Standing out is one of the toughest things to do in a crowded market. How do we go about it? I believe there are two simple steps to stand out when making yourself equal and making yourself different. Step 1: Make Yourself Equal The first thing we have to do when marketing something, is make that product/service/individual equal to its competitors. This means identifying the ways that we are the same, whether we provide the same service, similar features, or solve the same problem. What you want to do is to make yourself equal and then distinguish yourself. This is not meant in terms of superiority, but in making a solution better than it was before. By this, I mean you’re providing extra-value or something extraordinary. This holds true whether you are talking about a competitive product or yourself. Make yourself equal to their value and then create a higher Penn Value. It is important to ask more open- and closed-ended questions because the more you can understand and align with the consumer’s value system, the better the certainty of success. Simply saying "I'm different" does nothing to convince others of your value. Prove it. Show them that you have the same benefits as your competitors. Show how you solve the same problem. Then, show them how different you are from the rest. Step 2: Make Yourself Different Challenge others to re-evaluate their perspective on what you are with the unexpected, as catching someone by surprise allows us to make a bigger impact on those with set expectations. Use this surprise in your favor by making it into a competitive advantage. Competitive advantage is typically broken down to two simple things: being cheap and being different. What will you be known for? With a differentiation strategy, a person seeks to be unique in an industry, selecting attributes that others in the industry perceive as important and positioning themselves to meet those needs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices