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What distinguishes you from your competition?

Cre8iveOneCre8iveOne subscriber Posts: 11
edited April 2015 in Thought Leadership
Unless your business is so unique that it has no competition, what will you do (or are you doing) to set yourself a part from those businesses that are similar to yours to attract clients/customers?The event planning industry is beyond competitive and the wedding planning sector, specifically, is fierce.  I will be living minutes away from a major city in the new state that I will be moving to this summer and am thinking about the competition.  I know I will need to find a niche to stand out and would like to know your thoughts/suggestions.As always, a sincere "thank you" for your anticipated kind responses

Comments

  • NuevolutionNuevolution subscriber Posts: 30 Bronze Level Member
    Well one thing that I am doing to distinguish my business from other`s is
    1. 24/7 Customer service on Web Hosting and Web development2. Offer domain name registration, Web Hosting, and Web Development where the client has access to all their information. This makes them feel secure and in charge. Example: they have access to their domain name registrar, They have a Plesk 7.5 Control panel to add email or any other services that I offer.3. They can call me anytime and I am available to offer them support even on a Sunday while in church.4. I give them free consultation, and adviseand most of all I offer them a healthy business realtionship.5. My "number 1 service" I will travel anywhere in the US to meet with my customer so we won`t be just a voice over the phone."This is at no extra cost to them" it`s out of my own pocket.Nuevolution2006-4-27 17:47:54
  • keyconkeycon subscriber Posts: 34
    Cre8iveOne,
    Suggestion: Since you are about to move to a new city, grab the phone book for that city and sit down with the phone and a note pad and call every wedding planning business in the phone book. Do your own competitive marketing analysis.
    By calling every competitor, you will find out where the missing link(s) lies. Ask lots of questions - the ones you know your potential customers will ask. What services do they offer. The prices they charge. References. Websites. And on and on and on. Drill down and get the details. How did you feel while talking to these companies and their representatives. Of course, you will use an alias and wrong phone number when they ask - and yes, this is a "white lie" - but competitive intel gathering requires this stray from the straight and narrow - it is OK. Write it all down. Do not stop until you have surveyed the entire market and what the service providers have to offer. Then ... develop your offering and your marketing plan based on what is missing and what you think is needed. Write your story based on this intel.
    R@
  • MelissaMelissa subscriber Posts: 7
    Although it is a method of finding your niche, I disagree with the covert call method.  Think of it from the perspective of whether you would appreciate someone calling you and taking up time that you could be spending on a true customer. Yes, I know - it`s not personal, it`s business. Yes, the wedding and event industry is competitive.  And yes, you do need to find out who else is out there and what they`re offering, but I think there are better ways of going about it especially since in this industry finding out who your competitors are isn`t very difficult.
    For one, there are sites like The Knot, Wedding Channel and Wedding Solutions that will have most of the serious competitors listed - you can find them by area and then just pop over to their website and see what they`re about.  Visiting websites is a good way to see who is out there and what they`re doing without being deceptive.  This is how I have done a lot of my research and I have a great grasp of what is out there and where I can make a difference and "fit in."
    When you`re considering competition and what not, keep in mind that this is a highly referral-based (i.e., word of mouth) business.  There are things that can be done to gain more referrals (setting up referral relationships with non-competing vendors, such as photographers, caterers, etc). There are also some excellent resources out there that talk about gaining a competitive edge in the bridal industry via marketing and conversion strategies that mesh well with the target markets.  One particularly useful resource is www.sellthebride.com</A>.  Brian Lawrence is a trusted industry leader (he helped create Encore Studios whom you might know was used by Starr Jones for her wedding invitations) and I think you`ll find he has a lot of great insight.
    I think these resources will give you an idea of what you can do to be different and create value that potential clients will crave. 
  • Cre8iveOneCre8iveOne subscriber Posts: 11
    Very informative responses.  Thank you!  I truly do appreciate them.
  • jasonburtonjasonburton subscriber Posts: 0 Member
    When it comes to advertising and promotional plans, try to hire voice artist to any of your commercial ad campaign, such as in video/tv and radio ads. Voice over acting if with good cool interesting voice and presentations can attract more clients. To get more ideas of voice acting for marketing, just get in touch with http://www.debbieirwin.com/
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