertising).

At that moment, I felt compelled to tell her how important PASSION is in the overall success of her business. Instantly, her salesmanship, or lack thereof, had negatively influenced my anticipation of how the wine would taste in my mouth. Instead of brimming with excitement and anticipation of exploding flavors hitting my mouth, I was given no history, no guidance, no reason to buy. Even if I had liked the wine, the experience left a bad taste in my mouth—no pun intended. And, I made an instant decision to never come back.

What if the experience had been different?

Would the intense, driving feeling or conviction that radiated the room compelled me to make a purchase?

Absolutely.

Think about the customer experiences you are creating everyday. Do your customers feel the devotion you have for the product or service you’re selling? If they do, they’re sharing wonderful stories about you, they are sending you referrals and becoming raving fans.

If your customers don’t feel your devotion, now is a good time to take an introspective look at how to bring that passion to life, because passion is not just a nice perk, it makes all the difference.

Your thoughts and comments are appreciated. Please share your experiences with passion.

These two examples are no exception.

It is my hunch that each of these visionary companies have a set of core values that are unchanging and a core purpose that fuels everything they do—the FOUNDATION needed for becoming extraordinary.

 #1 TOMS SHOES

TOMS “Presumed” Powerful Purpose Statement:

To create the biggest impact as possible with the shoes they give—improving children’s health and giving them access to education—for the long-term.

#2 DICK’S LAST RESORT

Dick’s Last Resort’s “Presumed’ Powerful Purpose Statement:

To provide an outrageous, fun, energetic restaurant atmosphere for all who dare to enter—inflicting humor upon all guests by supposedly “breaking all of the rules”.

If you know of other extraordinary companies that you would like to share, please do.

Too often, clients come to me with a particular marketing project in mind and a wonderful vision of success. The good news is that they have this wonderful vision of success. The bad news is that they attribute this vision of success to nothing other than the tactical implementation of something marketing-related—a flyer, a brochure, or website, for example.

Does this sound familiar?

“We’re starting a new business and need a website. From what we’re seeing of our competition, we think we can blow them away by creating something that is technologically more advanced and visually appealing.”

- OR -

“We need a new brochure—something that can be updated with our new office address and mailed to prospects.”

My reply, “Outstanding! I’d be happy to assist you. Who is your target audience? What sets your product, service and company apart from the competition? What common frustration or challenge are you solving? What does your brand stand for? What promise does it make? What personality do you convey?”

A typical response reveals that there is no real interest in going through an exercise of uncovering this information. “We just want a brochure or website!”

Nice thought. Wrong idea.

Here’s why?

Differentiation through competitive positioning is critical!

Why is it critical?

Because there are literally hundreds and thousands of competitors competing for your customers every day.

• Consumers easily seeking price comparisons on the Internet
• They are empowered to find anything and everything they want themselves (analysts, experts, peers, competitors)
• Today the average person is bombarded with over 3,000 ads per day, with the capability of taking in only 100 messages per day
• They are also more cynical and don’t want to “sold to”

The only way to avoid being commoditized and using the vicious practice of price slashing and cost reduction to turn a profit is to create a strong brand that provides real customer benefits. This gives you a chance to compete on more than just price and volume.

In addition, your customers are responding to stories that are compelling, engaging, and solve a particular need or frustration. They are seeking relationships, ones they can have an emotional connection with…thus, the reason that social media has been so successful for some many businesses (when used correctly). 

Consider this example: Mill Creek, WA opened a brand new cupcake store that sells…you guessed it, cupcakes. As a consumer, I have the option to make them myself, buy them from the grocery store, Costco, or a pluthera of other cupcake stores. But, what draws me to this particular cupcake store? Every cupcake is made from one of “grandma’s” old recipes using natural, local products. In addition, a portion of every purchase goes to fund cancer research, because grandma lost her life to the horrible disease and they’re hoping for a cure.

I’m emotionally invested. I want to follow their success. I want to contribute to their success and their cause. I want to indulge in their cupcakes’ goodness. I’m going to choose “grandma’s cupcakes” over Costco, even if it means driving a few extra miles.

What did this cupcake company do well?

They nailed their strategic position:

• They identified their ideal target customer—Women between the ages 25-45 with kids who use natural products, buy locally and make more than $50,000/year. People in this age group are on social networks like Twitter and FB, they will shop in green stores like Whole Foods.
• They uncovered a common frustration— Need for local, natural baking products that taste good and are affordably priced
• Committed to a unique point of differentiation—Unique cupcake designs made from grandma’s family recipes that fund cancer research (give back to the community)

IMPORTANT TAKEAWAY:

It is by creating a powerful brand for your products and services that you create long-term sustainability, a prosperous future and healthy profits.

What Can You Do Today to Create Differentiation?

