Making
Yourself Memorable
In early 2000,
a brash new player burst onto the scene of an already crowded
field of airline carriers. That company had a strong, well-executed
business plan and aimed
to provide customers with lower airfares and a superior flying experience
while serving a somewhat limited amount of cities. That company
was and is JetBlue Airways and it has succeeded by standing out
from its competition.
A bit of time spent on JetBlue’s web
page will provide you with an idea of what makes it different from
other airlines:
“JetBlue is the only airline
in the world to offer passengers live satellite television with
up to 24 channels of DIRECTV® programming free of charge
at every seat. Every JetBlue aircraft is outfitted with a DIRECTV®
system which features individual seatback monitors, armrest remotes
with channel and volume controls.”
“JetBlue will add up to 100
channels of digital satellite radio… XM Satellite Radio's free in-flight
service will allow JetBlue customers to choose from XM's unmatched
variety of music, news, sports, information
and entertainment, all with digital-quality audio and coast-to-coast
coverage.”
“With JetBlue, all seats
are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and
a Saturday night stay is never required”
What have all
these perks done for JetBlue? Well, the numbers
speak for themselves. According to JetBlue’s 2003 10-K,
“While
the airline industry suffered losses in 2003 and 2002, we had net
income of $103.9 million and $54.9 million for the years ended December
31, 2003 and 2002, respectively. We generated an operating
margin of 16.9% and 16.5% in 2003 and 2002, respectively, which
were higher than all of the major U.S. airlines, according to reports
by those airlines.”
JetBlue differentiated
itself by providing a superior
product at a lower price and, to date, it has been successful.
Even small things can make you stand out from a crowded field of
competitors. What can you do that can make your product or service
stand out from
your competition?
Little things go a long way.
Customers
appreciate small touches that allow them to clearly see the
difference between your organization and other. This can be driven
home to even minute levels. Think about the way you correspond
with customers. I knew one rep who always sent correspondence
or thank you notes to long-time
customers on nostalgic looking cards that featured vignettes
of old tractor ads. The cards were usually attached to other correspondence
but allowed that sales rep to stand out from his competitors. Customers
remembered the tractors.
Other companies
may package their products in a different manner. They may do something
that makes their service, even if it is relatively the same as others,
just a bit
different. The cost
may be the same but the final product may be look different.
A logo may be used in a certain manner. The possibilities truly
are endless.
Ultimately,
anything you can do to get a leg up on the competition
will help. Get creative and think about the ways your products,
your service or even the best sales tool you can use – you – can
be different than you competition.
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