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Hub You - Differentiating Yourself from the Competition
FIRST IMPRESSIONS CAN KEEP YOU FROM OPPORTUNITIESMost people can identify situations in which they dismissed an opportunity that someone else capitalized on later. Often these opportunities were overlooked or rejected because they were perceived as dull, boring, or unpleasant. You may recall the fairy tale of "The Ugly Duckling." It is the story of a cast-off baby bird that is mistreated because it is unattractive to the young ducklings raised with it. Much to everyone's surprise the ugly duckling develops into a beautiful swan. Thus, what we call the unattractiveness stall prevents people from seeing potential because they make judgments based on insufficient knowledge.As you contemplate this point, it is worth remembering that if Alexander Fleming had been unwilling to work with the unpleasant green mold that affects stale bread, the world might not yet have the wonder drug penicillin and its heirs.DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE, I'll Break the CameraThe Taj MahalAll too frequently, management becomes engrossed in creating posh office space. Having feathered their nests, executives avoid the ugly duckling sites that need attention.In many companies, distribution is one such ugly duckling. Trucks and loading docks excite few corporate chieftains. Yet Wal-Mart struck gold by focusing on fast deliveries through warehouses serving constellations of stores. As
My dad visited his parents every other week for 40 years. He drove an hour into New York from our house in Connecticut. He took the Triborough Bridge over to Manhatten, then drove through the City to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge. The trip took him 90 minutes when there was no traffic, and 2 hours with traffic. When I moved to New York, I realized that my grandparents lived moments from the TriBorough Bridge, and all my dad had to do was to drive straight over the bridge and get off two exists past the bridge – about a 70 minute trip door to door – with no traffic ever. When I told him to try it, he just smiled patiently, and said, “Thanks. Interesting. Maybe. But I’ve gotten used to doing the trip this way. I don’t want to change.”
WHY CHANGE IF IT AIN’T BROKEN?
Why is it so hard to understand that people do not buy ideas or products just because the products are ‘better’ than what they’ve already got? Or because they are packaged well? Or because they are ‘physically beautiful and emotionally compelling’? Benefits of Defending Yourself with a Pepper Spray
Pepper spray is an inflammatory agent which is used to inflame the eyes and cause breathing difficulties, which in turn can cause a person who is attacking you to be put into a position where they are unable to cause any damage to you or your property. When a person is sprayed their eyes will literally clamp shut meaning they cannot see at all. If the person is standing, they will immediately be brought to their knees in a coughing fit and will be left with the ability to breath only small amounts of air, enough so that it is uncomfortable, but not restricted so much that it is life threatening.Although the effects of pepper spray depend on the strength of the spray, you can generally expect to disable your attacker for around 30 minutes, which should give you an adequate amount of time to contact the police and allow them to take things from there.You can buy pepper sprays in a variety of sizes, ranging from 0.5 ounces to 4 ounces. A size of around 2 ounces will be an adequate amount to protect yourself from a single attacker and will also fit neatly on your belt or can be put in your purse. When deciding what size to buy, you should always keep in mind that buying a smaller size could mean that it is more accessible for when the time comes that you need to use it. A larger size is generally only needed by law enforcement or professional security personnel.Different pr
I recently read a quote by Daniel Pink in the Harvard Business Review 2/04 issue:
”Businesses are realizing that the only way to differentiate their goods and services in today’s over-stocked, materially abundant marketplace is to make their offerings transcendent – physically beautiful and emotionally compelling.” (page 21). Interesting. What this says to me is that companies are having a difficult time closing sales, and still assume that buyers will buy either because of the product presentation or when they make an emotional decision. It also tells me that companies are still using their product to differentiate themselves. It’s a hard way to go.
WHY PEOPLE BUY
Buyers buy only when they need to solve a (business) problem. A purchased item might be their best solution, but they won’t buy until they understand and resolve all of the systems complications that the purchase itself will create.
In other words, your product would be considered as a solution only if - or when - it would fit efficiently within a buyer’s culture and won’t rock the boat. Just because it’s a great product, or because they need it/love it/want it, doesn’t mean the idiosyncratic systems within the buyer’s buying culture can make room for any of the changes that the purchase would entail.
Let me offer very simplistic example. Let’s say I was house hunting; I find the perfect house for my family and our space and use needs, but my husband hates it, the kids won’t be anywhere near their school or friends, and my dying mother would be an hour away rather than walking distance. I wouldn’t buy the house no matter how much I liked the house itself. Nothing to do with the house, or the agent, or my passion. Just that it wouldn’t fit into the system – or culture, if you will – that I live within. Purchasing is a systems-alignment decision, not a product decision.
