Of course, they're right. As with all profound concepts, this concept can be traced right back to God the Creator. We have heard that every snow flake is unique, and we know that every human being is a unique mixture of physical and mental and emotional attributes. Each individual is fearfully and wonderfully made, as Psalms 139:14 proclaims. If we are following our Heavenly Father's example, shouldn't our products and services demonstrate unique differentiation? And how do we do that?
In an economy where customers are even more leery of spending unnecessarily, clearly-recognized differentiation may be the separator between doing business with you or with someone else. Differentiation may be low price, as Wal-Mart has demonstrated so well. It may be consistency and a friendly atmosphere, as McDonalds has shown. It may be the type of quality and superb service for which companies such as Nordstrom are known.
Marketing experts can explain several ways of maintaining differentiation. Of course one of them is to know and understand what the competition has to offer and then to make your offering more appealing. Your price may be lower, your service may be better, you may have a better warranty, you may have a faster turn-around time, and on and on.
Another way is to know the customer's needs, spending habits, and demographics to make certain your product or service aligns with the customer's purchasing habits and the customer's desires. After all, it's not a great product or service if the customer doesn't think it is.
Kingdom people also have x-factors when it comes to differentiation. The love you project in your business relationships is attractive to people, even if they don't understand why they are attracted to you. The integrity you maintain gives them security, knowing they can trust you and can refer you to their friends. The quality in your products or services that represents how a Kingdom person goes to business helps customers see value in your offerings.
And there is another kingdom differentiation x factor. Jesus explains it, as recorded in John 5:19: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does." (NIV) Jesus was carrying out the Father's business plan of restoring all things to himself, and He got His direction from the Father.
If you have been blessed in your business, do you continue to do the same thing going forward, or is the Father saying to prepare to do something else--differentiating your products and services in a way that prepares you for what lies ahead? If you are just surviving in the down economy, is the Father saying to trust Him in the circumstances because He will bring good things to pass, or is he saying to change something, to differentiate in some way, that will turn your circumstances around?
More than ever we must hear and obey the Father's voice if we are truly going to successfully differentiate our products and services from what others have to offer.
It is normal for us to look at circumstances around us and try to figure out new ways to differentiate our products or services. Our Father wants us to be wise in planning and making decisions. He has equipped us to be creative and successful, using our business minds. But we have to be careful not to take our eyes off the Father and instead put them exclusively on circumstances around us.
In summary, below are a few considerations to help you differentiate your products or services:
- Regularly review your products or services from the customer's perspective. Have planned times to stop and focus in order to reevaluate what you do or offer.
- Review your products or services in the light of changed market conditions. How must you adjust in order to maintain the differentiation under changed circumstances?
- What other products or services are like yours in the marketplace and what does that mean?
- Always be improving. Don't stand on your laurels if you are good.
- Operate from a kingdom of God perspective, which trumps all other differentiation ways. Follow what the Father is doing be seeking "first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Then all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33, NKJV)
John Boneck is the Director of the Kingdom Business Association. He is a business coach and has served in management in a $100M division of a corporation.
