what makes them WANT you…

I was talking to a successful business owner the other day and we were questioning why people buy things. And he kept going back to the same concept that people want to buy something because it is different. People buy things because in their mind, it is the newest “thing to have”.

My friend owns a local marketing company and he is booked solid all the time. Obviously the question came up on how he does it. On a side note, I always get a laugh that we both look at each other’s companies and analyze them as if what we are doing is horrible and there is a totally better way to be doing it! His concept of delivering something new to the market on a consistent basis has his current clients, as well as new, potential clients, calling him wanting to use his company.

I talk to a lot companies that are trying to figure out how they can win business, how can they get a share of the market. And the answer to this question is the same answer as my friend gave. Deliver something that not only makes your customer want to come back to you for, but they HAVE to come back to you for.

We are in the wedding business. So the barriers to entry for most of us are pretty small. For most of our professions, anybody can “say” they do what we do and have the basics of what they need to do it within a month or so. This makes trying to provide that “thing” you do very difficult, but you have to find out what it is. What is the one thing that is going to get your prospects, your current clients and the area professionals to always use you!

I don’t think it is going to be something that you can come up with in a few hours. This is going to take some time and some thought. It is going to be more of a culture, more of a way of doing business. For some of you, it may be always having the new technology and then making sure everyone knows that you have it. For others, it may be all about the creative side. You will be the most creative company that they can find, and it will show in every job that you do.

But what you can’t do, is what everybody else is doing. If you are doing that, then there is no reason to call you. You can’t expect the average person to want to use you, if it’s perceived that you do the same thing as the other company. If that is the case, you are going to continue to stay in the position that you are in. You will always be the other company.

So take some time and give yourself a little more of an identity on what would make them want to book. And please, make sure it isn’t what everybody else is saying, because when I ask this question, almost every person gives me something that 5 other people told me.

P.S. – Here is an example. I was talking to a video company and when I asked them what made them different and why they were so popular, they told me it is simple. Two reasons, number one, they use editors that eventually move onto Hollywood (this company is located in LA, so it is really easy for them to find great editors!). They typically only stay with the company for a few years, but they have built this into their system and found a way to make it work. And people want Hollywood editors working on their wedding film. The second thing…they use 8mm cameras. Go figure!