In my time coaching entrepreneurs, I’ve often heard them express concern about the
“competition.” They say things like: “But there are SO many other people who do what I do…”

When it comes down to it, they’re worried about not being able to stand out enough in the marketplace.

The answer to this dilemma is really about positioning, and there are three main ways to handle this in your own business:

1. Position yourself by focusing on your remarkable advantages.

One of the best places to begin in order to have a standout message is to focus on your remarkable advantages.

Customers are savvier than ever, and the truth is, looking like everyone else attracts price shoppers. Price shoppers will never be loyal to you and are often a royal pain to deal with to boot!

(This is why you never want to compete on price—someone will always come in cheaper. Understand that people will pay whatever you ask for something they really want, and if you can solve their problem or eliminate their pain, you can then charge a premium.)

When you focus on your remarkable advantages, you infuse YOU in your business to stand out from all the noise.

Here are two great ways to do this. First, simply ask the people closest to you, “What are my three best qualities?” (This is a way to discover your unique genius, and when I did this several years ago, it was extremely enlightening.)

Second, I recommend checking out the book Now Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham. It’s a great resource for doing this work.

2. Position yourself by telling your story.

When you come from an authentic place, success is almost guaranteed.

So, what’s your story? What has happened in your life, good or bad, that would be the most useful to share with others? The answer to this is your Center of Authenticity, and you want to weave this all throughout your marketing.

Ultimately, marketing is really storytelling. It’s about authentic stories that help sell the product or service being marketed.

Think about your story, your life as it has unfolded up to today. What was a turning point in your life? Turning points help others relate to you, and telling your story of how you got to where you are today helps build connection as well as know, like, and trust.

3. Position yourself through price.

Another way to stand out is through price positioning. Whether we like it not, the way we price our products and services makes a statement about our credibility, and higher prices tend to garner more respect. (Think of the old statement: “You get what you pay for.”)

How do you work on your own price positioning? A great place to start is by looking at the brands that you admire and love. What is it about them that draws you to them? How can you incorporate some of that essence into your own branding and offerings?

You’ll also want to focus on creating an experience for your clients and customers, providing a high level of value and customer service, and never doing anything halfway or in a “shoddy” manner. Ask yourself: How can I do things better? (Also, if you’ve been in the habit of negotiating fees up until now—stop!)

Finally, understand the power of association: those you associate with determine your perceived value in the marketplace. Align yourself with the top people in your industry by reaching out to them and starting to form real relationships. (Social media can be a great tool for this.)

The BIG “secret”? In the end, it’s not about how many degrees you have, or how good looking you are, or even how intelligent you are. It’s really about CONFIDENCE.

Combine that with the positioning strategies I’ve recommended here and the good news is, you won’t need to stress about the “competition” ever again.

How are you going to implement these positioning strategies? Let me know below in the comments!