No matter what you do in your professional life it's difficult to stand out in the crowd. If you're looking to attract business you can't walk, talk and smell like the rest. If you do then it becomes a lottery. Success can be found by taking your own path. Lasting success is earned over the a longer period of time. People will come to you through referrals because of the solid work you do, or the service that you provide. You become trusted. That in itself is unique.
The flood of people posting to social media sites to increase rankings which leads to more hits on their web sites is important. In my opinion the world of reposting to gain clic's or suggest that your knowledgeable and want to share your knowledge is just fluff, unless the repost is thought provoking or has relative information. Is it important to your personal brand to be in social media? You bet. Is it important that you drive more traffic to your web site? Of course it is. Once they come to you, what's your value proposition. You better know why you are different and that should be transparent to your potential customers.
I believe that success comes with finding a niche. Niche means a smaller or a narrow market. It's easier to stand out where there is less competition. Less competition then leaves room to own a larger market share and bigger profit margins. Profit is not is not dirty word. I support this by my belief in providing more in value than the customer paid you for it. The last time I looked you pay your bills from gross profit. Not from gross sales. Going to were the masses go is not unique.
Here are my six tips to finding success by being unique.
- Find a niche market that defines who you are.
- Post original material to social media.
- Provide more in value than you charged for the product or service.
- Say "Thank You,We appreciate your business" as often as possible. Say it. Just don't post it. I include this in almost every email I write and most certainly at the end of every phone call.
- Create your own conversation questions you use every time you meet someone new. Show that you really care. Make sure you listen. Opportunities come as a result of asking a question.
- Make decisions based on the long term. The juicy stuff comes from decisions made after careful consideration.
- Bonus Tip. Only promote others who are exceptional and unique. This helps elevate you to their level.
Success is rarely easy. You need to be deliberate in your approach. People are naturally attracted to successful and unique people. Unique people do not have to promote themselves as much as all those folks running with the herd. Those running with the herd are frying up more energy and capital for smaller profits. Likes and shares don't pay the bills. It's a form of advertising if you manage it properly. Just remember, at the end of the day a good business product or service needs to stand on its own. Live by this standard and success will find its way to you.
