There are so many businesses out there that finding a way to make your stand out amongst them can seem near impossible. While being noticed is rarely easy, it can be done. With the competition nipping at your heels, you have to use every trick at your disposal, to leave the competition in the dust. Ways to make an impression that lasts:

Work your butt off.

When you have a client that comes to you to solve their problems, whether through a product or service, do everything in your power to make them happy. Bend over backwards for them, dance for them, eat off the floor, anything as long as they know you WANT to help them. If you cannot solve their problem, then being able to recommend someone that can, can make for a memorable conversation. People remember when someone helps them, as well as when someone tries all they can to get them what they need.

When you make a promise to your customers, never back out.

If this means you have to run outside naked in freezing temperatures, then do it. Your character in business, as in life, is everything. Never promise something that you may not be able to deliver. Promise less, and give more. Make your customers feel special, and they will want to seek your services in the future. They will also be more likely to recommend you to their friends and associates.

Adapt your business before you have to.

Don’t wait for a major downfall to happen before adjusting your techniques. Find novel ways to do business, even if what you have been doing in the past is working. Give your customers new reasons to need you. Make your business as versatile as possible. Give your customers new products and services to try. You will run into people who don’t care for change, but the ones that do, will more than make up for them.

Do things that are unexpected.

Give your most loyal customers an occasional gift. Nothing fancy, just a token that reminds them that you cherish their business. Just do not give then any reason to think that you are trying to bribe them to buy you products or services. When you know your clients personally, you can make them feel special by offering things they find interesting.

Stay in touch with your customers.

Many people do not do this nearly enough. Just call to see how they are doing.  Don’t use it as a sales call. Let them know that you care, and are thinking of them. If you go on vacation, send your clients a postcard. Do things that are out of the norm, and you will be surprised how it can take your business to the top.

Breaking bad news to clients is never easy or fun, but with a few tips, you can hopefully avoid bloodshed.

• Try to give your customers some advance warning that your prices will be going up.  Explain to them as nicely and professionally as you can about how much, when, and why the price increase is going to occur. This will let them prepare for the inevitable. It will make the actual price increase easier for them to bear.

• If the price increase is a result of something you have done by mistake, letting your clients know that you take responsibility for your actions, can go a long way to showing your clients that you are a respectable person, who values your customers.

• When telling customers the bad news, keep your voice low and speak slowly. People tend to be too emotional when they have to tell bad news to people. By keeping your voice even and calm, it will assure your customers that what you are saying is reasonable.

• If you have to tell your customers that your prices are going up, make sure that you sound as if you feel bad about the whole thing. Bad that they are having to pay more, but good because you will be getting more money. You can leave out the part about feeling good for taking more of their money. They may not take kindly to your bliss.

• Try to make breaking the news sound as positive as possible. Our prices will be going up, but we have vastly improved our website, and have many new products to offer. This gives the customer something good to hang on to.

• Make sure that your customers know how important they are to you. For your most loyal customers, offer a discount on a product or service they use regularly. This will take the focus off the price increase, and make them think about their good discount they will be getting.

• Telling customers about prices increasing is hard when the economy is in good shape. When it is tough, like now, it is even harder to break the news to customers that are probably already stretched too thin to begin with. Try to be as understanding of their feelings as possible, and assure them that there is no other way for you to keep your business afloat.

Bad news about price increases is hard for everyone involved, but if you can explain to customers in a reasonable way, they will be more likely to take the news without too much problem, and continue as your customer.

Ever wonder how many customers call you, and then turn around and do business with your competition? Probably more than you think. Why in the world would they do that? One reason may be because you are not making them feel like you can effectively give them everything they need. If they have the slightest inkling that someone else may be better at meeting their needs, then nine times out of ten, they are going to call the other company.

When you can really build a relationship with a client that tells them that you sincerely care about them, and what it is they are trying to achieve, then you make them way more likely to use your business to meet their needs. You have to be certain that they fully comprehend what you are telling them, and that they make the connection as to how it can make an aspect of their lives better. Better than any other company, better than your competition. You have to make your potential customer feel like they are coming home.

When a customer feels like they have found the solution to their problem, they will not call anyone else. On the other hand, if they feel like some of their needs have not been addressed to their satisfaction, they are going to keep searching until they are. Taking the time to fully understand the needs of your customers can be the difference between a new client for you, and a new client for your competition. You have to be able to meet your customers’ needs, and make it convincing. You have to smother your customers with understanding and solutions. Don’t allow them to need anyone else. Give them what they need and want, and they will continue to return to you.

