AMiable Solution #34: Marketing Lessons Learned from Watching Cartoons: Differentiate Your Product

When she was young--elementary school age, I believe--a friend of mine kept an 11 x 17 sheet of paper taped to her bedroom door. It contained her Christmas wish list. Every time she saw a commercial for a toy she wanted, even one she hadn't previously considered, she ran to the paper and added the toy to the list.


How do you get your product or service on someone's "wish list"? How do you make your offer stand out among the barrage of offers and inspire an instant desire? Focus on what makes it better than the competition, what makes it different:

• Features. Does your product or service include a feature, maybe even a minor one, that your competitors' products or services lack? If so, it just may be enough to tip the scales in your favor. The more you know about your offer and your prospective customers' needs and preferences, the greater the chance you have of differentiating your product by feature.

• Location/accessibility. Is your product or service easy to get? Do clients or prospects have to visit a physical location, or can they conduct business via the internet, over the phone, or through the mail? If you offer an easier option than your competitors, this may be your focal selling point.

• Price. How does your selling price compare to your competitors'? This one gets tricky. Higher-than-average prices could be perceived as either exclusive/higher quality or as a rip-off. Lower-than-average prices could be perceived as either a steal or a stinker. In either case, your marketing must justify and defend--without being defensive--your pricing position and reassure prospects and customers about the quality of your product or service.

• Customer service. Nothing frustrates most people more than poor customer service. Communication barriers, poor or nonexistent responses, slow response times, and lack of knowledge or sympathy for a customer's concerns or problems can turn a current customer into a former customer. However, if you promote and promise quality customer service, support that promise with testimonials, and provide satisfying customer service experiences on a regular basis, you may have the distinguishing factor that others just can't beat.

Do you have a better suggestion to offer or a challenge you'd like help with? Say it here. Your comments are always welcome.