We all get it sometimes, even the best of us. Looking over the garden wall, seeing what they’ve got, wishing you had as much energy, style, charisma, clients, twitter followers, knowledge & anything else they’ve got that you want more of.
It can be tiring constantly wishing you had more of everything. Also down right depressing! We all want more, of everything, all the time!
Flip it around…
This is a good thing. You’re noticing ways to improve, You can see that you need to brush up on a few skills, you know that you could be reaching out to more customers. You’re being competitive. It’s a human habit.
You are exactly where you need to be right now.And you don’t know what’s really happening in their lives anyway! They could be working so hard that they’re almost burning out and hate their job and the pressure of looking fantastic all the time, and they just want to….explode!
But let’s not wish that on anyone, that’s not what we are here for!
So, back to…You are exactly where you need to be right now.
You can’t be anywhere else anyway. So grow to love the point you’re in with your business. Know that wherever you are on your journey, there will always be somewhere else you want to go, a new thing you need to try, a new style to put on, a new offer to tempt your customers, a new social media platform that everyone is jumping on. That's progress, but it doesn't need to give you a headache.
It’s never going to be perfect, you will never be perfect and why would you want to be?
Use your competitors.
Learn from them. What are they doing you love? What are they doing you hate? What language do they use, clothes do they wear, marketing do they do? Are they physical – can you meet them at your next networking event, or someone you secretly spy on on social media (by the way, that’s one of the reasons it’s there!)
Could you grab a cup of tea with them or chat over skype? People are generally happy to connect with others. The worst that can happen is that they ignore you, why not reach out and think about some questions you could ask?
You’re different from them.
The thing is it’s true, you’re going to be doing things in slightly different ways. You don’t need to go after the same market. Even if your product is exactly the same (which is highly unlikely), you are different.
Your uniqueness is your USP (your unique selling proposition). It's what makes you stand out from the crowd. So while you can learn from other, never try to emulate someone else, their skin will never truly fit and your customers will sense you're not 100% honest.
People buy from people.
We hear it all the time and it’s true. Your customers buy from you, because you get them and they get you. Your product answers their need. You’re making their lives better in some way, whether that’s helping them with stress or making them feel more confident on a Friday night with a new bag, or making them laugh with your funny pictures.
Everything you do is to help people and make the world a slighter better place (I hope).
So it’s fine to look at your competition – of course it is. Learn from them, take the bits you like, own them and make them yours and throw away the rest.
We’re all trying to be successful, aren’t we?
The best thing you could do is to introduce yourself to them. Let’s be honest the reason you’re envious of them, is because you actually admire them. Why not tell them you think they’re awesome? You might just make a good friend, someone in your field who gets your challenges and frustration.
We can’t all be going after the same customers, because we are all unique and so are they!
So how do we differentiate ourselves from the big rabble out there? Stick our hand up and say “hey we’re here, I’m your perfect fit, look at me!”
Well firstly we need to work out what makes us unique and different and then we need to discover our Ideal Customer
What is an ideal customer anyway?
Your ideal customer is the perfect fit for your business. She or he loves your products, she has the problem and you have the solution. Instead of competing with Miss Amazeballs, when you know your ideal customer, you’re talking directly to people who love you. Instead of competing with everyone, you’ve found your own little niche, your own little tribe in the world, who will do anything to work with you or buy what you are selling.
It’s magic!
Well almost – but it works. It works time and again. Spend some time thinking about who you most closely resonate with. Think about who you really are, and what you bring to the table.
Are you a feisty giving you the middle finger punk rock person, or a flowers and cream tea wonder lady?
If you’re interested in finding out more about the ideal customer concept there is literally loads of stuff on the internet to get your teeth into.
I'm keen that you get this sewn down though, because it it the basis of all the amazing content you're going to create to market your business. If you don't know who you are talking to and what they're problems are, how can you prove you can solve them?
If you're interested in working with me to iron out your USP and ideal customers, so you can be really clear who you are marketing to and what will make people notice you, why not book a free 20 minute discovery call?
