Watching the tribute shows to people that passed away in 2016 – and there were plenty of unique and iconic figures who are no longer with us – something struck me.
The one thing that many of these people had in common was their distinctive qualities. Without a doubt, Terry Wogan, Muhammad Ali and David Bowie were all very different characters, but they each had an instinctive ability to stand out from the crowd. They were unique. They were different from their contemporaries – and everything they did reflected that.
Standing out from the competition
I’ve heard lots of company owners struggle to pinpoint exactly what sets them apart from the competition. They might claim they offer ‘great service’ or are ‘well-regarded by their clients’ but beyond that, they can’t pinpoint anything specific that makes them special.
Now, there is no point in me telling you what you should say to describe what makes you different to everybody else. It may well be that there are various companies who offer similar services at comparable rates. But this is all the more reason to decide what sets you apart and then focus on that special quality in the future.
What makes you unique?
What could it be? Well, a good starting point is to ask the people who know you best – your customers. What do they think sets you apart? One client of ours did this recently and the answer came back that it was their in-depth knowledge of their staff. Their staff were (in the opinion of customers), the most knowledgeable in the industry and between them could solve any problem that the customer might come up with.
We were able to use this information when creating this client’s new website, brochures and in the PR we did for them going forwards, which was designed to focus very much on their people and their achievements as a collective unit. This reinforced the confidence that the company’s customers already had in the staff.
Building on your USP for success
One recruitment agency we worked with decided to look into what was stopping new clients from signing up with them. They discovered it was a lack of trust that they would be able to find the right member of staff, combined with the fear that if the staff left, they’d have to repeat the process. So the recruitment company came up with two clever strategies to differentiate themselves from the competition.
First of all they showed potential customers the detailed screening process that they went through with each candidate, which included statistics about the retention rates that they had achieved for existing clients (over 95% retention after 12 months). This would probably have been enough to seal the deal for most people – but they decided to take things a step further. This company offers a lifetime guarantee on any candidate placed. This means that if the candidate left in the future, the agency would replace them free of charge. There were certain provisos to this of course. They needed to be the only agency working with the company and they also needed to be sure that the client provided a great working environment.
The difference that this made to the sign-up rates for new clients and the company’s long-term profitability was extraordinary.
So, what can you do to make you unique – to stand out from the competition, to be memorable and special? Think about what will work for your organisation – and you could just turn yourself into a legend.
To claim a free, no obligation one-hour marketing overview of your recruitment business, call 01858 374 170.
