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Looking for Your Competitive Advantage? Make a Complex Process Easy

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Defining and showcasing what separates your company from the noise can be your ticket to long-standing success. But how do you find that differentiator?

Some companies have defaulted to developing new, radical processes. While this can inspire unique products, consumers ultimately want solutions to their everyday problems — and this is where you should concentrate. Streamlining traditional practices in your industry and catering to customer pain points is a surefire way to spark interest and secure that competitive edge.

When developing and marketing an easy-to-use process to consumers, make sure:

  • It alleviates barriers. Emphasize the problem your company is solving and how it differentiates you from the competition — this is your major selling point.
  • It saves customers time. If you’re saving your customers time, make this as apparent as possible. Time is money, and if you can free up time for customers to focus on more important things, they’ll thank you.
  • It increases productivity. How does your product make a task more efficient? Although you’ve already clarified how much time you’ll save customers, highlighting the reasons why will make your product more desirable.
  • It’s easy to understand. If your customers can clearly define your product and how they can use it, you’re on your way to success. If not, educating them on its usability should be your priority.

How Successful Companies Found Their Competitive Edge

Many companies have already adopted this strategy and experienced its rewards. Trippeo, for example, delivers an innovative way to manage expenses through automation. Filling out and managing business expenses isn’t on any professional’s list of favorite to-dos, but Trippeo eases the process for busy, on-the-go business travelers, their accountants, and others burdened by this task. 

We asked a few other company leaders how they streamlined a previously complex task to appeal to their audiences. Here’s what inspired their breakthrough ideas:

Offering More Affordable Home Care Options

CareLinx has pinpointed inefficiencies within the home care industry and worked toward making this service more affordable and accessible for those in need. Through its customer-centric model, CareLinx can identify with its audience and provide higher-quality caregivers at more affordable rates while paying caregivers higher wages.

“It’s engrained in our company’s DNA to listen to the specific needs of our potential customers and then invest the time to educate them on the processes and regulations of hiring a caregiver,” said Sherwin Sheik, president and CEO of CareLinx.

Improving Point-of-Sale Management for Small Businesses  

Jason Richelson, co-founder and CEO of ShopKeep, used his technology background to create a cloud-based product that helps small businesses manage purchases with ease and confidence.

“You need the technical knowledge to create a better alternative,” Richelson said. “The Windows-based point-of-sale system in my wine store caused me headaches every day. I knew there had to be a better way. That’s how ShopKeep was born.”

Harnessing the Potential Within Employees                               

Working in the remanufacturing sector, Steve Baker, vice president of The Great Game of Business, said his company's CEO, Jack Stack, struggled to differentiate the company. When he turned over ownership of processes to the employees responsible for executing them, he effectively removed the middleman and now helps other business owners effectively manage with an “open book” model.

“By tapping the intellectual capacity of our people, we’ve discovered we have a competitive advantage that can’t be matched,” Baker said. “If we only focused outwardly, we’d miss so much that makes us a sustainable, growing business.” 

Simplifying the Sales Process                                                            

After acknowledging the time-consuming and stressful nature of audience research, Aman Naimat developed a product that aggregates key demographic information to arm salespeople with the competitive intelligence to close big sales.

Naimat’s company, Spiderbook, one of our clients, uses big data technologies to help companies connect the dots between information from thousands of sources or databases and use this insight to identify potential leads.

“Complex products such as software or research contracts for large pharmaceutical trials have long sales cycles,” Naimat said. “Spiderbook helps salespeople identify companies that need their product.”

Market saturation is prompting companies in nearly every industry to find a creative way to stand out. But most people aren’t looking for complicated new features; they want to lead a less stressful life. Focus on simplifying your audience’s lives, and your product will naturally attract the attention it deserves.

John Hall is the CEO of Influence & Co., a company that provides a turnkey thought leadership solution for companies.