I just saw a recent Ted X talk by Susan Solovic in which she talks about creating “just a noticeable difference.” She discussed that getting noticed by prospective clients requires that you be just different enough from other, similar companies to give people a reason to take a look at you. The same is true for attracting referrals – if you want people to talk about you, and for those people to be compelled to seek you out – you need to be different enough from what they have heard about before.
She uses Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream as an example. How many hundreds or thousands of people open a small ice cream store and never get beyond that? We all know the Ben & Jerry’s brand because their crazy collection of flavors is different enough from other ice cream makers that we noticed them.
Her favorite flavor (and mine, too) is Cherry Garcia. She shared a quote from the flavors namesake Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. He said “You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.” “Best” will get you some attention, but to really get noticed you need to be different.
What can you be the “only” at? Do you have (or can you develop) a process that is unlike anyone else’s? Can you develop a particular expertise no one else in your community has? Create a solution to your ideal prospect’s problem that no one else delivers?
I recently mentioned Kile Lewis and Ted Jenkin of oXYGen Financial. Their practice has a character tailored to their target demographic. They have created an experience unlike other advisory firms. Only they have it. And clients are seeking them out to get it.
What is your only? What is your noticeable difference?
