You Asked ...

A question frequently asked by my new Clients is: How can I compete in the crowded marketplace when my competitors have products with features/benefits almost identical to mine?

The answer simply put, is to continue to promote your product's features/benefits AND create a positive "buying experience" for your customers. Creating such a buying experience will require you to analyze the processes, systems and procedures that you currently use in your business. Even the smallest procedure should be reviewed.

Consider the following tale of two candy stores.

Two candy stores were located beside each other across from a school. Every day at recess and lunchtime the children would visit the candy stores to buy their favorite candy. Each store sold similar and sometimes identical candy. Each store sold 1/4 lb of candy for 50 cents.

Amazing, one store enjoyed having more than 70 percent of the children buy at their store, leaving less than 30 percent to buy at the other store. Why the vast difference in market share? The answer lies in the "buying experience" created by the store owner who captured 70 percent of the local market. What was this "buying experience" you might ask? It had to do with how the customer was served.

In the successful candy store the child would choose which candy he/she wanted to buy. The sales clerk would then drop the selected candy onto the weigh scale ONE PIECE AT A TIME UNTIL 1/4 lb WAS REACHED. In the other candy store the sales clerk would simply drop a large scoop of candy onto the weigh scale and would then REMOVE candy from the scale until 1/4 lb was reached. And to the customer seeing candy being added to their purchase was a much more positive and satisfying "buying experience" than seeing candy removed.

And now you know the secret to how you can stand apart from your competition.