I feel like the SMB (small and medium sized business) world is suffering from a bit of denial.
Thanks to the internet your market has grown.
What used to be a small community is now global. What used to be your local market has become regional, national or even worldwide.
Sure, your customers now have more choices than ever before, but you have access to more customers than you’ve ever had before.
But instead of excitement, I hear a lot of…
“Amazon is killing small business.”
“All customers care about is price.”
“Marketing no longer works.”
Maybe your…
Product isn’t worth waiting more than 2 days to get.
Service is no longer unique enough to earn a premium.
Business is beginning to look a lot like everyone else’s.
So instead of whining and blaming everything around us, we need to look in the mirror and admit that what we offer has become average. And that, average, just isn’t good enough anymore.
Let’s take a fresh look at the products and services you offer.
- Is there are deeper motivation or another benefit you provide? Use this to identify a unique customer segment or improve your messaging.
- Is there any feature you can add (or subtract) from the actual product or service to make it unique again? A simple color choice when everyone offers grey can make a big difference.
- What else? Maybe 2 day free shipping isn’t practical. But can you offer installation? Or maybe a longer/different warranty?
I have a hard time believing that there is nothing you can do.
It’s time to stop trying to change the world.
Instead, spend some time changing your approach, your products and services, and your business.