The Extra Mile and Competitive Edge

Have you ever heard the phrase, “they went the extra mile”?

The extra mile is an action or an expression that sparks a “WOW!” in the mind of a customer or a co-worker.  It is an unexpected deed.  But before an extra mile is ever walked, it must be an attitude and a mindset from the extra miler to do their best.

The extra miles create the foundation for a company that takes it from good to world class – – – doing the best thing for your customers, team members, and yourself.

The extra mile comes from you.  Your ability to react, respond, and/or recover by using your best skills in a time of need is the extra.

The interesting part about the extra mile is that it usually begins when something goes wrong or is in urgent need of attention.  The weather.  The service call.  The broken equipment.  The leak.  The angry client.

Incidents or accidents can occur that are beyond your control.  However, you are in control in the way that you respond to them, and the way you react to them.

You’ve all heard the phrase, “Every obstacle presents an opportunity.”  You’ve also heard, “When it rains lemons, make lemonade.”  (Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada) Those are easy phrases to talk about when there are plenty of opportunities, and it is raining lemonade.

Our challenge is to have our first thought be “how can I help”.   The extra mile measurement is “am I doing my best”. 

Doing your best and having the right attitude is the only way the extra mile process works.  It works because you make it work.  It happens because you make it happen.  

Customer loyalty comes about when you take loyal actions on behalf of the customer.  It’s not the everyday things – it’s the everyday things done best.  When you combine “best every day” with “extra mile whenever possible” you have the formula for customer loyalty.

What Do You Get When You Ignore Your Competitive Edge?  

Probably a heap of confused customers, wondering if we’re offering the same thing as the other guys — just with a different name.

If you assume your uniqueness is going to take care of itself, you’ve fallen prey to a marketing mistake.

Your competitive advantage is your unique identity — what no one else offers. Not communicating it — or not even knowing what it is — hurts both you and your prospective customers.

Here’s a test: see if you can explain your competitive edge in three words.  Customers are far more likely to buy a product or service developed from a powerful, three-word edge.  Sell them your difference, not your sameness.

Roofing Contractor Differentiators:

• Coverage for Inspections – National, Regional, Within-State Domiciled, In-House, Subcontractors
• Data & Reports – Proprietary software, Software Platform
• Ability to Self-Perform Work
• Coverage for Repair Work – National, Regional, Within-State Domiciled, In-House, Subcontractors
• Contractors Licenses – What states?
• Cost of Repairs – High, Bid, Slow, Rebates, Fees, Competitive, Decentralized, Standardized
• Quality Control – Follow Up, Inspections, Low Bid, High Quality, Decentralized, Standardized
• Service Response Times:  Excellent, Scheduling, 
• Technical Expertise:  High

How to Quickly Impact Your Competitive Edge?  Work on Customer Communication.  Almost every complaint from a customer once analyzed is due to poor communication.  Work on spearheading a discussion with your team on how to communicate better with your clients. 

Some thoughts:

Telephone:  

• Promptly, consistently answered.
• Voice Mail messages common tone and message
• Voice mail quickly answered.

Text:

• Quick Response
• Factual Response

Correspondence:

• Standardized Letterhead
• Standardized Email Signature
• Communication echo’s quality and caliber of the Brand.

Let’s talk more about YOUR business, schedule a free demo today.  <——