The Top 10 Business Strategy and Differentiation Mistakes

by Michele Soregaroli on Wednesday, 05 October 2011

If you’re looking for ways to be different and stand out, but you consistently find that you’re ineffective, you are likely falling victim to one or more of the following mistakes. While you may be on the right track, these fundamental mistakes will limit your thinking, establish you as ‘just ok’ in the eyes of your clients, and get in the way if you’re really reaching for Success, Differently.

Take a look and see if some of these are familiar...note the ones that resonate with you and take a critical look at what you’re doing. Find a way to immediately strengthen the value you bring to your market and develop a strategy that has long-term potential for excellence:

Thinking that your product makes you different.
Thinking that your tag line will ‘hold its own’ and differentiate you.
Believing that you still need a brilliant idea that’s different from all others.
Depending on the design of catchy marketing collateral.
Counting on that ‘one-off campaign’ to do the trick, but you haven’t designed it yet.
Settling for ‘good enough’ and believing that it will result in success.
Thinking that you can copy your competition and just ‘do it better’.
Defining and serving a niche market and thinking it makes your company different.
Making big, bold statements that sound good, but which you can’t substantiate, follow-through on, or prove.
Counting on your expertise, experience, or accreditation.

Successful, long-term Differentiation is not a singular, isolated event or idea. It is not something you are saying or selling. It is not a product or a service. It is a RESULT. Yes, the result of something that you are doing.

Here is our official definition:

Differentiation is the result of a client-centric strategy that includes the core elements of Value, Impact and Significance and, over-time, is ultimately acknowledged by your clients as something remarkable.

- Michèle Soregaroli, Differentiation Coach
P: 604.662.8768
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

How does your business measure up? What can you do differently right now to get on track and reach your own Success, Differently?