THE SYSTEM OF BUYING DECISIONS
For those of you who have been reading my newsletters for years, or who have read any of my books, please be patient with me while I navigate this territory again:
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Buyers exist within a system. Whether it’s a woman buying a new brand of lipstick, a small company purchasing their first server, or a large company purchasing leadership training. All people, all groups, operate within systems (people, rules, relationships, initiatives, partnerships, beliefs, values, calendars) they have already set up. And systems don’t like to change. They just are the way they are. Are they healthy? Not necessarily. Are they effective? Not necessarily. Are they happy? Not necessarily. But they are stable because each element of the system exists as part of the fabric of the whole.
When change happens to a system, it faces chaos. Systems like stasis… they like being just as they are, for good or bad. You’ve heard of one member of a couple going to AA to get sober, and the other partner tries to get them to drink again to stabilize the system that has been. When one part of a system shifts, the whole system shifts.
Your clients would prefer to keep doing what they are already doing. They also would prefer to operate optimally without any additional effort. But any change to an existent system will create its own form of chaos.
To begin with, the status quo doesn’t understand there is anything wrong. It all seems so normal to them – it’s always just been that way after all. So before the system decides to do something different, it first must understand that it needs to change. Then it needs to understand how to manage the change with what’s familiar so there is a minimum of disruption. If it can’t find a fix for the problem with familiar resources, it needs to seek an unfamiliar solution. And that runs a great risk of creating disruption.
WHY CHANGE?
How will the static system bring in or manage something foreign if it doesn’t know what might go wrong? There is a very simple reason why CRM implementations cost $5 extra to manage the people issues for every $1 of software: the team or group or company did not have the skills in place to help the different groups (users, managers, techies) collaborate, nor did they understand many of the technology- or people-issues that this new software would uncover. The time it takes buyers to understand and recognize all of the variables that need to be managed when something new enters their established culture is the length of the sales cycle. It has nothing to do with the product!
Until or unless a system (a family, a team, an individual, a company, a department….) knows how to recognize, understand, manage, and solve the disruption issues that will arise when they make a change (such as make a purchase or adopt a new idea, for example), they will not do anything different. Hence the length of the sales cycle.
To give you an idea of how difficult it is for systems to even recognize a problem and face the confusion of changing what always has been, let me offer a simple analogy: Let’s say you have a TV but only watch Channel 4. You’ve never changed channels. You know every show on every night. Some you like, some you don’t, some you watch… but you don’t need a TV guide. It’s just familiar. Let’s say I come along and ask if you could turn the TV to Channel 10 for me. Channel 10?? You’ve never switched channels. You have no way of knowing if the TV will even do that! But you hesitantly turn to Channel 10, and see a show you’ve never heard of. So, what do you do? Do you sit down and watch everything on Channel 10? Or do you try to learn what’s new on Channel 10 that you would like better, and get rid of old familiar choices? How do you choose? Do you go back to Channel 4 because you’ve always done that? Do you give up everything you’ve ever watched because now you have a new resource?
My dad visited his parents every other week for 40 years. He drove an hour into New York from our house in Connecticut. He took the Triborough Bridge over to Manhatten, then drove through the City to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge. The trip took him 90 minutes when there was no traffic, and 2 hours with traffic. When I moved to New York, I realized that my grandparents lived moments from the TriBorough Bridge, and all my dad had to do was to drive straight over the bridge and get off two exists past the bridge – about a 70 minute trip door to door – with no traffic ever. When I told him to try it, he just smiled patiently, and said, “Thanks. Interesting. Maybe. But I’ve gotten used to doing the trip this way. I don’t want to change.”
WHY CHANGE IF IT AIN’T BROKEN?
Why is it so hard to understand that people do not buy ideas or products just because the products are ‘better’ than what they’ve already got? Or because they are packaged well? Or because they are ‘physically beautiful and emotionally compelling’? How To Use Association And Organizations Membership To Get New Clients For Your Business?
