Why They Should Choose You: Positioning That Sets You Apart

Instead of Lionel Richie’s Say You, Say Me … this is about Why Them, Why You.

Last week we talked about Why Them, and with a really clear and precise definition of your Ideal Client (Ideal Client Profile/Why Them) you’re now able to answer a lot more questions. The first of which is: Why You?

Why should they choose you and not any of the other people in your field? In businesses like ours, you can easily imagine how troubling it would be if you were put in a lineup with 5 other people offering similar services. You’re all standing there claiming similar titles, offering similar services, most likely even wearing similar clothes. So, why would anyone pick you?

Positioning is just the answer to this question: Why should your ideal client pick you instead of someone else? If your answer is vague or generalized, you blend in. If it’s clear, specific, and personalized, you’re not in a lineup anymore. You’re no longer in the lineup. You’re the one standing just outside, waving to your client like an old friend. Obvious. Natural. Unmistakable.

When I said I worked with “small businesses,” I blended right in. Everyone else was saying the same thing. Any message I might have, even if it’s accurate, is going to be far too generic. This is a common mistake. If I look at other people who advise and partner with small businesses in a similar capacity, their messages all look the same. The problems we talk about are all the same.

Trying to be everything to everyone means you won’t resonate with anyone. Mirroring competitors will only serve to mask your presence further and force you to compete with them on price.

The good news is you don’t need to compete head-to-head. The combination of your strengths and your clients’ specific needs is already one of a kind. You just need to own it.

So how do you step out of the lineup? Start by asking: What do my ideal clients value most? What am I uniquely good at? And what are my competitors ignoring, avoiding, or doing poorly?

Here’s what this looks like in practice. If you’re doing any networking (and I’m guessing you are), you’ll likely hear realtors talking about how they’re looking for anyone looking to buy or sell their home. Yeah … that’s kind of the assumption we make when we hear they’re a realtor.

But then there are the realtors who are a little more focused. One woman might say things like “I help first-time home buyers in the tech industry stop renting and buy with confidence.” That focus gives her more ways to view each of those clients as people with more depth. The realtor understands their fears (student loans, stock options timing), their likely analytical mindsets and specific personality types that come with engineering backgrounds and top tier tech companies. She is able to build her messaging, her brand, and cater her interactions to those anxieties and character traits.

She is able to serve them better, they know she’s for them the moment they meet her, and people are already thinking about folks they know who work in tech.

That’s a blue ocean. She didn’t need to fight with every other realtor looking for “people buying or selling their home”. She created her own little pool all to herself.

I’m one of those engineering folks that come out of the local tech world. I bring a very analytical approach to my work and how I view the world. I talk about that in my networking, and that really resonates with certain people. Other people opt out because of it. That’s how it should be. My unique strengths set me apart.

What sets you apart isn’t a tagline. It’s the way your ideal clients instantly know you’re for them. When that clicks, price stops being the conversation, and value takes its place.