Why should I buy from you?

Give me a reason to do business with you. Don’t make me guess what it is; tell me upfront. By the way, it must be because it benefits me, not you.

As obvious as this may sound, we hear messages every day that are more focused on the messenger rather than the audience.

Don’t attack the competition

I was listening to a talk radio show where a local business owner called in to berate Walmart and those who shop there. It came down to the fact that she couldn’t compete with what they offer, specifically their prices.

She was encouraging listeners to boycott Walmart and buy from local merchants for the sole reason of them being local. When you think about it, she was asking for entrepreneurial welfare.

Don’t get me wrong; I am a big supporter of local businesses. However, I don’t do so out of obligation or protest. I support those who provide an experience I find to be superior in some way. I will absolutely give a local business consideration because they’re local, but there must be something that brings me back.

It’s a free market

The very market that allows an entrepreneur to go into business rewards those who create a competitive advantage. If you struggle, you need to work on fixing your business. Attacking other businesses in no way improves yours.

The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time. — Henry Ford

I also care very little about the details: how long you’ve been in business, how big you are, or where you’re located. This does nothing to tell me how I will benefit.

Reasons that are about ME

If you’re a small business owner and the main reason you give your customers to buy from you is price, you’ll lose that battle. However, you’ll likely get attention if you emphasize the overall value or experience you offer.

As a small business, you have the potential to create a meaningful advantage over larger competitors. Here are just a few ways to swing the pendulum in your favor.

• Convenience • Better results • Focused attention • Something I can’t get anywhere else • Someone who takes the time to know me • A more enjoyable environment/experience

Those are reasons that benefit me. And if it benefits me, it benefits you. Think about the value proposition you offer clients. What promise are you making that will give them an incentive to work with you?

The target moves

Adjust your business model and value proposition over time. There are countless examples of businesses that took their respective industries by storm, but failed to adjust over time. Soon, they were lying on the side of the road along with the businesses they ran over.

Related: 8 strategies for finding new business in 2023

Give me a reason, and I’ll buy from you today; but be prepared to adjust so that I’ll still have a valid reason tomorrow.