are left with choosing one company over the other on price or convenience. And while some companies can operate in this arena for a while, it ultimately moves them closer to extinction and means they’ll never be able to command a healthy price for their products or services.

And businesses will continue to compete in this way until they do something to alter their prospects’ perce

The first question every potential customer, client, patient, etc. should ask when shopping for products or services is, “Why should I do business with you?” This question is so basic, so reasonable, so simple… a complete “no-brainer” for anyone in business, right?

Apparently not, because very few business owners and entrepreneurs know how to answer it! And although they don’t come right out and say, “You should do business with us, because we’re pretty much the same as our competitors but we’re good at it,” but it amounts to pretty much the same thing. Not much differentiation there.

Customers see parity everywhere. They are bombarded daily with advertisements for just about everything and have learned to tune out most of the “noise”. As consumer loyalty becomes a thing of the past companies are scrambling to invent new ways of acquiring that ever-elusive buyer, exacerbated by the vast number of new choices available on the internet and the relative ease of purchase.

In this environment it is even more important for businesses to “stand out from the herd”… to avoid being lumped into the “commodity basket. What is a commodity? Simply put: Goods that are perceived as identical and therefore must compete on price.

Companies are forced into this undesirable place primarily because their “inside reality” does not match “outside perception.” In other words, consumers may look at your business; your competitors’ businesses; and/or some completely unrelated business and view them as the same thing. Therefore, they are left with choosing one company over the other on price or convenience. And while some companies can operate in this arena for a while, it ultimately moves them closer to extinction and means they’ll never be able to command a healthy price for their products or services.

And businesses will continue to compete in this way until they do something to alter their prospects’ percep

me right out and say, “You should do business with us, because we’re pretty much the same as our competitors but we’re good at it,” but it amounts to pretty much the same thing. Not much differentiation there.

Customers see parity everywhere. They are bombarded daily with advertisements for just about everything and have learned to tune out most of the “noise”. As consumer loyalty becomes a thing of the past companies are scrambling to invent new ways of acquiring that ever-elusive buyer, exacerbated by the vast number of new choices available on the internet and the relative ease of purchase.

In this environment it is even more important for businesses to “stand out from the herd”… to avoid being lumped into the “commodity basket. What is a commodity? Simply put: Goods that are perceived as identical and therefore must compete on price.

Companies are forced into this undesirable place primarily because their “inside reality” does not match “outside perception.” In other words, consumers may look at your business; your competitors’ businesses; and/or some completely unrelated business and view them as the same thing. Therefore, they are left with choosing one company over the other on price or convenience. And while some companies can operate in this arena for a while, it ultimately moves them closer to extinction and means they’ll never be able to command a healthy price for their products or services.

And businesses will continue to compete in this way until they do something to alter their prospects’ perce

becomes a thing of the past companies are scrambling to invent new ways of acquiring that ever-elusive buyer, exacerbated by the vast number of new choices available on the internet and the relative ease of purchase.

In this environment it is even more important for businesses to “stand out from the herd”… to avoid being lumped into the “commodity basket. What is a commodity? Simply put: Goods that are perceived as identical and therefore must compete on price.

Companies are forced into this undesirable place primarily because their “inside reality” does not match “outside perception.” In other words, consumers may look at your business; your competitors’ businesses; and/or some completely unrelated business and view them as the same thing. Therefore, they are left with choosing one company over the other on price or convenience. And while some companies can operate in this arena for a while, it ultimately moves them closer to extinction and means they’ll never be able to command a healthy price for their products or services.

And businesses will continue to compete in this way until they do something to alter their prospects’ perce

ply put: Goods that are perceived as identical and therefore must compete on price.

Companies are forced into this undesirable place primarily because their “inside reality” does not match “outside perception.” In other words, consumers may look at your business; your competitors’ businesses; and/or some completely unrelated business and view them as the same thing. Therefore, they are left with choosing one company over the other on price or convenience. And while some companies can operate in this arena for a while, it ultimately moves them closer to extinction and means they’ll never be able to command a healthy price for their products or services.

And businesses will continue to compete in this way until they do something to alter their prospects’ perce

are left with choosing one company over the other on price or convenience. And while some companies can operate in this arena for a while, it ultimately moves them closer to extinction and means they’ll never be able to command a healthy price for their products or services.

And businesses will continue to compete in this way until they do something to alter their prospects’ perceptions! Remember, perception is reality, even if it’s not true!

Surpassing the Commodity Ambush

The greatest challenge for any business today is learning how to create and articulate their unique benefits, thus surpassing the “commodity trap”. However, this can be accomplished relatively easy using a step-by step approach.

The first step is recognizing and acknowledging that the marketplace sees you as a commodity. Don’t fight it — it’s a competitively powerful perspective to admit you’re pretty much the same as your competitors; to be realistic and see your company through the eyes of your customers and prospective customers.

Next, you must identify the specifics area where your “inside reality” doesn’t match “outside perceptions” by asking current, prospective and former customers to help you identify gaps. These can be skewed in several different ways.

For instance, let’s assume that you’re the most knowledgeable, educated and competent financial advisor in your area, having earned and saved your clients much more than your competitors. At a networking event you give your business card to a qualified prospect in need of your services and you schedule an initial meeting in your office. However, when the prospect arrives the waiting room is bland and the sofa upholstery is threadbare; the rest rooms are in desperate need of cleaning; your receptionist is curt; your office is a mess and you can’t find the forms you need.

Then you spend the next hour reiterating the professional qualities you posses –