With the economy still struggling, the question for most businesses is “How do I find more qualified customers or clients?”  This is a good question in any economy, but now it could literally mean the difference between whether you’ll be in business this time next year or not.

I have always dealt in businesses with a lot of competition. Over the years, I’ve noticed the common way to advertise is to compare yourself to your competition. This is done by showing all of your positive qualities and then identify all of the negative areas for your competitors. This process never felt right to me, so I created the process that I call Elevate and Separate.

The elevate and separate process is accomplished in three steps:

First, you have to be 100% totally sold on your product or service. This may sound trivial, but potential customers will pick up if there is any question in your mind whether this is the very best product or service available. Ask yourself if you would hesitate having a close friend or relative’s participate in your offering.

Second, find a way to express what you do in a creative and different way. One of my business coaching clients is a real estate agent. In a market with over 10,000 agents, it was critical she find a way to stand out above the crowd. Her tagline now is “Specializing in Homes with Views.” Prospective home buyers are now wanting to know how they can own a “home with a view.” Now here’s the question: Does every home come with a view? Of course it does. It just may not be the view that you would prefer. Think outside the box.

Third, be seen!! Are you the best kept Secret? In this market, it’s important to use all of the marketing tools available to you. Write articles, speak, create a distinctive business card, develop a creative tagline, write a blog, and network, network, network. The rule is if people do not know you exist they cannot hire you.

Finally, marketing in the end is all about numbers. To increase your productivity, you have to increase the number of prospects that you touch.

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