1. Ask yourself – who are my best customers (profile) – Why? Because you don’t want to appeal to everyone. You’ll fall into the trap of being a commodity.
2. Discover what your unique customer values most about your products/services – through research
3. Uncover a common frustration among your customers
4. Research your competitors – compare service offerings
5. Commit to a unique point of differentiation

Remember, among the thousands of ads, people respond to messages that engage their emotions. They are seeking relationships with  people and companies who understand their business and their challenges. They’re looking for recommendations and evidence that you can help them.

Don’t bury your message in a “one size fits all” approach.

Revisit your passions.

Know your customer and their needs.

Ask yourself “How are you going to be unique and different?”

All comments are welcome.

Today, we have more choices for products and services than ever before. But these choices feel more like the same. And, companies keep blurring the lines more by emphasizing the same competitive features, “More, Better, Faster, New Improved”. We as consumers are left more confused as ever before…When all product/service offerings appear to be alike, the customer is tempted to pick by random choice, or decide on price alone.

1. Give Your Customers Something to Talk About
   If you’re ordinary, there is no discernible quality that makes you want to talk about your brand or the experience with your brand. If there is nothing memorable, there is also a higher likelihood that they will forget your brand all together.
2. Spread the Word Faster
   If you’re extraordinary, the social media channels that your customers are already using will light up with a story about their experience with your brand. One positive experience can spread virally overnight to significantly impact your business.
3. Can’t Touch This! Make It Hard for Your Competition to Compete
   If you’re the first to enter the marketplace filling a specific need and solving an unmet challenge, you’re going to be the go-to company for that particular solution. It becomes harder for the competition to enter this space, when you already own it.
4. Increase Customer Loyalty
   If you’re filling a specific need and solving an unmet challenge, your customers are going to be more loyal and less sensitive to actions of competitors, which inevitably will result in greater revenue and increased profitability.
5. Become the ONLY Solution for Your Target Audience
   By being extraordinary, you send a strong message to your target audience that they immediately identify with—that resonates with them. Your audience feels like you are talking to them specifically, which motivates them to purchase from you and only you.
6. Integrate FUN Into the Workplace
   When you are offering something that is exciting for you to talk about, knowing how it is positively impacting your community, it becomes more and more easy and FUN to sell. Prospects take in that excitement and enthusiasm and better connect with your product/service.
7. New Business Comes to You Naturally
   Ask business owners with “raving fans” how they get business, and the answer is “referrals” or “word of mouth.” When you are extraordinary, you’re top of mind; and when you’re top of mind, your customers are more likely to generate new business for you.

So, why don’t companies differentiate? John Koetsier of SparkPlug9 said it best: “If you want to be differentiated, you must say no. There must be certain products you won’t build. Certain markets you won’t pursue. Certain clients you don’t want. These are all clear and undeniable corollaries of choosing certain products that you will invest in, certain markets that you will pursue, and certain clients that you definitely do want.”

As you evaluate your business and your current marketing strategy, are you ready to differentiate? Are you willing to say no?

Immediately concerned about setting up the artwork correctly ($226 was a lot of money for me to spend and I needed to make sure they would be exactly what I ordered), I placed a call to Alltime Print and got a nice gentleman in the graphics department. Fred answered all of my questions and even offered to handle the files himself, without making me fill out the online order form.

Summarize experience so far: 1) I found what I was looking for online fairly easily, 2) I was able to talk to a live person to answer my questions, and 3) The art department made it easy for me to submit my artwork files. So far so good.

Here’s where the lesson in customer service comes in…

After 12 days, the business cards came to my door. And, much to my dismay, they were printed wrong. Instead of being clear, they were opaque and couldn’t be salvaged. I called Fred right away and told him what had happened. He asked me to take a photo of the card and he immediately forwarded the artwork to his manager and the owner of the company (cc’ing me) asking for a reprint due to their internal error.

Eight days later, I did not hear from anyone. I had to send a follow up email to the owner and manager. She replied saying, and I quote, “sorry for the mistake and sorry for the delay. We will do our best to ship them to you asap.” When I asked for a specific delivery date, none was provided. In fact, she never returned another email or phone call. After another 12 days went by,  I sent another email notifying them that the replacement cards still hadn’t been received. No return phone call. No return email.

On the following day, the package arrives, and the cards are printed wrong again. This time, I’m furious. The manager is avoiding contact with me and I still don’t have the cards that I asked for.

So, where was the breakdown? Whether Fred knew it or not, he was the only one providing me with great customer service. It wasn’t until the resolution of the issue was outside his scope of his work that there was a breakdown. He escalated the problem to his manager and the owner of the company and she never returned a phone call or sent a reply email. She never tried to resolve my issue, permanently damaging the image of the company and leaving a trail of bad publicity behind.  I was left with a $226 hit to my credit card for an end product I couldn’t use.

Needless to say, I disputed the charges on my credit card and I’m never using Alltime Print again.

I struggled to mention this experience because it is uncomfortable for me to create bad publicity for companies. I would much rather celebrate companies with unique DNA who are doing incredible things—putting them in the spotlight for being extraordinary. However, I couldn’t miss this opportunity to use this as an example for all of us. When we’re working hard to build our businesses, it’s difficult to see our companies through our customers’ eyes. But, it’s that introspective look that will reap rewards.

