“A Solution” vs. “The Solution”

The Right Marketing Solutions
(Photo by Northern Ireland Executive)

There’s a world of difference between “a” and “the“. When you’re marketing your business, are you positioning yourself as “a solution” or “the solution” to the challenges your prospective client is facing?

If you are “a solution“, you are stating that your offering is interchangeable with any of your competitors. In some cases, that’s a good thing. It means that you’re following some best practices, likely using the industry standards for achieving your clients’ goals. But that also means that you need to find something that makes you stand out from your competition. After all, if you’re interchangeable, then what’s the big difference between what you and they are selling?

If you are “the solution“, then that means that you’ve carefully identified your niche, deeply understand the problems they face,  gotten to the crux of their needs, and have a unique way of solving the problem. You’re the leader, you’re confident, and everyone else is second best. There’s also a huge bonus for this positioning: online searches. The better you can articulate the problems (and your answers) the easier will it be for people who are searching for answers to find YOU.

If your target audience is risk averse, then it makes sense to be “a solution” – with some clear differentiation. However, it’s always better to be perceived as the leader. Your competition will inadvertently help market your business by comparing themselves to your company, strengthening your leadership status.

When marketing your business, it’s all in the details.

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