Lots of small businesses do essentially the same thing. That reality leads to an even greater perception by the prospective client that one accountant is like another, one web designer is like another, one remodeling contractor is like another, one fill in the blank here is like another.

In your heart you may know that’s not true, but unless you do something to prove it so, perception is reality. I think most businesses miss what it is that does make them different. It’s true, if you prepare tax returns, many others may do what you do. But, the magic, and the way in which you win the hearts and minds of your clients is “how you do it.”

I once visited with an actual tax specialist and financial planner who offered very good coffee, great music and a masseuse while clients waited to have their taxes prepared. Believe me, no one visited his financial spa to talk price. They did prepare taxes, but how they did it, the experience, the process that clients were treated to, was what made them different. That was their entire marketing message.

Another example. An upscale remodeling contractor thought quality work and craftsmanship set his firm apart. Turns out that quality work was an expectation or what all his competitors did. His actual clients told us it was the fact that his people cleaned up the job site everyday that made the difference. The remodeling process was as important as the remodeling project.

Tell people how you do what you do, prove that you have a process that’s unique and then build that difference, that process, into your lead generation, lead nurturing, lead conversion and client experience and suddenly, your business will stand out.

Bonus thought: Journalists love stories about “how you do what you do” way more than pitches about what you do.