The battleground of commoditization

Today it’s not enough to be the world’s best if no one realizes you’re there. In a crowded market, your talents and skills won’t even be noticed unless you find a way to truly fascinate your listeners.

Meet your arch-enemies, the three threats to fascination: distraction, competition, and commoditization.

  • Distraction threatens your connection with others.
  • Competition threatens your ability to stand out and win.
  • Commoditization threatens your relationships and loyalty.

Today I want to focus on commoditization.

If you become a commodity in the eyes of your customers, you’re in a truly vulnerable spot.
You can be easily replaced.

As business gets busier, it’s no longer enough to keep current customers happy by maintaining the status quo.

You have to fight commoditization by infusing every ongoing communication and interaction with the qualities that make you most different… and valuable. You battle commoditization by leveraging what makes you most fascinating!

  • You become a commodity once you cease to remember why the customer chose you in the first place.
  • You can’t reserve what you’ve learned about your Fascination Advantage® for winning the next big deal, and allow your existing customer base to gather dust in the closet.
  • Your clients deserve—no, demand—that you continue to fascinate them on an ongoing basis.

Your personality is your natural weapon against distraction, competition, and commoditization. The more value you add, the less you have to compete on price, and the less likely you are to become a commodity. If you don’t have the biggest marketing budget, or if you’re not the most famous, you can compete only by being more fascinating.

For some professionals, “adding value” means literally adding dollars to a customer’s bottom line, or to a client’s account. There is an ever-growing number of industries in which the battle to maintain customers is hard fought because these industries have become largely commoditized.

Consider the financial services sector. Many financial advisors are selling the same products and services as everyone else; financial products and services on the surface are pretty much the same, and to the untrained eye, advisors are, too.

As a result, financial advisors face the daunting challenge of setting themselves apart to build loyalty among current clients, despite the fact that they are selling largely the same product as their competitor.

How can a financial services advisor keep his customers loyal? By emphasizing his personality Advantages with every touch.

A financial advisor who can lead with his Trust Advantage each time he communicates by providing accurate and essential details will never become a commodity in the eyes of his clients.

A financial advisor who demonstrates his Innovation Advantage by consistently presenting unique and well-researched options that coincide with his client’s individual interests will never be perceived as replaceable. And so forth.

The fact is, a financial advisor, insurance or ticket-booking agent, or even an IT team must find ways to distinguish themselves beyond the services they provide….not just during the initial sales process, but equally importantly on an ongoing basis to keep their clients from going elsewhere.Here’s what it comes down to…

  • You must either have the biggest marketing budget, or be the most fascinating.
  • If others perceive you as a commodity, you’re replaceable, and increasingly vulnerable.
  • Avoid commoditization by focusing on the ways your personality is ideally suited to solve problems, and create opportunities.

Not sure what to highlight as your differentiating trait? Log into your account and review your profile (or take the Fascinate test to get started) right here!

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

Don’t miss a single fascinating tip!

Sign up to receive updates on our latest blog posts, offers, and more.

Blog post email and popup form

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

About the author

Sally Hogshead

Sally skyrocketed to the top of the advertising world in her early 20s, fascinating millions of consumers for clients such as MINI Cooper and Coca-Cola. Since then, she’s published two New York Times bestsellers on the science of fascination, and is one of only 172 living members in the Speaker Hall of Fame. Over a million professionals have taken the Fascination Advantage® personality test to discover how others perceive their communication.

Recent Posts
What’s your Halloween personality? Are you devilish or angelic? Ghoulish or glamorous? Normally, we show you how to be more authentic. But Halloween is different. For one night, you can unleash your secret streak of...
A quick story from the archives… Oliver is a consultant for the food industry. He advises business owners on ways to make their brand more profitable. In this excerpt of a coaching session with Sally,...
You only have seconds to make a meaningful first impression in-person or on the phone. How much time do you have in the virtual world to make your introduction? Your Personal Brand is your key...
Related Posts
What’s your Halloween personality? Are you devilish or angelic? Ghoulish or glamorous? Normally, we show you how to be more authentic. But Halloween is different. For one night, you can unleash your secret streak of...
Your level of influence as a professional will be measured by your ability to get others to listen and take action. Your level of influence can be measured. And, it can be improved. If you’re...
Why do some teams get extraordinary results, while others struggle just to finish mundane tasks? Why do certain teams glide to victory, while others can’t even cross the finish line?  What’s the difference? Here you...
Send this to a friend