"I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan," said Kuzmeski. "I learned about football, the Packers and what it means to be a fan from my football-loving grandmother. We cheered for our team when they were terrible and basked in the glow of the wins when they were better. But we never considered moving to another."
"Success is all in what you offer and how you offer it," she said. "You can get others to connect to your company, product, or service by passionately delivering whatever you have to offer. This is a true differentiator, because so few people and businesses actually act with this kind of enthusiasm. Thus, when you exhibit it, your customers and potential customers will take notice."
One of Kuzmeski's four "absolutes" for inspiring that kind of passion is to "offer something unique." She said, "Whatever you're offering your customers can't just be better; it has to be different. In order to gain exposure, it helps to be or to offer something unique--or do something that no one else dares."
A great example of a company that understands the "different is better" mantra is Buc-ee's gas stations, she said. The Lake Jackson, Texas-based retailer has focused its No. 1 offering on what people dread most about stopping at a gas station: the bathrooms. Each of the 30 locations has incredibly clean, substantially sized bathrooms, along with full-time attendants to keep them in tip-top shape. And happy customers regularly post testimonials on the company's blog. Buc-ee's built its entire business around the bathrooms--a feature the company's leaders knew they could use to differentiate their business.
"This is a great example of how looking at things from a different perspective can really pay off," Kuzmeski said. "Instead of focusing on what clients liked about their industry, they chose to plan their strategy around what customers liked the least and improve upon it. Think about what people dislike most about your industry, service or product offering. What solutions can you offer? It's a great way to differentiate yourself from your competition and to create some buzz in the process."
The other three absolutes: create something valuable (and viral); understand the difference between features and benefits; and don't just say it, do it.
Buc-ee's touts the cleanliness of its facilities from interstate billboards with slogans such as "Only 262 Miles to Buc-ee's. You Can Hold It." and "Restrooms So Clean We Leave Mints in the Urinals."
(See how other convenience retailers are differentiating their washrooms in a related story in the January issue of CSP magazine.)
The 26 stores also offer coffee, fountain, foodservice, snacks and more, as well as Buc-ee's merchandise and collectibles such as t-shirts, mugs and more. At the Convenience Retailing University conference earlier this year, CSP honored Buc-ee's for its merchandising.
Further evidence of how successfully Buc-ee's has been in differentiating itself comes from its customers. The chain is known for its fans who display sports fan-like fervor for the chain and who post testimonials on the Buc-ee's Beaver Blog, photos on the chain's website and videos on YouTube (click here). And the chain's Facebookpage has a huge following.
Last November, ABC World News with Charles Gibson featured Buc-ee's, including its bathrooms. (Click here to watch the video. Also, click here for additional CSP Daily News coverage.)
Chicago-based Maribeth Kuzmeski is the founder of Red Zone Marketing LLC, which consults with businesses from entrepreneurial firms to Fortune 500 corporations on strategic marketing planning and business growth. She is the author of five books; speaks on topics relating to business development, marketing and sales strategies; and is a media to Fox News, ABC News, WGN-TV, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, BusinessWeek, Entrepreneur and Forbes.
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