Most people join organization and associations but never utilize their benefits. As a serious business owner, and we at CD&C Business & Legal Form Processing Services, LLC (“CD&C”) would like to think we fall in that category, growing your business should be at the top of your priorities. Joining a business association/organization could help you get new clients/customers and possibly increase your business sales and recognition. Organization and associations offers several benefits that may enhance your business. Some of the benefits includes but are not limited to the following:Workshops, seminars, webinars, conferences and teleconferences. These benefits allow you to network with your peers, open discussions about what is going on in your industry, what others are doing and possibly put you in contact with potential clients/customers.Webinars and teleconferences are often offered online and by telephone where you can listen and participate in the comfort of your home. Often time you are allowed to record the teleconferences so that you can view and listen to them whenever convenient for you.Attending organization and associations meetings keeps you informed of the changes in your industry such as new products and services, discussion of new ideas and a review on how the industry is doing in general.Forums/Notice boards provide a place for you and your pe buyer’s culture and won’t rock the boat. Just because it’s a great product, or because they need it/love it/want it, doesn’t mean the idiosyncratic systems within the buyer’s buying culture can make room for any of the changes that the purchase would entail.
Let me offer very simplistic example. Let’s say I was house hunting; I find the perfect house for my family and our space and use needs, but my husband hates it, the kids won’t be anywhere near their school or friends, and my dying mother would be an hour away rather than walking distance. I wouldn’t buy the house no matter how much I liked the house itself. Nothing to do with the house, or the agent, or my passion. Just that it wouldn’t fit into the system – or culture, if you will – that I live within. Purchasing is a systems-alignment decision, not a product decision.
THE SYSTEM OF BUYING DECISIONS
For those of you who have been reading my newsletters for years, or who have read any of my books, please be patient with me while I navigate this territory again:
Get a $25 credit with Overture Search Advertising
Buyers exist within a system. Whether it’s a woman buying a new brand of lipstick, a small company purchasing their first server, or a large company purchasing leadership training. All people, all groups, operate within systems (people, rules, relationships, initiatives, partnerships, beliefs, values, calendars) they have already set up. And systems don’t like to change. They just are the way they are. Are they healthy? Not necessarily. Are they effective? Not necessarily. Are they happy? Not necessarily. But they are stable because each element of the system exists as part of the fabric of the whole.
When change happens to a system, it faces chaos. Systems like stasis… they like being just as they are, for good or bad. You’ve heard of one member of a couple going to AA to get sober, and the other partner tries to get them to drink again to stabilize the system that has been. When one part of a system shifts, the whole system shifts.
Your clients would prefer to keep doing what they are already doing. They also would prefer to operate optimally without any additional effort. But any change to an existent system will create its own form of chaos.
To begin with, the status quo doesn’t understand there is anything wrong. It all seems so normal to them – it’s always just been that way after all. So before the system decides to do something different, it first must understand that it needs to change. Then it needs to understand how to manage the change with what’s familiar so there is a minimum of disruption. If it can’t find a fix for the problem with familiar resources, it needs to seek an unfamiliar solution. And that runs a great risk of creating disruption.
WHY CHANGE?
How will the static system bring in or manage something foreign if it doesn’t know what might go wrong? There is a very simple reason why CRM implementations cost $5 extra to manage the people issues for every $1 of software: the team or group or company did not have the skills in place to help the different groups (users, managers, techies) collaborate, nor did they understand many of the technology- or people-issues that this new software would uncover. The time it takes buyers to understand and recognize all of the variables that need to be managed when something new enters their established culture is the length of the sales cycle. It has nothing to do with the product!
Until or unless a system (a family, a team, an individual, a company, a department….) knows how to recognize, understand, manage, and solve the disruption issues that will arise when they make a change (such as make a purchase or adopt a new idea, for example), they will not do anything different. Hence the length of the sales cycle.
To give you an idea of how difficult it is for systems to even recognize a problem and face the confusion of changing what always has been, let me offer a simple analogy: Let’s say you have a TV but only watch Channel 4. You’ve never changed channels. You know every show on every night. Some you like, some you don’t, some you watch… but you don’t need a TV guide. It’s just familiar. Let’s say I come along and ask if you could turn the TV to Channel 10 for me. Channel 10?? You’ve never switched channels. You have no way of knowing if the TV will even do that! But you hesitantly turn to Channel 10, and see a show you’ve never heard of. So, what do you do? Do you sit down and watch everything on Channel 10? Or do you try to learn what’s new on Channel 10 that you would like better, and get rid of old familiar choices? How do you choose? Do you go back to Channel 4 because you’ve always done that? Do you give up everything you’ve ever watched because now you have a new resource?
