The other day, on the television show, Shark Tank, there was a guy talking to the Sharks about how he was going to compete with a well-known, well-funded competitor. Part of his argument was, "We're better."
Robert Herjavec, one of the Sharks, quickly cut him off, "Better Is Not a Differentiator."
Well, that got my attention. In a world of commoditization, with endless providers and solutions for every problem known to man, you can't live by a "better as differentiator" philosophy.
Why "Better" Is Not a Differentiator
Ask anyone who's smart and excels at their job if there are "less-talented"people out there making more money than they do.
You better believe the answer is "yes". While their competitor might not be better at what they do, they probably are better at differentiating themselves.
- Differentiating themselves by standing out with a highly visible professional brand.
- Differentiating themselves by appealing to and attracting only those who need them the most, not just "everyone".
Instead of saying, "I'm better," ask the question "Better for whom?" and "Better at what?"
Let's say you're "objectively" better at customer service or closing deals, or winning cases, or getting people back more money from the IRS, or creating business value for your customers and clients.
If that is indeed the case, then the question remains, "Are you differentiating yourself from everyone to get noticed in the first place in a commoditized, saturated marketplace?"
Even past clients who are referring you might say, "She's the best". But that's usually not enough. The common response is, "How?" and "Why"?
Followed by, "She knew my market so well, she uncovered opportunities even my own staff didn't even think of." "She presented with such confidence, I was able to relax and close the deal."
Summary
You might be "better" at what you do.
But in order to get noticed and win deals, you need to differentiate yourself by focusing on answering, "Better for Whom?" and "Better at What?"
And then making those answers an integral part of how you project your professional brand.
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