1. “My competitors are stupid!”
You can learn from your competitors, their successes and failures:

• Customer benefits you’ve overlooked
• A new technology and service being introduced
• A new market being explored or a new office opened
• Revised terms of sale
• Strategic alliances
• New ways of handling service or orders
• Changes in their client list
• Personnel comings and goings
• Literature and promotional activities

2. “My customers won’t know the difference.”

Your customers are specialized in (at least) one thing — BEING CUSTOMERS!

They are far more tuned in to your market and the offerings of your competitors than you may give them credit for (your competition never sleeps!)

3. “My product is vastly superior.”

Most entrepreneurs — particularly manufacturers — consider his or her product to be truly astounding.

If your product IS vastly superior, (can you) come up with a head-to-head demo?

KEY POINT! Don’t become so enthralled with the “excellence” of your product that you lose the customer’s perspective in the process.

4. “My people are special.”

Most companies feel this way. Unless you can qualify and quantify it, this claim will hold no water with most clients.

Don’t overestimate the impact of your people. How are they special? Do they have:

. . . MORE: awards, degrees, training, experience? (This is the service company’s equivalent of, “My product is vastly superior.”)

KEY POINT! If you claim to have superior employees, you’d better be prepared to back it up.