My dad visited his parents every other week for 40 years. He drove an hour into New York from our house in Connecticut. He took the Triborough Bridge over to Manhatten, then drove through the City to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge. The trip took him 90 minutes when there was no traffic, and 2 hours with traffic. When I moved to New York, I realized that my grandparents lived moments from the TriBorough Bridge, and all my dad had to do was to drive straight over the bridge and get off two exists past the bridge – about a 70 minute trip door to door – with no traffic ever. When I told him to try it, he just smiled patiently, and said, “Thanks. Interesting. Maybe. But I’ve gotten used to doing the trip this way. I don’t want to change.”
WHY CHANGE IF IT AIN’T BROKEN?
Why is it so hard to understand that people do not buy ideas or products just because the products are ‘better’ than what they’ve already got? Or because they are packaged well? Or because they are ‘physically beautiful and emotionally compelling’? The Mathematics of a Firefight
When you examine the mathematics of a firefight, it’s easy to see why the big company usually wins. Let’s say that the Red squad with nine soldiers meets a Blue squad with six. Red has a 50 percent numerical superiority over the Blue. 9 versus 6. Or it could be 90 versus 60 or 9000 versus 6000. It makes no difference what the number are, the principle is the same.Let’s also say that, on the average, one out of every three shots will inflict a casualty.After the first volley, the situation will have changed drastically. Instead of a 9 to 6 advantage, Red would have a 7 to 3 advantage. From a 50 percent superiority in force to a more than 100 percent superiority.The same deadly multiplication effect continues with the passage of time.After the second volley, the score would be 6 to 1 in favor of Red.After the third volley, Blue would be wiped out completely.Notice how the casualties were divided between the two sides. The superior force (Red) suffered only half the casualties of the inferior force (Blue).This result may be just the opposite of what you have been led to believe by all those Hollywood movies-the handful of marines decimating a company of Japanese before the marines are finally overrun.In real life it’s different. What happens when a Volkswagen Beetle hits a GMG bus in a head-on collision? You wind up with a few scratches o change. They just are the way they are. Are they healthy? Not necessarily. Are they effective? Not necessarily. Are they happy? Not necessarily. But they are stable because each element of the system exists as part of the fabric of the whole.
When change happens to a system, it faces chaos. Systems like stasis… they like being just as they are, for good or bad. You’ve heard of one member of a couple going to AA to get sober, and the other partner tries to get them to drink again to stabilize the system that has been. When one part of a system shifts, the whole system shifts.
Your clients would prefer to keep doing what they are already doing. They also would prefer to operate optimally without any additional effort. But any change to an existent system will create its own form of chaos.
To begin with, the status quo doesn’t understand there is anything wrong. It all seems so normal to them – it’s always just been that way after all. So before the system decides to do something different, it first must understand that it needs to change. Then it needs to understand how to manage the change with what’s familiar so there is a minimum of disruption. If it can’t find a fix for the problem with familiar resources, it needs to seek an unfamiliar solution. And that runs a great risk of creating disruption.
WHY CHANGE?
How will the static system bring in or manage something foreign if it doesn’t know what might go wrong? There is a very simple reason why CRM implementations cost $5 extra to manage the people issues for every $1 of software: the team or group or company did not have the skills in place to help the different groups (users, managers, techies) collaborate, nor did they understand many of the technology- or people-issues that this new software would uncover. The time it takes buyers to understand and recognize all of the variables that need to be managed when something new enters their established culture is the length of the sales cycle. It has nothing to do with the product!
Until or unless a system (a family, a team, an individual, a company, a department….) knows how to recognize, understand, manage, and solve the disruption issues that will arise when they make a change (such as make a purchase or adopt a new idea, for example), they will not do anything different. Hence the length of the sales cycle.
To give you an idea of how difficult it is for systems to even recognize a problem and face the confusion of changing what always has been, let me offer a simple analogy: Let’s say you have a TV but only watch Channel 4. You’ve never changed channels. You know every show on every night. Some you like, some you don’t, some you watch… but you don’t need a TV guide. It’s just familiar. Let’s say I come along and ask if you could turn the TV to Channel 10 for me. Channel 10?? You’ve never switched channels. You have no way of knowing if the TV will even do that! But you hesitantly turn to Channel 10, and see a show you’ve never heard of. So, what do you do? Do you sit down and watch everything on Channel 10? Or do you try to learn what’s new on Channel 10 that you would like better, and get rid of old familiar choices? How do you choose? Do you go back to Channel 4 because you’ve always done that? Do you give up everything you’ve ever watched because now you have a new resource?
