Think about what your enterprises does. “We sell these products,” or “We provide these services” you might answer.
Now think about what your enterprise delivers. The answer to a problem or problems? The best service available? Convenience? Confidence? Trust? The best price? The best quality? Added value? Relevant, useful information? Something else?
Imagine that you sold bananas to supermarkets. On the one hand, you are selling an edible fruit with a (usually) yellow rind. On the other hand, if you are good at what you do, you are providing bananas of a consistently high quality which arrive on time. If there are any problems, your customer knows that you will do your best to sort them out (which engenders trust). In other words, you do a lot more than just selling fruit.
Any product or service can be differentiated. This can be done by telling stories. For example, did you know that bananas are grown in 135 countries? Pick a country and you will soon have stories to tell about the farmers and the supply chain.
Within ultra competitive marketplaces it takes a creative mind to find the stories and tell them in imaginative, engaging and compelling ways. Much of digital marketing, for example, comprises words (i.e. this blog). The challenge is that if you are running a business, when do you have time to “be creative?” Sorting out day to day problems, dealing with people and keeping the cash flowing can occupy every waking moment.
