While I am usually preaching differentiation to large businesses , I have been working with a lot of small businesses lately in my workshops and online courses. And some of them aren’t always happy about my advice, because their differentiation has always been about their location. With digital marketing, you must differentiate or die. They must find a way to differentiate, which usually involves specializing. By thinking through the first steps of differentiation, at least they have a fighting chance. What differentiation do you need for your business? MORE >>

But a great deal reflects that fact that we simply don't put in the time or energy to identify and communicate the true differentiators that actually matter to prospective buyers. We get so caught up in cranking out the stuff of the launch process that we fail to step back and methodically work through why our solutions are better than those of the competition, and how to connect those differentiation dots to the issues our customers care about the most. Six Steps to Differentiating Your Solutions Offerings We'd love to know what works for you! Aargh! MORE >>

B2B marketers are so used to talking about their products that they forget about what makes them unique to specific markets. You've got to get your marketing content refined down to nuances to attract prospects who will become buyers. Because, unless you do this, you sound like every other vendor selling the same product or solution that you sell. Seriously. Think about it. Do you want to do battle based on feeds and speeds? Companies can spin numbers to say the same things—or better—than you do. Numbers, usually used without enough context for clarity, are funny that way. So what is it? MORE >>

Agile marketing is based on testing and it is the best way to find the differentiation for your business. Above all, remember that differentiation is not solely about being different. Any business can be different–differentiation is about being different in a way that customers will pay for. ” Don’t let your business settle for uniqueness when you can be differentiated–it pays better. Photo credit: Rev. Xanatos Satanicos Bombasticos (ClintJCL). Think about what problem most of these other restaurants are trying to solve. Have a Plan B. MORE >>

Many of them were chasing the ever-eluding differentiator against their competitors. They must now move a step further and address why customers are buying and how they can differentiate and adapt to the evolving buying process. Companies can benefit from a positioning differentiation, by positioning themselves as fulfillers of the overarching needs their product caters to. Cornerstones Advertising B2B Manufacturing B2B Marcomm Awards B2B Marketing Differentiation Marketing Communications Positioning Sales Support MORE >>