A Slick Way to Position Yourself And Outsell Your Competition

Business in America – isn't it great? It's also challenging. So challenging, in fact, that you can never let up. Take it easy and rest on your laurels and you're “toast”, as they say.

Well here's a great way to place yourself in the lead position, at least for awhile. What's so beautiful about this is that it's based on truth ... and it works!

Here's what you do:

First, it's time to do a little spying to find out what your competition is up to. So begin with a little research. What you want to do is create a profile of how you match up with your competition (at first for your eyes only).

A great place to begin is with Google.

Often a competitor will only offer a single product, or a single service such as yours. Or, depending on their business model, they may offer several products which are identical. Now what do you do?

The best way to begin is to pick out the one main area where you find yourself constantly competing. If there are several, or several which overlap and you're having a hard time deciding, narrow your choice down to these two areas.

Ask yourself this: Which of my products is 'hot' right now? That is, which one prompts the most inquiries in a typical week (or whatever your selling/buying cycle happens to be)? Which service of mine brings me the most traffic? What can I use to gain the most attention? So that's the first choice. Traffic. Find the one thing you offer that drives the greatest number of people to your site or through your door.

The second area is profit (which may or may not be the same as your traffic generator). Ask yourself: Which product of mine that brings me the most profit, am I constantly in a head-to-head battle with against my competitors? What one service makes me the most money per sale?

Once you've made a careful evaluation, choose the area you want to compete with first – volume or profits?

Now, put yourself in the shoes of your ideal client or customer. (Assuming you've done prior research and have an ideal customer profile this shouldn't be too hard for you). Concentrate on this customer so you can think like they do as you begin your research.

Find out everything you can about your competitor's product or service you plan to go head-to-head against. You can do this by visiting their website, subscribing to their newsletter, sending away for information, reading their company literature, or talking to their customers and suppliers.

Now, using the information you've gathered, make a list of all the features and benefits of your ncompetitor's product.

Next, list your features and benefits. Write down every one that you can think of.

Once that's finished, here's where it starts getting fun. Going item by item, find every instance possible where your product's features and benefits place you at an advantage. Decide what you can offer that they can't. Or what you can do better, faster, cheaper and/or easier. Consider every angle, every motive your customer has for using your kind of service and position yourself accordingly. Look for weak spots in your competitor and exploit them. List everything you can.

Finally, convert all your information into something that makes the contrast between your product and your competitors unmistakable. One way is with a comparison chart, using rows and columns and going feature by feature, and benefit by benefit, comparing and contrasting all your advantages. Or, list your differences using bullets. Regardless of how you present it, what's important is you now have compelling evidence of the superior advantages derived from doing business with you over your competitor!

And that's how to position yourself to outsell your competition! nn