You still want your professional services business to be successful, right? You're still focused on growth, right? Excellent. In part one of this blog, we defined organic and inorganic growth, talked about focusing on a well-defined niche, and began to discuss differentiation.

What is a Differentiator?

A differentiator is a benefit or feature that you have that is distinctly different from anything your competition has. In other words, make sure your company is in a defined niche and specialized.

The Value of a Differentiator

Differentiators that don't have value to your client are the worst. Not everyone believes or cares that you have the best staff, have a focus on people, or that you give to charity. There's a caveat here: they don't care about these things before they get to know you. Once they know you, you can show them first hand that they're true.

Differentiators that address your prospective clients' concerns and needs are the best differentiators. Your claims need to state how your services impact your client specifically.

Determining Your Differentiator

Start by asking: If my claim is real? Can I deliver on my claim if I convert my prospect into a client?

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Use a mixture of traditional and digital marketing, with an emphasis on the digital. You can save yourself and your clients money by investing in the legwork or research.

Using Your Differentiator

Begin by aligning your marketing to make sure it hits the target with your prospective clients. By focusing your marketing on your client, you’ll hit the mark with less effort and fewer resources. So how do you know your specialized marketing is working? It’s easy to recognize that you’ve landed a new client or when revenue is up. Workflows and traceability of marketing emails, calls-to-action, and landing pages allow you to see what’s working on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis so you can adjust your strategy.

At the end of the day, your professional services business is you and your expertise. The only drawback to your expertise is that it’s perceived as intangible by your prospects. Prospects are people and people don't always embrace what they can’t see or touch.

The solution? Turn the lights on! When a prospect researches you by exploring your website, make sure your blogging, social media messaging, case studies, and videos are in tune with your claim.