Quite frankly there are very few ways to really differentiate yourself from your competition. You make a great product, so do they. You provide top-notch customer service, they do too. Worse yet, there’s probably a competitor out there that already plays a bigger and better game than you. So what can you do about it? Well, here are 3 keys you can start applying immediately to differentiate and separate yourself from the pack:

Positioning. Let’s face it. People want to be associated with and buy from those they believe are the best. Back in the early computer days, there was a saying that nobody ever got fired for buying an IBM. IBM was believed by most to be the best personal computer available. Were they? Maybe. However, they were the perceived expert. Gaining this credibility in your field without a doubt tilts the scales in your favor. This is one of the greatest ways to magnetize your business and lead you on a path to create raving fans.

Building Relationships. Consistently stay in tune with and in front of your desired audience – not hard selling, but relationship building. When you truly and genuinely have their best interest at heart, and believe me, they can sense it, you lay the foundation for an insurmountable bond to be formed between you. Remember, people buy from people, not, companies.

The 180° Marketing Method. The crux of this methodology is simply to look at what your competition is doing and do something else. Dare to be different. The best way to successfully pull this off is to look into other industries and pioneer their successful marketing ideas and techniques in your industry. I hate to be the one to tell you but, most marketing ideas and techniques have already been done somewhere by someone. So why try to reinvent the wheel. I’m not saying plagiarize here. I’m simply saying learn from the success others have had before you – especially by leveraging ideas and techniques that are new to your industry.

There’s a great quote floating around that’s attributed to both famous, Zig Ziglar and Dr. Kenneth McFarland that goes something like this: “There are no traffic jams when you go the extra mile.” Applying these 3 tips will definitely get you traveling along that extra mile.

So while most businesses are out there like lemmings playing follow-the-follower, I challenge you to step it up and dare to be different. Be a leader and go it alone on the road less traveled and I guarantee people will stop and take notice.