I’ve talked about this before— the necessity to differentiate yourself– especially in a commodity marketplace like custom t-shirts. But this Counselor Magazine article by Dave Vagnoni, (@VagnoniASI) which features a Q&A with entrepreneur Dana Severson, (@danerobert) does a great job of reinforcing my sentiments. Severson’s message for entrepreneurs today? “Be bold, be different, or be gone.” Here is an excerpt, but please read the whole article here.
Be bold in your branding, marketing and customer service. Take risks and do it repeatedly. In a commoditized market, the only way to win is to be different. Look at ways you can improve on a process. Look at the way a company like Vistaprint was able to simplify and systemize printing. They’ve made it easy for the customer to say yes.
What are you doing to differentiate yourself? Are you offering heat printing services on demand? Can you print one custom jersey? Are you able to provide full color custom logos, in any quantity? Do you offer free artwork or free logo design? Can your customers preview their artwork before they order? Same day service? There are so many ways that heat printing can help you set yourself apart from your competitors. Now is the time.