Are you REALLY that different than everyone else?  Can you prove it? Is it your people? Is it your process? What is it? Differentiators can and should be used to promote the areas in which a company truly excels. Highlighting TRUE differentiators allows a company to distinguish itself from other government contractors who may offer similar products or services. However, while highlighting your differentiators is a required element of an effective government marketing strategy, most organizations fail to do it effectively. Guess what? Everyone says it’s their people and their processes.

Differentiators: An Overview

By emphasizing differentiators the government can quickly identify how contractors differ from one another and who is able to offer the most unique capabilities to meet their needs. Companies should develop a strong list of differentiators in order to stand out from the hundreds of other contractors lined up to steal a piece of business. I know there may be times when you want to keep them close to the chest, however, you really should highlight them on collateral materials, websites and capabilities statements. Three principals to keep in mind while touting your company’s differentiators:

Is this characteristic true?

Is this differentiator provable?

How is this important to potential clients?

The government might understand the basics of what you are selling, but they can get their desired solution from a range of providers. They want to know why your company offers the smartest, most innovative and cost effective solution.

Everyone Has “Smart People and Good Customer Service”

Consider the following statement made hundreds of times per day “our company has excellent customer service”. There might be no doubt that your company indeed has excellent customer service, if it didn’t you would probably be out of business! However, excellent customer service is subjective so consider it carefully – does it really set you apart from other companies?

Using superlatives to say that you are really great at what you do is not enough. It may be difficult to find a way in which your company distinguishes the products or services you provide, but that does not mean you can’t find other areas in which your company stands out.

Every company has something that makes it “special” and is hard to replicate. Pinpoint what makes you special and market is as much as possible.

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