How to Embrace What Sets Your Business Apart

I once had a marketing professor who walked in and called roll on the first day of class. Slowly, he called each student’s name, located them in the room, and asked, “What makes you different?”

A wave of panic swept through my very being as thoughts raced through my mind. Was I different from my classmates? If so, why? And what made me different in a way that would ensure this professor would remember me?

And why did he ultimately want to know what made each of his students different? It must have been relevant to marketing…but how?

Over the next few minutes, several students responded about where they were from, how old they were, or the bizarre things they wished to do with their business degrees once they received them. But all of the responses sounded so…ordinary and forgettable.

But there was one quality at that time that set me apart from so many of the other students. It was a quality I had been taught by my father (the most remarkable businessman I ever knew) that was possessed by few and embraced by successful businesspeople. I knew that, in this class, I had to reveal it.

My hands began to sweat as he finally came to my name. Slowly I stood, nodded at the professor and boldly announced,

“My name is Alison Raymer and I am different because I respect but am not afraid of failure.”

It was a statement that would resonate with my marketing professor, among others, and make me a top pick for business competitions on the local and national levels throughout my business student career.

Being fearful of failure isn’t the point. But being different is.

In a marketplace full of products that may appear similar to the uneducated eye, it can be difficult for consumers to know why they should choose your company.

And, even more importantly, in an economy where price is king, it is even more critical to help your customers understand how you will deliver to their expectations and add value in a way that is superior to your competitors.

So, what makes you and your organization different? And how do you let your customers know how you differ?

While I cannot answer those questions for you, I can challenge you to think about them over the next month and weigh the various manners in which you set yourself apart. When considering this challenge, open your mind and allow yourself to be creative in recalling the successes and failures that have molded your company into the business it is today.

After discovering why you are genuinely different, think of ways to communicate these differences to your customer base effectively. Your answers may surprise you.

Article originally published in the MBNews 2012