When it comes to sales, standing out from the competition often comes down to how successfully you differentiate yourself from competitors. But how can we do that? Today on The Sales Evangelist,  Donald is joined by Mark Harari, author, podcaster, and VP of Remodelers Advantage, to discuss how you can position yourself to stand out in a crowded market. 

The one thing you should do to differentiate yourself:

• The one thing Mark recommends (and he discusses further in his book) is to identify what makes you unique.
• You’re facing other people, products, and platforms just as good as you who do the same thing. So what sets you apart?
• What sets you apart and differentiates you can be what leads to a prospect selecting you over someone else.

Differentiation is critical.

• If you don’t have that differentiating factor, the selection comes down to price, which isn’t good for anybody. Instead, make yourself the obvious choice.
• A common barrier to differentiation is targeting an entire area of people rather than focusing on a specific section of people you can connect and interact with.
• To find your ideal target group (if you’re an existing company), go back to your past client list and identify the best types of people you worked with. 
• For new businesses, there might be trial and error. But try to identify who you think would be the ideal fit for your company and adjust as you continue to grow and develop.

The six parts of a successful positioning statement:

• Identify your target
• Identify their unmet need (which your service or product solves)
• Frame your competitors
• Find your point of difference: What makes you unique 
• Reasons to believe: Statements that empower and prove the point of difference.
• Brand personality

Discovering that unmet need:

• There are two components to an unmet need: functional and emotional.
• People rarely have a personal functional need. That means capitalizing on your unique value to address the emotional need is where you can stand out. 

Mark’s major takeaway? Identifying your unique selling proposition can be challenging. To find yours, try thinking backward. What goes wrong when a company works with a bad seller or product? How could you prevent those bad things from happening? That could help you identify where you differentiate in the process.

Connect with Mark on LinkedIn, and check out his book at bethelobster.com or find it on Amazon. Then, join Donald’s Facebook group, The Sales Evangelizers, to find a community of people to share, reflect, and grow alongside!

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Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.