Make is so easy to buy from you, that customers can come up with no good reason why they shouldn’t.  Don’t give them an out. Either make the sell on the first call, or make them feel like you can do it. Let them know the strategy and steps you will be taking to address their concerns, and ways to come up with a solution.

When you are able to gain the trust of your potential customers, and effectively solve all of their needs, they will not have the need to wander to the competition. Ask questions, get to know your clients, and shape your solutions around your product or service. Give them every reason to love you, and none to despise you. When you are able to do this effectively, you won’t worry about the competition, they will worry about you.

Evaluate Your Customers

We build trust and connection only by knowing our target audience.  Get in your potential customer’s head.  Ask questions.  Listen to what potential clients need and want.  Do online surveys and offer a give-away to generate a response.  Evaluate the answers carefully.

Think of one specific customer and put yourself in his or her shoes.  What does he or she need?  What business problems are affecting cash flow? If you not understand and respond to the emotional pulse of your everyday customer, the rest of your efforts will be wasted energy.

Start Strong

Very few people sit around twiddling their thumbs, wishing they had more stuff to read, and additional items on their to-do list.  Nobody has time to waste.  Assume your client is busy.  That’s why -whether you’re creating an ad, newsletter or website home page, you must lead with your strongest point.  The most immediate obstacle to getting your copy read is to seize and capture the reader’s attention.

Push Benefits

Emotional appeal is important, but you also need to address logical concerns clearly.  When your potential client comes across your materials, she needs to be able to clearly identify several potential benefits for your products or services, including these examples:

• It’s affordable.
• You get quick results.
• You cut costs by 25%.

Give examples

Two companies send a sales letter.  One sends a business card and crosses his finger.  The other adds a press release that quotes a client who said his businesses increased by 25%.  Who gets the sale?

Once you’ve listed the benefits, back it up the way this Internet marketing guru did.   “My personal wakeup call came when I met Aaron, who raked in over $600,000 a year, yet had plenty of time to pursue his real passion-racing motorcycles. After meeting Aaron, I visited his website and set my eyes on one of the ugliest web pages I’d ever seen. It was mostly text and ran on for miles. But I forced myself to read it-after all, the guy must have been doing something right to be pulling down the big bucks. Imagine my surprise when, halfway through that page, I started reaching for my wallet! I didn’t need what he was selling, but I wanted to buy it anyway!”

Honesty

“I can increase your online sales by 45% in a month.”  Half-truths, lies, exaggerations – they are the same thing – a sure-fire way to make sure you never have a repeat customer.  Do you think they won’t notice if your service doesn’t deliver?  Even if you do well and increase sales by 40%, you won’t have kept your word and you’ve proven you can’t be trusted.

You might think you’re an independent lean-mean business machine, but even top executives and business owners need a pat on the back once in a while. Everyone needs recognition. The power of recognition can be a major force throughout your business practices. If you take the time to study your clients through a comprehensive business relationship, you will come to learn their hot buttons, what they need in their business and personal lives, what makes them tick…what makes them unique. Show your client that you’ve been paying attention to their needs and that you see them as a person and not a number added to your bottom line and you will gain a lifelong customer.

Prove to your client that you recognize exactly how they’re unique and you will prove that you care. In a money-hungry economy, this proof alone is enough to get your client to quit shopping out new companies and stick with you. If you’re able to map out exact points that make them unique, then you’ll be able to demonstrate that their needs will always be taken care of and that they can trust you. Especially with a business world experiencing a huge trend of virtualization, reliability and trust are tremendous points of value for your client. For example, it’s not enough to simply have a stellar product or service, if your client can’t trust you to deliver on time every time without anxiety, then you’re going to lose them.

If you fail to show your client that you see them as a unique enterprise, then they’ll feel that you don’t recognize their unique points or appreciate them as an individual business account, and they’re going to operate in a shadow of doubt, and a doubtful mind will look to find comfort through someone else’s business. Especially when you consider that it’s almost always more lucrative to maintain an existing client than it is to market to and acquire a new one, you’ll see that making your client feel unique will boost your business with a nice, fat bottom line.