In Business - Set Yourself Apart from the Competition - Be Unique, Very Unique

In sales trainings we're always taught to sell the benefits our customer will receive based on the features of our products. Well, while on vacation in the summer resort area of Bar Harbor, Maine, I bought a hat for double the price of many other hats that had similar features providing similar benefits. Was I just a sucker, or was there something special that provided me with even more value than could be seen on the surface?

My wife and I were checking out some of the shops the first night of our visit and we walked into a store for outdoor sports enthusiasts looking for some kayaking accessories. While walking through the store I came across a display of hats that, on the surface, looked, like any other hat display, but I was looking for a hat other than a baseball cap that would provide more sun coverage, so I stopped to check 'em out. As I was trying them on, I looked inside the crown of the hat and saw a large label proclaiming -

TILLEY HAT

The Finest Hat in All the World Insured Against Loss,

A Lifetime Guarantee

That headline intrigued me, so I read further to the slightly finer print and learned that:
It floats, Ties On, Repels Rain, Blocks UV rays & won't shrinkComes with a security pocket, '8 Brag Tags, & a 4-page owners manualI delved deeper and looked into the secret security pocket in the crown and found the owners' manual, then I pulled out a water proof plastic bag that stored the 'Brag Tags.'

What is a Brag Tag, you might be asking? Well, they are a full sheet of 8 perforated testimonials on one side with referral information on the flip side. The sheet explains that Tilley Hats are so special, people are going to ask you where you got yours, and you "must be prepared."I immediately felt that by buying this hat, I'd be part of a special outdoor community, and felt I had to have one.

My wife thought I was nuts as the hat was not inexpensive, about $71 with tax. But, it was exactly what I needed for kayaking, I rationalized to her. I mean it had the wide brim that would block out the sun on all sides, it would keep me in shade, it had a partially mesh top to keep cool in the hot sun, etc. But, of course I could have gotten those features & benefits in another hat. It was the uniqueness of the marketing of the hat and the community Tilley was creating that made me feel special and unique if I were to have one of these remarkable hats.

So, what can you do to make your product so unique and different that people stand up and take notice? That, regardless of price, the value of that uniqueness will not just make the difference and allow people to buy your product, but will actually attract them towards you and your product, and want to be part of the special community you are creating.

Oh, and here is the rest of the Tilley Hat story - two days later my wife ended up buying her own Tilley Hat because after seeing me in it, "it grew on her." This is the first ever experience on record in which my wife has followed my lead in purchasing any type of fashion wear (and, it may very well be the last).

Want a Tilley hat of your own? Or, if you'd like to learn more, just go to http://www.tilley.com/

Subscribe to my newsletter...click here!