If I had a dollar for every time I read or heard something like “We have the best service in the industry”, I’d be rich. (I almost wrote that I wouldn’t be writing blog posts, but I think I’d still be doing this even if I was filthy rich.) It seems like all presentation decks, websites, brochures, and conversations include these words. So, how can one consider this a differentiator if everyone is claiming to have the greatest service in the world? More important, how can a customer take it seriously if it’s not measurable? And that leads us to the most important differentiating characteristic of a great differentiator …
The number one differentiator of your differentiators is objectivity.
Yep, that’s right. More important than magnitude, uniqueness, or relevance is objectivity. Your differentiators must be objective. “Great service” should be “Less than 3% attrition rate”. “Qualified technicians” should be “Every technician is required to have 100 hours of certification training per year”. Until you connect your claims to measurable factors, all your audience hears is white noise.
So, before installing those “best of breed” products today, plan some time with your team to translate your subjective benefit statements to objective differentiators.