Maybe you’ve found that the water’s muddy and cold. If you’re struggling to be seen as more than a commodity – the market’s less buoyant and people are buying on price – now’s the time to look at doing one of 2 things and they’re not that different:

If you’re not a commodity you need to recognise your unique value from your customer’s viewpoint and maximise it.

If you are a commodity, what is there a demand for that people aren’t currently buying from you but would in sufficient numbers if they knew you stocked it? Or what added value in terms of service could you bring to the equation that your customers would really appreciate?

Think:

• IT Specialist service versus Computer World
• Local Stationer versus Viking Direct
• Travel Agent versus the Internet
• Corner shop versus supermarket

Being a lovely, genuine person and good at what you do isn’t necessarily enough to bring the business rolling in with no effort on your part, especially when times are tough.

So now think David rather than Goliath (we all know who won that battle):

• Why you’re in business
• What your products and services help your customers achieve
• How you’re different from the best of the rest

These are all equally as important to you as to corporates and you don’t need consultants or big budgets to help you – you may need to think a bit differently but remember you know your business better than anyone else.

And who better to help yoiu out than your current best customers?

Time invested in getting this whole area right is worth its weight in gold! Make sure you’ve got the basics right – quickly – and build on solid foundations.