It’s standard procedure these days if you want to stay in business: Out-fox your competition by providing customer service that is beyond the norm.  Never disparage your competition, just focus on what your customers need and want.  To stand out from your competition, make sure your customers have a clear understanding of the benefits of what you are selling.

Second, ensure that you have a clear understanding of all the criteria that goes into a customer’s decision-making process.  Is one of them customer service at your business? If it is, the customer may decide to go with your product or service, rather than the competition’s, even when the products or service are virtually the same.  Another article explains a customer’s criteria may be quite concrete (I want something in blue) or a little more obscure (I want to buy from a company that is innovative.) Your job as a company is to figure out this decision-making process and then to act accordingly when trying to lure new customers.  One way you can do that is through a customer evaluation service such as Customer Perspectives. It’s all about customer experience marketing.