Alltime Print failed to see how their processes, or lack of processes (and standards), impacted their customer. One “touch point” was good, but the failure to communicate and resolve customer issues overshadowed any good that was created with the initial “touch point”.  Avoid making this same mistake by imbedding your unique DNA in all aspects of your business.

I decided to check out Target’s return policy posted online. Nowhere did I see anything mentioned about a customer not being able to return used items.

This is a classic example of a company policy that was probably made with the best intention to limit abuse, but instead left a bad impression—one that reflects “We don’t stand behind our defective merchandise”.

With my receipt in hand, and a defective pair of shoes, the customer service rep behind the counter said, “If you hadn’t worn them, we’d be able to take them back.” My first reaction, “Really? Are you serious?” How could I have known the item was defective without wearing them first? Clearly the soles weren’t coming off when I had them in the box.”

When the store manager finally came out, giving me the same answer, I persisted for a solution. Her reply was, “For a ONE TIME COURTESY, you can exchange the shoes for another like pair.”

Great! I was finally offered a solution to my problem, but now I am made to feel like an “annoying customer” that the manager needed to appease to get me to go away. Why didn’t she offer me a product exchange to begin with?

Consider the same scenario played out, without the store “policy” detracting from my customer experience:

LC: Good morning, “I purchased these shoes for my son for school. I brought my receipt to show you. After 10 days of use, the soles are coming off. Is there anything you can do for me?”

Target: “I’m sorry you ended up with a defective product. A $25 pair of shoes should never have fallen apart like that after 10 days of use. Would you like to exchange the shoes for a new pair?” To create a “WOW” experience, they could have even offered to fetch the shoes for me, instead of making me get them myself.

Lost opportunity.

Little did they know, I was a raving fan of Target up until that faithful day I stepped inside their Returns Department. I shopped there at least once a week for my kids’ school supplies, birthday gifts, cards, household items, bedding, the list goes on. After that experience, I’m not a raving fan anymore. Now, I’m writing a blog post about it, and I am selective about the items I purchase there.

If your company has policies in place that adversely affect your customers, you ought to consider changing them immediately. Don’t make the same mistake Target did.

The marketing climate has changed. Customers are now in the driving seat. They have the control because they have access to information. They are thoroughly researching every subject matter, and every product or service that meets their needs before they come into contact with a sales representative. They are now accustomed to getting the information they want, when they want it, and wherever they want it.

As a result, the old school world of asymmetrical communications, i.e., of top down, “command and control” programs, where companies push out messages in one direction, with and through various media channels, are no longer as effective.

In order to adjust to this new marketing climate, companies need to be outwardly focused. They need a strong sense of purpose and a powerful vision, one that management, staff and clients are emotionally charged about. This passion stems from an authentic focus on building customer satisfaction, continuous value and unique experiences. Why? Because passion spreads. It’s contagious, and it sustains growth.

Through passion and vision, we create tribes—groups of people connected to one another, connected to a leader and connected to an idea. As marketing genius Seth Godin states, “Marketing used to be about advertising, and advertising is expensive. Today, marketing is about engaging with the tribe and delivering products and services with stories that spread.”

People are out there seeking an emotional connection with a brand—and ignoring the ones that aren’t. Once they do connect, they are more likely to share their experiences and come back for more.

There are a growing number of competitors in every industry, many that are starting off with the right focus. Can your company afford to be ignored or overlooked?

Your customers are gravitating to the companies who stand out by providing them with value, giving them solutions to their challenges and making it easy to do business with them. How can companies create remarkable customer experiences by being inwardly focused on price, costs, and acquisition?

I’m anxious to hear what you think. Will sales-led organizations survive? Give me something to think about.

If you’ve answered “yes”  to any of these questions, you deserve a HUGE pat on the back and special recognition as one of the few businesses in the growing community who are effectively creating the most important building blocks of a company’s DNA.

Now the question is, “Are you maximizing the value of your extraordinary differentiation?” In other words, “Is your unique DNA imbedded in all aspects of your business?”

If you are not sure, consider the value you receive by creating authentic, sustainable customer engagements through extraordinary DNA:

• Create a steady flow of leads
• Increase sales
• Reduce operating expenses
• Increase employee morale
• Sustain growth in this new, buyer-driven market

Truly imbedding your unique DNA in all aspects of your business is the only way to compete in this market. You can’t slap on a tag line or invest in a series of ads. It requires taking an introspective look at your business and finding the passion you had when you started (if it is lost).

Once you become re-energized by your passion, use it to engage, inspire and motivate your staff and your customers. Passion spreads. It inspires change and innovation. It creates long-lasting relationships with loyal customers. Are you truly customer-centered? Are you measuring customer satisfaction, listening to what your customers are saying about you and doing all that you can to service their evolving needs? Are you creating differentiation that is slightly risky, not comfortable? If you are, I welcome you to reach out and share with me your successes. Because it is people like you who enrich our lives and inspire greatness.