Be Different, Not Better

In the world of business, especially startups, it is far more important to be different than better. Why? People don’t trust you…yet. Just starting out your initial client base most likely will be small. So small that word of mouth hasn’t traveled very far or wide. Sure, you could spend large sums of money on marketing and advertising, or you could take your money out of the bank, throw it into a large dumpster on main street and set it on fire and see which attracts more attention. Why should I trust hiring your company? Because I saw your pathetic advertisement on TV or a trade publication or heard some lame radio spot? No one is going to trust you. Heck, they haven’t even heard of you! I knew someone that named their company based on it showing up first in the phonebook. Keep in mind this is a tech company naming their business after a paper-form phonebook. Yeah, I’ll hire you… And I wont even tell you about the radio spots they have as it still makes my side hurt.

When starting out, you can’t be better, nor do you want to present this image. It only shows a lack of knowledge, overinflated arrogance, and flat out deception. I don’t care that your a “rock star” with computers or a guru in business. Until you’ve proven yourself against the businesses that have been around for years; you’re nothing.

You alter this perception and image by being different. I’m not talking about carving out a niche, I’m talking about being different. The advantage of being a small business is you can meet clients needs without the bureaucratic bullshit. Your business is maneuverable, can move fast, and have less to lose. These are great positions to be in. Furthermore, by being different, you make your business stand out.

Be passionate about your service or product. Be genuine and people will see the difference. Don’t hire someone to do the selling for you. Only you have the passion and the drive to see the your business succeed. In fact, I firmly believe in never hiring someone to do a job that you can easily do yourself unless it impacts your ability to grow the business.

For service based businesses, one of the best ways to be different is to NEVER charge by the hour. Yes, you read that correctly, NEVER charge by the hour. It is a conflict of interest. Charge by milestone only after the client is happy with the progress or work performed. Better yet, charge by savings. Only charge the client by taking a percentage of the savings your services provided. If you saved the company $10,000, charge them 10% or 15% or 20% of the total savings. Clients like this as they are not taking on any additional risk, you are. This shows how confident you are in your ability to get the job done, and get it done right.

Don’t worry about the competition: you’ll always be onestep behind, following trends, instead of setting them.

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