My dad visited his parents every other week for 40 years. He drove an hour into New York from our house in Connecticut. He took the Triborough Bridge over to Manhatten, then drove through the City to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge. The trip took him 90 minutes when there was no traffic, and 2 hours with traffic. When I moved to New York, I realized that my grandparents lived moments from the TriBorough Bridge, and all my dad had to do was to drive straight over the bridge and get off two exists past the bridge – about a 70 minute trip door to door – with no traffic ever. When I told him to try it, he just smiled patiently, and said, “Thanks. Interesting. Maybe. But I’ve gotten used to doing the trip this way. I don’t want to change.”
WHY CHANGE IF IT AIN’T BROKEN?
Why is it so hard to understand that people do not buy ideas or products just because the products are ‘better’ than what they’ve already got? Or because they are packaged well? Or because they are ‘physically beautiful and emotionally compelling’? Metal Detectors Ratings
Metal detectors can be employed for a variety of applications in security, humanitarian, and industrial sectors. Metal detectors ratings are helpful for newcomers to choose metal detectors that are apt for them. Generally, metal detectors are rated by cost effectiveness, features, functions and usability.Different types of metal detectors are available. Typical metal detectors come with less features and buttons, but some are more complicated. If a customer wishes to choose metal detectors for extended use, it is better to select those with electronic features. The price of metal detectors may vary, based on features and functions. Aside from the normal rates of a detector, the customer must also spend on headphones, beach scoops, trowels, detector bag or coil cover. A good headphone extends the sound of the warning signal.The criteria to be considered for high ranking are usability and features. Prices are yet another consideration in metal detector ratings. Metal detectors are available from under $75. Some of the top brand names such as Garrett Master Hunter CX plus and Garrett GTI 2500, range from $500 to $1000.The most reputed dealers offer metal detectors with sophisticated features and functions. In order to stay ahead in the competitive field, companies are searching for more innovative ideas. Some companies offer metal detectors with boost amplifier and tone covery simple reason why CRM implementations cost $5 extra to manage the people issues for every $1 of software: the team or group or company did not have the skills in place to help the different groups (users, managers, techies) collaborate, nor did they understand many of the technology- or people-issues that this new software would uncover. The time it takes buyers to understand and recognize all of the variables that need to be managed when something new enters their established culture is the length of the sales cycle. It has nothing to do with the product!
Until or unless a system (a family, a team, an individual, a company, a department….) knows how to recognize, understand, manage, and solve the disruption issues that will arise when they make a change (such as make a purchase or adopt a new idea, for example), they will not do anything different. Hence the length of the sales cycle.
To give you an idea of how difficult it is for systems to even recognize a problem and face the confusion of changing what always has been, let me offer a simple analogy: Let’s say you have a TV but only watch Channel 4. You’ve never changed channels. You know every show on every night. Some you like, some you don’t, some you watch… but you don’t need a TV guide. It’s just familiar. Let’s say I come along and ask if you could turn the TV to Channel 10 for me. Channel 10?? You’ve never switched channels. You have no way of knowing if the TV will even do that! But you hesitantly turn to Channel 10, and see a show you’ve never heard of. So, what do you do? Do you sit down and watch everything on Channel 10? Or do you try to learn what’s new on Channel 10 that you would like better, and get rid of old familiar choices? How do you choose? Do you go back to Channel 4 because you’ve always done that? Do you give up everything you’ve ever watched because now you have a new resource?
My dad visited his parents every other week for 40 years. He drove an hour into New York from our house in Connecticut. He took the Triborough Bridge over to Manhatten, then drove through the City to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge. The trip took him 90 minutes when there was no traffic, and 2 hours with traffic. When I moved to New York, I realized that my grandparents lived moments from the TriBorough Bridge, and all my dad had to do was to drive straight over the bridge and get off two exists past the bridge – about a 70 minute trip door to door – with no traffic ever. When I told him to try it, he just smiled patiently, and said, “Thanks. Interesting. Maybe. But I’ve gotten used to doing the trip this way. I don’t want to change.”
WHY CHANGE IF IT AIN’T BROKEN?
