Quality and Service - Yeah, Right!

One of the critical drivers of business success is having a unique competitive advantage. Most managers understand that to attract a larger share of the market, or find enough customers prepared to pay a premium price, they must provide something of greater value than their competition. For most managers, competitive advantage boils down to providing superior quality and service. Think about it. Is this what you are aiming for?

Now, striving for quality and service sounds to me like what Americans call "motherhood and apple pie." The purity of these things has an appeal that you can't argue with. But I have a problem with the concept. You see, whenever I ask my clients what their competitive advantage is, realizing that there can be only one "cheapest" competitor, they almost invariably tell me that it is quality and service. The trouble I have with that is, if everyone provides quality and service, where is the competitive advantage?

The problem with just saying quality and service is that the concepts are too vague. Think about it. Can you give me a definition of the word "quality"? It's not that easy is it. There is something intangible about "quality" because it is a relative term. When I ask my clients what they mean by "quality" or "service," they have the same difficulty. The danger is that their idea of quality is something less than their customer's. Unless you can define exactly what "quality" and "service" means to your customers, you don't have a tangible competitive advantage.

What does "quality" mean for your product or service? How is that different from any of your competitors? You need to get very specific. Merely generalising about quality and service doesn't give customer's anything to go on. Can you prove your product is better, stronger, faster, more reliable? Just presenting quality and service in general terms isn't enough to demonstrate a clear competitive advantage. Customers don't believe vague claims and they don't believe you, unless you can back up your statement with irrefutable facts. The same goes for service. What does better service mean?

Is it faster, more personal, more user friendly? How can you support your claims?

Whether you use these statements in your advertising or selling situations, statements that are specific and verifiable will always be more believable and therefore more effective, than vague generalizations. So if you promote your product or service on the basis of superior quality, start working on defining exactly why it is superior and provide measurable proof of its superiority. This will achieve one of two things. First, you may find out that your product or service isn't really that much different or better than your competitor. That's OK. At least you now know and can get to work on finding out how to make it superior. Secondly, if you can define your superiority and provide measurable proof, now you really have a competitive advantage which gives you a unique selling proposition to advertise.

Look at the following claims. "Our product is the best on the market." Or. "Our product was shown in scientific trials to be 37% more effective in ?.. than competing products." Which do you think would be more effective in advertising?

If you can't test your product or service to measure its superiority, you can provide independent verification of your claims in other ways. For example, using client testimonials is a very effective way of overcoming customer skepticism. When independent people talk about your product or service in a positive way, describing the benefits they have received, it is much more believable than when you say the same things yourself. It is even better if your customer is specific .

So, what is your competitive advantage? Don't say quality and service. That just doesn't mean anything to your market. Get specific, get the facts and be believable. Then use that unique selling proposition in all your promotions and selling activities to drive home your competitive advantage. You'll see a difference in your results that makes it worth the effort.

(c) 2004 Greg Roworth, Progressive Business Solutions Limited

Greg Roworth is the Managing Director of Progressive Business Solutions Limited, a business development consultancy firm with branches in Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand. Greg has created a unique business development program that assists business owners transform their business from a state of total dependency on them to a state where the business works so well they don't have to.

Greg is also the author of "The 7 Keys to Unlock Your Business Profit Potential," which descibes the fundamental keys a business needs to achieve this transformation. Find out more, get 2 free chapters, or buy the book online at http://www.small-business-success.ws

---

Powered by Feedzilla

Websites For Sale

Master Resell Rights Ebooks

A good logo vs. a FABULOUS logo

If you had a choice, which one would you choose,... Read More

Donald Trump On Branding - Brand Identity Guru

Love him or hate him, one thing is certain: Donald... Read More

Why Branding?

Having a concise, clear image that you project to your... Read More

Branding Guru - Brand Identity Guru

Branding TodayHave you ever had a good brand experience? How... Read More

Is It Legal? - Indecent Naming With Tradition

When Mitsubishi launched a new car with the name "Pajero"... Read More

The Secrets of Starting Business Successfully

Starting Business Secrets will help you to start your own... Read More

Business Branding - How Character Affects Customers and Your Business Image

The public buys far more than just your products, services... Read More

Corporate Branding and Professional Logo Design

Any business with the minimum interest to be successful should... Read More

Brand Image ? Brand Identity Guru

Having a brand image is not a "have or have... Read More

The Top 10 Strategies for the Positioning of Success

Many businesses of today are often driven to compete striclty... Read More

The Importance of Branding - Can It Really Make a Difference?

As consumers, we don't really think about the importance of... Read More

What About Me? What You Need To Know About Me-Marketing

What about me? Are you asking yourself this question? If... Read More

Brand Building 101

Building your brand into a brand leader isn't easy. There... Read More

You?ll Bring a Parade of Business to Your Door!

Parades happen in every big city and many small towns.... Read More

Corporate Internet Branding is only Part of A Business Success

Gaining new clients that are excited about developing a corporate... Read More

Understand Brand

Branding has been defined, explained and examined extensively. There are... Read More

Co-Branding in Automotive Service Businesses

In a world of co-branding, point of destination strategies and... Read More

Strategy and Tips for a Successful Logo Design

Visual processing is the most important way for gathering information... Read More

Build Brand Value BIG Time

Ask your self this question, In which business are we... Read More

Tips for Creating Brilliant Business Names

Imagine if Yahoo! had been named TheInternetDirectoy. Or StarBucks was... Read More

Brand Awareness - Brand Identity

About once a month a few of us at the... Read More

Why You? -- Professional Identity Branding

You can have first-rate products and services, but if you... Read More

Whats In A Name? When It Comes To Your Business, Plenty!

Q: How important is the name of a business? Should... Read More

12 Ways to Reduce Postage

1. Never send a letter that weighs less than 30... Read More

Wealthiest 10% of Americans Name Top Quality Brands for 8 Products in New Survey

The seventh in a continuing series of twice-yearly surveys by... Read More