Just How Unique is Your Home Based Business?

The word ‘unique’ is defined by the Oxford dictionary as ‘of which there is only one; unequalled; having no like, equal or parallel’. Considering how many competitors are in the same industry as you and are offering similar products and services, it must seem that the word ‘unique’ is not a suitable word to use in business descriptions. Yet most business operators hope to be running unique businesses, and want to promote the uniqueness of their business.

In Internet Marketing, it is said that Google wants at least a50% uniqueness when the same article is published more than once. Though some experts say this is a ‘myth’ as the very purpose of such things as Article Directories is to enable you to publish the articles written by others in your own blogs etc. Nevertheless, it is probably important to have a large percentage of your online content unique, to ensure you get the highest ranking possible.

In business we hear the term ‘unique businesses’ used often; usually when business owners are explaining what makes their business ‘stand out from the crowd’. It is important to be able to list the individuality and distinctiveness of your business as opposed to the businesses of your competitors.

But business owners are finding this more and more difficult to do, probably because they do not actively think about how to make their businesses unique. Rather they look at their business and then try to find things that they can say about the ‘uniqueness’ of their business.

Consequently you hear such things as:-
“exceptional customer service”
“easy to understand information”
“quality ‘back up’ material”
“relevant and quality information”

I guess the question to ask yourself is “Doesn’t every business owner say they have unique businesses?”

But what if you also ask yourself what you would be looking for if you were to purchase a specific product or service? Of course you would want all of what is mentioned above – but what would really make you decide to go to one business rather than another?

Plumber
Of course you would want quality workmanship and speedy execution. You probably would also want a guarantee. But would the following make you decide to use a plumber who:-

* Would offer service 24 hours a day
* Would wear slippers when walking into your home
* Would follow up with a phone call to ensure that everything was working OK after they left

If promoted, would these things make this plumber unique?

Coach
We would expect good customer service and information to be shared that was easy to understand and put into action. It would also help to know of some testimonials of previous satisfied customers.

But perhaps a Coach would be unique if they also offered:
* A group meeting of a number of clients that they had helped achieve success. This could be at a restaurant or by teleconference.
* After each coaching session they were given something for free to further promote the message the coach was trying to get across (it could be an ebook, an invitation to a seminar or a DVD)
* If they provided a limited guarantee (it is interesting that by law all product must have a guarantee – but the service industry does not have to. So how unique they would be if they did!)

Dog Groomer
There are some very interesting things this industry could offer. Here I am going to give you a case study. Pet Perfection in Melbourne offers the following unique qualities:

* There is a massage chair for clients to use while waiting for their pet
* There is a closed circuit TV so that owners can watch their pets being groomed
* Pets are given a spray of deodorizer after grooming
* Pet owners receive a ‘gift’ every time they pick up their pets, if they have a permanant booking (e.g. biscuits for the dog; a bottle of water for the owner etc)

Boy – is this dog grooming salon unique!