by Dave Hiebeler and Mike Higgins | Apr 13, 2021
You might want to audit with a fresh eye the claims or statements your business makes about your team’s capabilities on either your Website, marketing, or in conversation. Is there anything said that comes across as things everyone else is saying?
Some business claims have become meaningless and not believable because, in all fairness, everybody is saying similar things. Superlative statement claims such as the best, the largest, the fastest, the biggest, the sales leader, and award-winning. Any of these could be true about your business, but most have lost their juice since the claims are rampant.
More examples that may not do your story justice are no-pressure consultation, free, no obligation, you have come to the right place, city of your choice’s best solution, in these difficult times, we are ahead of the curve, we love doing what we do, honesty, transparency, commitment, and dedication to customer service.
More examples that may not do your story justice are no-pressure consultation, free, no obligation, you have come to the right place, city of your choice’s best solution, in these difficult times, we are ahead of the curve, we love doing what we do, honesty, transparency, commitment, and dedication to customer service.
How about these? We always put our clients first, take your _____ to the next level, we partner with you, let’s chat, let’s have a conversation, our competitive rates, our expert team of… and we want to earn your business. Blah, blah, blah.
In its own category and in its own paragraph is the term “Bespoke.” I have encountered this one several times in the last two weeks as a description of business service offerings. I had to look it up, and I did not know what it meant. “Bespoke” means a customized offering made for a client, a one-of-a-kind like a custom-tailored suit.
Come to find out, the term goes back hundreds of years. Sounds fancy. It is better to say customized just for you and tell them how you do it.
Your business’s story will strengthen when the language used is simple and authentic to your top prospects. Describe at a deeper level, for example, how it is that your prices are so competitive, or give story details on why your team gets so many customer referrals. Otherwise, you can come across as just another commodity, like a grain of wheat, because everybody says that.
Dave Hiebeler is an Agency Principal at Align2Compete, LLC. He writes about small business marketing, audience strategy, and demand generation. Based in Colorado, Align2Compete is a specialized marketing agency that helps emerging businesses turn strangers into customers. He is also a freelance writer.
Mike Higgins is an Agency Principal at Align2Compete, LLC. For the past 25 years, he has worked in all things digital sales and marketing. Mike also founded Brushfire Sales, which assisted companies in optimizing outbound sales channel efficiencies. As a digital pioneer, he was on the ground floor at MapQuest and Weather Labs, a start-up that the Weather Channel acquired.