Standing out from the competition has never been more important so you need to tell people what makes you unique.

Even little things you may not think are important could make all the difference to them.

People like to think their needs are different and will gravitate toward something they perceive is made just for them.

If you can't demonstrate what makes your business special, your prospective customers will never see it.

One way for businesses to be different from competitors is to offer something distinct in terms of the service or its value. Or they may offer some degree of exclusivity.

You can also stand out by offering a cheaper price but it's rarely the best positioning.

Service

You can offer service-related benefits whether you sell a service or a product.

For example, you could offer exceptional customer support such as: "On call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." or "We will get there within an hour or the service call is free."

Either of these would work well for plumbers, engineers, mechanics or any other type of repair service.

When clients come in for an appointment, they may be worried about spending too much time in the waiting room.

This is especially true if you are in the medical profession (e.g. dentists, chiropractors and physicians).

So what about working something like the following into your positioning: "You will not wait more than 10 minutes in our waiting room or your visit is free."

Another tactic is to use a warranty.  Why not offer the longest warranty possible?  Your warranty may range from 1 year to a lifetime.

Remember, the bigger the promise you can make, the more appealing your product or service will normally appear to your prospective customers.

Exclusivity

With a little imagination, you can create an exclusive positioning.  If you are offering a product, you could just limit the number that will be sold.

Alternatively, you can offer a limited first edition with more benefits than later editions.  This will really help you launch your product with a bang.

Perhaps you could decide to accept clients only that are recommended to you.  Obviously, this works exceptionally well to create exclusivity to most any type of premium service.

Everyone wants to belong to something.  So set up a community of some sort.  If only clients are allowed in this community, this adds to the exclusivity and value of your offer.

Value

Value is the combination of price and quality.  If you offer better quality than your competitors, many people will happily pay more.

You can easily offer something extra along with your product or existing service to add value.

One idea is to offer complete training on how to best use the item.  If your product or service is complex, many people will probably have trouble using it.

If you can include a manual, instructional videos or even better yet, one-on-one training, it will go a long way in adding extra value.

No matter what you are selling, there are usually items that will fit well with it.  The client will always be interested in other related products (or bonuses).

These related products are perfect examples of value enhancers.

For example, if you create web graphics for your clients, you could also offer web hosting, a complete web site overhaul, or even tips on how to get traffic to their website.  The list can go on and on.

Another way to add value without increasing your expense is to contact businesses with clients who are similar to yours and work out a trade with them.

Estate agents could do deals with furniture shops in their area.

Get creative and you'll find dozens of ways to add value to your product or service.  However it's important to deliver something that's important to them.

Author Robert Greenshields is a copywriter and marketing coach who helps consultants, coaches and other independent professionals attract more clients and make more profit by packaging and promoting their expertise as a high-value product. Download his free Productize Your Expertise report at http://www.mindpowermarketing.com