Why marketing is so hard? By John Koetsier I’ve come to believe that marketing is easy

Focus Differentiation

For Solo Entrepreneurs, this is the most important method of differentiation, and in many ways, the easiest. Why? Because as a Solo Entrepreneur, you simply can't be everything to everybody, so you must pick a specific way to focus your business. Once you have done that, you have an automatic advantage over larger companies because you can become more of an expert in that one field --and you can build close relationships with key customers that will be hard to duplicate. For example, you might differentiate yourself through:

• Location - take advantage your closeness to prospective customers.
• Customer specialization - be very specific about what characteristics your customers will have for example, racing bicycle enthusiasts or companies with a spiritual conscience.
• Customer relationships - know customers really well, form partnerships with them, and get them to speak for you!
• Affinity relationships - associate your product/service with a well-known person or organization.
• One-stop shopping - offer everything your target market needs, in your area of expertise.
• Wide selection (within your niche) although this one may seem to be the opposite of focus - the key is to be very specific in one dimension and very broad in another.

Product/Service Offering Differentiation

How much you are able to differentiate your product or service offering will vary based on what type of business you are in. For instance, if you are in a highly regulated business, your options may be limited. Explore a totally new market or type of product or service, however, and the possibilities abound. The key to successful differentiation in this category, again, is to know your customers, really, really well. Talk to them often, and you will know what they need most and be able to offer it, long before your competitors know what is happening. For example, your product or service could stand out in one of these ways:

• Quality - create a product or service that is exceptional in one or more ways. Examples: Lasts longer --Better --Easier to use --Safer
• New/First - be the first one to offer something in your location/field.
• Features/Options - offer lots of choices, unusual combinations, or solve a problem for a customer in a way no one else does.
• Customization - as a Solo Entrepreneur, you may be able to more easily handle special orders than big, mass-market competitors.

Customer Service Differentiation

Have you noticed how customer service seems to be out of vogue these days? This situation makes excellent customer service a great opportunity for differentiation and another natural advantage for Solo Entrepreneurs that already know what s important to their customers. Build your reputation on making customers feel really good about doing business with you. Works great with referral marketing, too. Examples:

• Deliver Fast - next day, or one-hour--make it faster than customers think possible.
• Unique channel - offer a service over the phone or Internet instead of in person or in their office rather than yours.
• Service-delight customers! - it may seem expensive to offer exceptional service--but it pays off in word-of-mouth advertising.
• Before/during/after-sales support - provide technical or other support to customers using your product. You might use joint ventures to provide that support--but customers will perceive it as being from you!
• Guarantee/warranty - offer 100% money-back, or free replacement parts.
• YOU - offer yourself, your unique blend of talents and skills, to attract customers. Make sure they get access to you, too!

Keys to Successful Differentiation:

• Know your customers, really, really well.
• Pick a blend of differentiation methods that, in the eyes of your customers, truly sets you apart.
• Talk about your differentiation in terms of customer benefits.
• Tell everyone about what differentiates you--often.
• Keep your differentiation fresh by listening for changing customer needs.

Without business differentiation, all businesses selling the same product or service would be challenged to compete against one another, as the market's perception of the business can make or break an entrepreneur. The goal is to discover a niche in the marketplace that:

·  is large enough to make money;

·  small enough to position the business in a different light than the others in the market or area;

·  is well suited to the needs, skills, interests and strengths of the business, and;

·  fills a need in the marketplace.

Ways To Create Business Differentiation

Of the business differentiation list that follows, not all will fit any given entrepreneurial venture- and that's a good thing. Every business cannot compete on the same level, in the same way, and therefore why there are so many business differentiation methods and tactics to choose from. A marketing plan will be very helpful in this business differentiation decision making process, as it provides all of the business strategy needed.

This list is not comprehensive, but it is a good starting point. Do note that it is impossible for any one business to use all of the business differentiation tactics listed below, as it will muddy the message. This is a situation where less is most definitely more.

• Quality
• Service
• Price
• Perceived Value
• Durability
• Convenience
• Warranty
• Financing
• Range of Products/Services Offered
• Accessibility
• Production Method(s)
• Reliability
• Familiarity
• Credentialing

One Last Note On Business Differentiation

As an entrepreneur works through the how to start a business process, more business differentiation ideas will come to light, as well as different ways of implementing them. Just be sure that once a decision is made regarding business differentiation, that it isn't changed once its been put in place, as it can be extremely difficult to reposition a business, if downright impossible.

The image a business portrays in the marketplace - especially with smaller businesses or entrepreneurs- is how customers come to relate and refer to the business. Remove that, and clients can become confused, frustrated, and will likely go looking for another company to frequent that they feel is more stable and reliable.