What makes you unique? If your business does the same thing as your competition does, you’ll probably end up competing on price. And that never pays.
Marketing’s job is to give consumers the information they need to make the right choice: to buy from you. Here are a few stories I’ve collected about how businesses do more than they have to. That makes them special.
What makes you unique?
An Irrigation Company was called in to “bid” on a job at a beautiful estate in one of the wealthiest communities in the country. The homeowners wanted beautiful gardens, and were willing to pay for it. This summer, in the middle of a drought, large patches of their lawn was dying. But they were watering on a schedule recommended by their Sprinkler company. When my friend looked at the problem he was puzzled. He visited the home several times before, during, and after watering. Only by coming back several times did he figure out that the dead patches were becoming waterlogged and killing the grass. The problem wasn’t too little water, it was that the sprinkler heads needed better adjustment. The former sprinkler company didn’t bother looking that close. Fixing the problem only needed 10 minutes of adjustment. But the solution took several trips and attention to detail.
Two Connecticut students learned that run-off from chemical fertilizer was polluting Long Island Sound. The excess fertilizer would help algae to grow in the water. This lead to overgrowth and the algae which used up all the oxygen in the water, and it all died. The lack of oxygen also killed fish and shellfish. The students heard about the problem and thought up an idea for a less harmful fertilizer: recycled banana and orange skins. They tested the mixture and found that it was just as effective as chemical fertilizer but without causing algae blooms. Banana skins also contain elements that purify water. So now any excess run-off actually helps clean the water. The students won a DEP Prize, and have a unique new product.
What makes you unique?
Send us a story, and maybe we’ll publish it with a link to your website.