Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In business, imitation is the quickest route to mediocrity.
When you sit down to write your brochure, is your first instinct to see what your competitor’s brochure says? Using the same language as your competitor makes it hard for your customer to tell you apart.
Look at the Web site text for these two Columbia, South Carolina landscapers, for example. Can you tell them apart? Heck, for that matter, can you even tell what these companies do?! If I hadn’t just told you they’re landscapers, you wouldn’t even know.
| Company A | Company B |
| We have 10 years experience.
We have a proven record of reliability; we strive to meet our customer’s needs by offering dependable services. We believe in keeping you, our customer, satisfied. We’ll work to exceed your expectations. |
We have provided quality, professional service for over 10 years.
We are committed to reliability and dependability. Customer satisfaction is our top priority and our goal is to deliver quality services that will exceed our customer’s expectations. |
Your customers don’t want to see that you can imitate your competitor. They want to know what makes you unique — what makes you better. Business isn’t about fitting in; it’s about winning. You need to stand out in the crowd.
Here are a few more marketing crimes the landscapers committed:
- Unexplained Claims
What does “committed to reliability” mean?
Do you offer any guarantees or warranties?
What distinguishes your services as “quality”? - Meaningless Assertions
You’re committed to customer satisfaction? Really? Who isn’t? Every business says this. Besides, I flat out expect it. Your “commitment” means nothing to me unless you tell me you back up your “commitment in a way your competitor doesn’t. - The “I have X years of experience” Trap
10 years of experience. 15 years of experience. 20 years of experience. What’s the difference? Can you demonstrate to me that your 15 years of experience makes you better than the guy with 10 years of experience? Can you show me a representative sample of the work you’ve done in your X years?