About three feet away from me, the hummingbirds are lining up at my feeder like cars at a solitary gas station.
The feeder is suctioned to my front window, just a few feet from my desk, and about 40 feet above the ocean below. Of course, being “high and dry” up here above the ocean, there isn’t a flower in sight. Anyone who heard I was putting up a hummingbird feeder thought I was being ridiculously optimistic. Why in the world would a hummingbird make a trek all the way up here when there’s an abundance of flowering plants in easier locations?
Well, the way I see it, someone’s got to fill the need between flower visits. And, just like a gas station in the middle of the desert, the darling birds flock to me as if I’m the only flower in town. And as they patiently hover, waiting for the first in line to drink his or her fill, I find these birds offer a great reminder in business:
Remember, one of the biggest mistakes you can make in business is to make the assumption that someone else is already taking care of the need out there. Too many times at Armitage, Inc. in my website marketing or Internet marketing strategy calls, I hear clients tell me “that’s already being done,” or “all my competitors are doing that.”
Really? Are they filling the need exactly as YOU can fill the need? And if they really are “already doing it,” how can you improve upon what they’re doing? What can you offer by way of …
- Risk reversal – what portion of your service or product can you absolutely guarantee?
- Unique benefit that your peers either don’t offer or don’t talk about offering? (Remember, he who speaks first wins).
- Cross-selling to introduce your client to a new product or service that enhances the product or service they’re already buying?
- Or simply a different angle of approach that provides even greater benefit to your incoming client?