Challenge · Standing out

Customers don't see why they should choose you.

You know very well why you are the right choice for your customers. But in the proposal, on the website and in the first conversation, it doesn't come across. So the customer compares what they can see: the price. And a competitor is just a little cheaper.

What sets you apart is rarely missing. Usually it's there, but hidden in the way you work, in your people or in what customers say after a year. It has never been sharply chosen and never properly proven.

How can you tell customers don't see the difference?

You lose deals on price, even when your approach is a better fit.
Your website says what your competitors say too: quality, tailored work, personal contact.
Customers give different reasons for choosing you than the team itself thinks.
Sales mainly wins on relationships and network, and much less on the story.
New propositions get their own story, so the whole holds together less and less.
If you swapped the logos on your website and a competitor's, hardly anyone would notice.

Why ‘better’ isn't enough

Almost every company thinks it is better, more personal or more expert. For a customer, those aren't reasons to choose, because everyone says them. A difference only counts if it matters to a specific customer, with a specific challenge. And if you can show it.

That's why clear positioning doesn't start with words, but with choices. For which customers are you the obvious choice? With which challenge are you demonstrably stronger than the alternative? And what do you deliberately leave aside for that?

The difference is often already there in practice

The answer is often in conversations with customers. They tell you why they stayed, what they missed at a previous supplier and why they recommend you. Their language is almost always stronger than the language on the website. We gather those stories, put them side by side with what sales and leadership say, and look for the pattern.

Then we make the difference concrete and checkable: with examples, figures where there are any, and a way of working a customer can recognise. That way it isn't a promise, but something a customer can check for themselves.

The STOF rhythm for standing out

Look and listen — we talk to a few of your best customers and to the people who tell the story every day, and compare your story with your competitors'.
Make a sharp choice — together we decide who you are the obvious choice for, where you demonstrably differ and what you leave aside for that.
Align — we translate that choice into a core message with evidence, for the website, proposals and the first conversation.
Follow through — sales and marketing start using it; together we check whether the difference comes across better in conversations and proposals.

A good place to start: the Positioning sprint

In two to three weeks, a sharp answer to the question of why customers choose you. Leadership, marketing and sales sit at the table together, and we talk to a few of your best customers. After that, everyone in the commercial team answers that question in the same way, and can show why. Read more about the Positioning sprint.

Is everyone in your organisation already telling their own version of the story? Then also read ‘The company has grown. The story hasn't’.

Prefer to get started yourselves first? Read the guide B2B positioning: how to determine why customers choose you.

When is STOF right for this challenge?

STOF is a good fit when your offer is good and customers are satisfied, but new customers don't see the difference. We prefer to work with growing B2B companies of around 15 to 250 people that are willing to choose. If you are mainly looking for a new slogan or a design agency for a new visual identity, we're not the right partner.

Want to hear first how customers see you? The guide Customer interviews and win/loss research covers who to talk to, which questions to ask and how to turn it into a choice.

Cases

What that looked like at Antonis Wijnkoperij

Antonis Wijnkoperij

A wine merchant easily gets lost in countries, grapes and labels. We made one choice: good wine starts with choosing well. The brand story and a website with Emiel's selection at its heart followed from that.

Frequently asked questions

Do we need to become cheaper, then?

Usually not. When customers choose on price, it's often because they have nothing else to compare. If you make the difference clear and prove it, price stops being the centre of the conversation.

Isn't this just a new slogan?

No. A slogan is the last piece. First we choose who you are for and where you differ. Only then does it make sense to find words for it, and those words often come from your customers.

What does it cost?

We work on a project basis, not by the hour. After the free introductory call, if there's a fit, you get a proposal with a fixed price, a clear timeline and what you will have at the end.

How do we start?

With a free 45-minute introductory call with Nona or Carlijn. We look at where your difference is getting lost now and what a sensible first step would be. Even if it turns out you don't need us.

Show customers why they choose you.

In a free 45-minute introductory call, we look at where your difference is getting lost now, and what a sensible first step would be.

Bring your challenge to the table