It Pays To Position Yourself As A Specialist.

Who gets higher hourly rates, a general practitioner or a neurosurgeon? And which one would you rather entrust yourself to for brain surgery? There’s really no contest when major surgery is the need.

Your customers are much like you as a patient. They’re seeking a specialist to solve their business problems. And if you really know your customers, you also know the specific types of problems that keep them up at night. You have given this valuable intelligence to your engineers and product planners for response. And when you receive the fruits of their efforts, you’ll want to inform your customers of how you’ve responded to their needs.

So why do so many industrial marketers, armed with specific solutions, position themselves as generalists...boasting about general capabilities and buying factors such as quality, delivery response and service. Instead of coming to their customer’s rescue, they give the impression of isolation from their customers’ challenges.

The moral...tell your customers how you can help them. Communicate specific solutions, as many as you can. Then the market will perceive you as a value-added resource...one that can command a higher price tag and worthy of higher margins. Position yourself as a specialist—and get paid like one!

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