How to Stand Out from the Crowd in a Professional Service Firm

Competitive advantage: the eternal buzzword in the business world.  It’s what sets you apart and makes your clients prefer you over the competition. If your competitive advantage is exceptional, it can justify a higher price. People are often willing to pay more when they recognize the value they’re receiving.

Naturally, a strong competitive advantage is key to a successful business practice of any nature. But while it’s a little bit more straightforward with products, as quality is tangible; with services, it is a completely different story.

As an executive coach and business growth consultant, I understand the challenges that professional service firms are faced when it comes to competitive advantage.

Unlike businesses offering products with clear quality characteristics, professional service providers compete differently. Accountants, solicitors, engineers, and software developers often provide services perceived as standard. Their competition focuses on differentiating within these perceived norms. Their expertise is intangible, hard to differentiate, at times hard to prove, and sometimes even hard to explain.

In such industries where services are relatively standard, it is the small things that matter the most in terms of differentiating yourself. Here are a few ideas to consider:

Personal Touch

No surprise here I suppose. Being nice and friendly never falls out of fashion and sometimes it makes all the difference. Ever been to the local coffee shop where the owner asks you with a genuine smile how everything is? Or ever been at a place, whether a hotel or a store for example, where the staff opens doors for you and offers to help you with the bags? How did it make you feel?

I personally often go the extra mile to go back to these places and avail of their service or buy their products even if they are further away or a little bit more expensive. It’s the same with your own clients. When you interact with them, give them all your attention, and make them feel like the most important person in the world at this moment. It won’t go unnoticed.

Go the Extra Mile

Being nice is invaluable and so is being helpful. Go the extra mile, and offer a service that won’t cost you almost anything but will make the life of your client much easier. If you’re an accountant needing client invoices at the end of the month, don’t ask them to organize and send the documents. Instead, arrange to collect the invoices yourself. Then, organize them chronologically. Call your client to remind them about the approaching tax return submission deadline. You can also check in to see if everything is okay. Ask if they have any questions or issues. Make sure they understand that this is not part of your service but you are happy to help and save them time. It shows that you appreciate their business and that matters.

Solve Problems

Listening is the first step to solving problems. Be attentive to your clients’ needs—sometimes a simple solution can create a lasting impact.

Listen carefully to what your clients share with you when chit-chatting. Every business owner has struggles and pains, issues that make their business suffer. It could be a process they are struggling with, something that eats into their profits, expertise they need and can’t find, or anything. As an external party, you might be able to see a straightforward solution to their problem that your client is blind to or unaware of.

You don’t need to spend a lot of time thinking about your customers’ problems. However, we often get so caught up in our routines and struggles that we fail to truly listen. Be open, listen attentively, and where you can try to help. You might know someone who could help your client or you might have an idea for a solution. It would probably take you five minutes to help and it could mean the world to your client.

Be an Expert

Most of us provide an array of services but when you have expertise in a very specific area that could be a huge advantage. In case you don’t, invest time and money into educating yourself. Sign up for courses, attend seminars, and talk to experts. It will be money well spent. And in case you do have that knowledge, make sure you get that across through blogs, social media, networking events, etc. Establishing yourself as a professional with expertise in a particular sphere will make you stand out.

Just think about it – if you were the head of a pharmaceutical company looking for a brand agency, who would you prefer – any brand agency or a brand agency that specialises in branding for the pharma industry in particular?

As they say, Go the extra mile. It’s never crowded. Not only does this approach guarantee to make you stand out. It will help you get more business in, and most importantly it will help you get more loyal business in.