Money

Your house needs painting. The south and west sides are especially faded, and the HOA has sent you a notice saying you have 60 days to get your house re-painted. Nobody has recommended a house painter to you, so you’re on the look-out.

One day you walk to your mailbox and find inside a letter advertising a house-painting service.

The story and the appeal seem decent enough. It’s a family run business. They take pride in their work. And if you call by a certain date you’ll save 15%. Plus, they use paint sprayers, which is faster and slightly more affordable. There’s a number to call.

Not a bad offer, but not especially compelling either. You think about calling, but you get interrupted and you forget to come back to it.

Then, a few days later, you find another letter in your mailbox once again advertising house-painting services. You eagerly read the letter because with each passing day you’re feeling more urgency to just hire somebody.

Unfortunately, you become even more confused. This is a family run business, too! They also say they take pride in their work. They use paint sprayers… and, wouldn’t you know it… they’re offering a 15% discount.

Same story, different day. The only significant differences you notice are that the letters are printed on different colored paper; there are different logos; and of course different phone numbers. You still don’t really know who to call. With the information you’ve got, you may as well flip a coin.

This imaginary scenario is unfortunately all too real for consumers all over the country. They’re ready to spend money — they just don’t know who to spend it with! And because so much advertising looks the same and sounds the same, consumers have a hard time deciding who to call.

Fortunately, there’s an easy way for you to instantly stand out, get noticed, and make the sale. It’s called differentiation.

[click to continue…]

{ 1 comment }