by Tom Reilly
If price is the only thing that differentiates you from the competition, you have more than a pricing problem. Every product wrapped in creativity and delivered conscientiously becomes a differentiated solution and unique customer experience. This is the essence of Value-Added Selling.
Creativity is diverging from the status quo. It means stepping out of your comfort zone. Creativity is building a better mousetrap. This presumes a willingness to improve and innovate. Your willingness to improve comes from your acceptance that you can improve. This requires a strong measure of humility on your part. This is The Humility Paradox. No one gets better unless they admit they can get better. Unleashing the potential of your product de-commoditizes your brand because there is no commodity in creativity.
Conscientiousness is the habit of being proactive. Delivering a solution conscientiously means taking the initiative to serve beyond the expected. It is going the extra mile every time. The strength of this virtue is that there is no traffic jam on the extra mile. There is little competition when you decide to compete at the top of your game. There is plenty of competition when you do just enough to get by. As one customer service rep said to me, “The best part about being proactive with my service is never having to say ‘I’m sorry’ to the customer.” This level of commitment requires subordinating oneself for the greater good of serving others. This is The Humility Paradox. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
Being different should be natural for you. You were born different from everyone else. You are a unique human being. You can bring that uniqueness to your career and make it part of your customer experience. You do it with your creativity and conscientiousness.
Tom Reilly is the author of The Humility Paradox. You may read more about this new, hot-selling book at AMAZON or visit us online at www.tomreillytraining.com.