Differentiate your business by adding value.
By Therésa Müller, CEO, ZA Group (Pty) Ltd

If you want to give customers a reason to choose you over the competition when deciding where to spend their hard-earned cash, you need to go above and beyond the call of duty. Think about what your clients could possibly need or what would add value to their experience that won’t cost you an arm and a leg to implement, then make it happen … and you’ll soon see results for your business.

To get your creative juices flowing, here are a few examples of what you might consider adding:

1. More amenities.

   Add a place for waiting customers to clean up, sit and have coffee, read a magazine, let their children play in safety, or browse the Internet and check their email. This is especially useful for businesses where customers have to wait or stand in line for an extended period of time, such as a car wash, doctor’s rooms or veterinary clinic. Whatever your strategy, if it looks like it’s going to cost a little more than you really want to spend, think about why so many fast food joints have playgrounds! I know of a hairdressing salon that offers patrons the opportunity to shower and refresh their make-up between a cut and the final blow-dry. Now isn’t that just so civilized?

2. More bang for their buck.

   Joint venture with businesses and suppliers who target the same audience as you, but who do not compete with you. Offer a really good discount on your product or service in exchange for the same from them. Everyone wins: more clients and increased satisfaction all round.

   Examples:

   • A graphic designer could partner with a printer.
   • A vet could partner with a dog-training school.
   • A car wash could partner with a petrol station.

3. More services.

   Offer something in addition to your product that provides solutions to your audience’s problems or answers to their questions … something that will not necessarily cost you anything extra, but that will make a real difference to them.

   Examples:

   • A restaurant could offer to remember wedding anniversaries and other important dates for busy professionals.
   • A hotel could offer free, safe entertainment for children, allowing the parents a real break. Or meal vouchers to favourite local eateries. Or they could provide free transportation to and from the airport.
   • A bookshop could offer age-appropriate reading lists to parents with children.
   • A dry-cleaning business could offer to take in the dirty laundry of busy professionals on their way to work and have them pick it up, clean, on their way home at the end of the same day.
   • A guest-house could offer to do the laundry, free of charge. Or — if they are close to a hospital or university — they could anticipate their guests needs and offer free transportation to these institutions.
   • A car mechanic can offer a free car wash as part of the deal.
   • A hairdresser can offer a free head and shoulder massage with every cut.
   • A fast-food place can offer a free drink with every take-away meal.
   • We offer a complimentary copy of “10 Ways to Write More Effective Advertising” valued at R85, when people sign up for our workshop: How to create advertising GUARANTEED to generate business for your business ... no matter what line of business you’re in.

Need to brainstorm how to add value to your clients and customers without breaking the bank? We offer a free one-hour consultation with no strings attached. Finding ways to differentiate your business from the competition is certain to increase your market-share in the long run. Give us a call at 0860 92 0000 today to schedule a meeting with an experienced marketing strategist.

Read more ZA Tips! articles »