Differentiate Yourself: Solopreneur Insights, Vol. 2
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It's not just you.
Everyone really is doing the same thing, saying the same things, acting the same way, and using the same tactics. You know that it's futile to try to scream over the deafening roar of the crowd, but how else can you be heard?
The gurus sell gimmicks and hacks that sound brilliant to their inexperienced followers. One of my favorites: “Just send more cold DMs, bro!” Translation: "Scream louder!" You know why they teach this? Because, they know that 99/100 in their audience isn’t serious about building a legitimate Solo business that produces high-quality products. Their audience doesn’t have the context for this, let alone the expertise, patience, and sophistication that you have. So, they teach others to throw darts with a blindfold. Not hitting the target enough? Just throw more darts! Quick fix, baby! It’s a junk-mail approach that produces junk results. God forbid we teach someone how to build a legitimate business.
But, you know what? I’m thankful for this. I’m thankful that the lowest-common-denominators are out there, polluting entire markets with utter nonsense and useless services. I’m thankful, because it makes it much easier for you to leverage one of the greatest marketing tactics of all:
Differentiation.
The secret to Differentiation is in its very name. It means we can look at what everyone else is doing and simply be, you know, different. Now, before you go dragging out your clown wig and bullhorn, settle down, tiger. Being different is necessary, but it’s not sufficient. We’re going to focus on being Effectively Different. After all, this is simply a tool for earning your prospect’s attention. Once that’s accomplished, you’ll be expected to back it up. More on how to do that in a minute.
In the meantime, I want you to understand what Differentiation means in practical terms:
Differentiation enables you to be the one who delivers the Right Message to the Right Person at the Right Time. It is now that your voice stands out from the collective chorus of the crowd, and all efforts should be aimed at setting up this exact moment. It's like waving a magic wand that silences everyone else’s nonsense so you can speak in a calm voice directly to your prospect.
How do we set up this magical moment?
By first understanding what makes up the roar of the crowd’s collective voices today. The competitive landscape is MUCH different than it was in the old days, where massive companies blockaded entire segments of our economy. Today, for better and worse, anyone can deliver their service to virtually everyone else. The side effect?
The collective bar has been lowered so dramatically that even the smallest level of professional effort is the most effective way to stand out from the crowd.
Speaking of the crowd, if you could hear each of them individually, you'd hear them all making the same common mistakes:
Speaking a language customers don’t understand
Playing a short game that stinks of desperation
Making promises and claiming expertise with no backup
Approaching their craft like an amateur
Selling themselves as the hero of the story
I’ve seen this list a thousand times. So have you. In fact, a number of these items could be pasted from the content of our aforementioned gurus that leads people to do exactly these things! Again, rejoice in this.
Let’s look at how to be Effectively Different:
Speak the client’s language
This is the essence of the “Right Person.” You’ve heard it before: A person who chases three rabbits catches none. Get crystal clear on who you’re targeting. It doesn’t have to be perfect and for eternity. Just start by locking down one target audience.
Each target audience speaks their own language. Even if you gain their attention, it’s meaningless if you speak a different language. Everything is downstream from this: Your particular service, the way you deliver it, the way you promote it, the proof of work that you gather. These should all be built around your prospect’s language.
Remember: The best way to learn a language is to immerse yourself in it. Get involved in your target audience’s networks long before you start asking people to pay you.
Play the long game
Connect with your target audience and show interest in THEM. Let everyone else talk non-stop about themselves while you take a genuine interest in your prospects. And, I mean it when I say, “genuine.” Manipulative fakers are gross, and they’re not part of our tribe.
This helps you as much as it helps them. You get to figure out who’s a good fit over time. Frankly, most people make for good friends, but few make for great clients.
Playing the long game opens up ample time to demonstrate everything else on this list so you’re not treating your prospect like a transactional piece of meat.
Prove it
If you make a claim, back it up with proof. Develop case studies, show proof-of-work, and gather client testimonials that demonstrate your expertise. The prospect needs to trust that you have already done for others what you say you’ll do for them.
Be a professional
The bar is so incredibly low. It’s difficult to see as a beginner, but those of us who have been around for a while see it clearly. It’s immediately obvious who is putting the maximum effort into their craft.
The hallmarks of a pro: They obsess over their craft, talk about it on social media, connect with peers, give away what they know, work hard every day, seek feedback from experts, share new ideas, show their work, and constantly seek to improve. They are a recognizable force in their industry.
Your client is the hero
Clients pay you to solve a problem for them. Without their payment, your service has no market value. “But, don’t they need to know how awesome I am!?” If you’ve done the first four things on this list, you’ve taken care of that. Now, it’s time to make sure you’re establishing the client as the hero of the story.
Focus all messaging and correspondence on them and their needs. Celebrate them as the ones who won the game. Raise their hand up and call them “champion!” While everyone else is boosting their own egos, you take a step back and clap for the one who made it all possible.
While everyone else chases gimmicks that they hope will hide their lack of fundamentals, you become different by default. Build on these fundamental strategies, and you're going to be in the middle of a lot more important conversations.
And, for those of you who were hoping for a quicker fix, take heart. What I've described above is the fastest route to true Differentiation.
You know what they say about a house built on sand...
– Torrey
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