It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in or what type of business you have, whether you have a physical business or an online business, or if you’re in the service industry… we’re all looking for ways to build our businesses and find new customers.
In today’s world, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with everything that’s out there that you can use to build your visibility and find your customers. And it can also get overwhelming when you think about the amount of people that are out there doing the same thing that you’re doing.
But guess what… there is only one you in this world!
There is only one person with the unique genius that you have. You’re the only one that has your experiences, gifts, stories and insights to share and no one else on this planet will ever have those.
People think that when it comes to running and building your business, it’s solely based on the products that you sell.
In reality, it’s not – what makes us unique is finding our distinction, finding our uniqueness and that is based on you. Our distinction and uniqueness come from our stories that we have and experiences that we’ve been through as well as the solutions that we provide to the customers we’re looking to find. It’s not solely about the products and services that you sell but it’s more about you, what you bring to your business and the value to you can provide to your customers.
The main question I get asked is how do we find our distinction and how do we discover what our uniqueness is?
This all comes down to three things – so get your pen and your paper out because you’re going to want to take some notes!
#1: Show up absolutely every day and connect. Don’t hide behind your screen or in the shadows because you’re not really sure what to do. Clarity comes from engagement not just simply thinking about it. So make sure you’re showing up every day and you’re connecting. Share your stories – stories that will connect you to your customers. Share things that have happened to you and that your customers might be struggling with. Listen to what people compliment you on – the more you show up every day and connect with people, the more you will hear these things. Remember the compliments and the questions you’re asked. Take notes – mental notes, written notes, voice memos – whatever it takes!
#2: Be uniquely you and be consistent. What makes you excited? What could you do absolutely every day, all day without even getting paid for it? What experiences do you have that you could help others with? What kind of personality do you have? What are things that people say about you that really make you unique because the last thing we want to be is anything else other than ourselves.
#3: What holes do you potentially see in your marketplace? What unique insights do you have that no one else has? We all have our unique perspectives and no two people really look at things exactly the same. What unique perspectives might you have about things in your industry? When we pull all these things together, that’s when we can find our distinction.
A bonus tip is to look for inspiration outside of our industry. Look for inspiration – it’s all around you! Look outside of your industry as to what’s going on and what people are doing. I’ve often found when I work with people that we can start discovering new ideas for their business in industries they never even thought of looking. How interesting would it be if you can take inspiration from what the automotive industry is doing to build their customer base and get information out about new cars and apply it to your own business. Draw inspiration from outside your industry!
The three things in review are:
- Show up every day and connect. Share your stories, listen to what people compliment you on and constantly ask you about.
- Be uniquely you and be consistent. What makes you excited and want to jump out of bed every day? What experiences have you had that can really help others and what solutions have you come up with?
- What holes do you potentially see in your marketplace? What are things people aren’t doing in your industry and what unique insights do you have that can’t be found any place else.
When you can answer these questions and put it together, you’ll discover the distinction you have and what makes you unique. This is how you can make the content you write and the products you put out there really stand out.
Then, don’t forget to look for inspiration outside of your industry because you never know what you’ll find!
In the end, there’s really no competition. Even if there are other people doing the same kind of thing you are, there is only one you and there only ever will be.