Why is it so hard to understand that people do not buy ideas or products just because the products are ‘better’ than what they’ve already got? Or because they are packaged well? Or because they are ‘physically beautiful and emotionally compelling’? Quick Turning vs Speculation in Commercial Real Estate
Understanding how specific investment strategies can affect your entire commercial real estate process. A popular topic of commercial real estate is what is known as quick turning. The media has caught on to this phenomenon and generalized it. Many of the things you may have heard about quick turning are not as simple as they make them look. The general public has confused the arena of quick turning to include simple speculation. While the differences may not be apparent at first, if we delve deeper, there are several key variations.The first way to look at speculating is that it is performed by the absolute amateurs in real estate. This is not what an experienced commercial property investor would ever do. Now, I’m not going to say that a speculator can not make any money, because they sometimes do. However, if they do, their success is more related to luck than anything. Their success depends on which market that they invest in and the timing in which they invest. Making money to the speculator is much more a game of chance than the expert investor.The media as a whole has made the quick turning professional look like someone who is simply shooting in the dark. They make them appear to be rolling the dice and hoping for the best. In reality, this is simply not the case. Quick turning is almost a scientific process. There are specific criteria that must be met in order to suct! But you hesitantly turn to Channel 10, and see a show you’ve never heard of. So, what do you do? Do you sit down and watch everything on Channel 10? Or do you try to learn what’s new on Channel 10 that you would like better, and get rid of old familiar choices? How do you choose? Do you go back to Channel 4 because you’ve always done that? Do you give up everything you’ve ever watched because now you have a new resource?
My dad visited his parents every other week for 40 years. He drove an hour into New York from our house in Connecticut. He took the Triborough Bridge over to Manhatten, then drove through the City to Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge. The trip took him 90 minutes when there was no traffic, and 2 hours with traffic. When I moved to New York, I realized that my grandparents lived moments from the TriBorough Bridge, and all my dad had to do was to drive straight over the bridge and get off two exists past the bridge – about a 70 minute trip door to door – with no traffic ever. When I told him to try it, he just smiled patiently, and said, “Thanks. Interesting. Maybe. But I’ve gotten used to doing the trip this way. I don’t want to change.”
WHY CHANGE IF IT AIN’T BROKEN?
Why is it so hard to understand that people do not buy ideas or products just because the products are ‘better’ than what they’ve already got? Or because they are packaged well? Or because they are ‘physically beautiful and emotionally compelling’?
People make purchases when they recognize what they are doing isn’t working AND they can’t fix the problem with any familiar fixes AND they learn how to manage the changes that making a purchase creates. Even a small change to an existent system will create some form of disruption. And systems (groups, teams, families, companies, people) don’t like disruption.
I’ve had clients go back to their old sales methods, even with proven 600% increases in sales that resulted from my training with them, because they didn’t want to manage the internal systems issues that were changing with the new sales methods – the supervision and management issues, the changes in compensation, the considerations that the six sigma folks had to add to their measurement systems….
While it all could have been managed easily, it certainly caused a measure of disruption that no one, outside of the sales group, wanted to deal with. But my training was great, the folks loved it, it produced significant results, the sales cycles were reduced, yadayada… but my product excellence had nothing to do with the implementation of the changes in the system it sat within.
TRUE DIFFERENTIATION
The best way to differentiate yourself is to show your customer that you are willing and able to lead them through the learning process necessary to manage the changes that making a purchase will create.
Let’s assume that you have a great product, that you are a great salesperson, and that you and your company offer world-class service. The step that you need to take to increase sales and differentiate yourself from your competition is to offer buyers the help they need in order to:
* Take a good look around their environment to understand their systems and see if anything is missing (in the way of products, capabilities and communication);
* See how they can fix the problem with what’s there already;
* Understand how to manage the variables that will shift once a new solution is added to the system.
Whether the fix would involve a different vendor, or teams aligning themselves differently, or people being moved around, or partners being invited in to the mix, the buyer would have to figure it all out and come up with parameters for their unique solution before they bought your product.
So offer a product that is transcendent, beautiful, and compelling, just to maintain your position in the market. But, have that be your secondary activity. Use your unique position within your company – as the representative of your company – to create a true brand presence through your client relationship and as a true trusted advisor.
This will offer a vantage point for buyers that they haven’t had before as they’ve been too close to the problem. As a result, you will:
* be on the decision team (so long as you haven’t use the opportunity to push your product in any way);
* make the decision cycle much, much shorter;
* have differentiated yourself from your competition by being a true consultant/advisor;
* show your buyer you have the ability to collaborate with them through their decisions and implementation issues;
* reduce your presentations, proposals, travel costs.
* will also give the buyer the skills to be able to align all of the pieces that need to be managed prior to them making a purchase, so the buying decision cycle is shorter (from 3 years to 4 months, from one year to one month, etc.).
If you want to differentiate your product, use your unique role to help buyers make their purchasing decisions efficiently. This, above all else, will be your differentiator above and beyond any product you could offer. This will truly differentiate you from the rest of the marketplace.
Remember that until the buyer does all this, they won’t purchase a thing no matter how transcendent your product is.
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