The professional service game is a commodified industry.

Yup, there are a whole lot of muchachos (and muchachas) scrabbling for the same ever-shrinking slice of pie.
As such, standing out from your competition is mission critical. Thus it’s no surprise standing out is a core tenet of effective marketing.
But the effort to stand out often breeds a temptation that’s actually counterproductive to your business. The miscue? Constantly chasing a “new angle.”
In other words, continually racking your brain to come up with an “exciting” new service offering. Which is really just an excuse to launch a marketing campaign and (hopefully) generate new business.
Why does this happen? Mostly because small business owners mistake marketing as synonymous with Mad Men-style advertising…

Madison Avenue’s New Angle-Happy Approach

The new angle pursuit is common practice in product development. High-priced marketers are constantly at work in their lofty Madison Avenue offices “inventing” “brand new products.”
But more often than not the inventions of these Mad Men (and Women) are merely existing products repackaged, adding a tweak or two, and marketed as “brand new.” Or two products are appended to together and repackage as something “totally new.”
Breakfast cereal is a classic example. How many ways can you feature crunchy processed grains? Well, just a look at your local grocery store’s cereal aisle. There are a ZILLION+ choices. Each with, or without, marshmallows.

Services Are Products, Too

In the professional service biz, your services are your products.
Appending and repackaging happens here, too. This might look something like… “Last will and testament + living trust for one low price.”  Or…  “Monthly accounting and automatic bill for a single manageable fee.”
But there’s a problem with constantly chasing a new angle. It actually plays into the commodification of your services. How? It negates the most valuable aspect of your business: YOU.

The Happy Meal Effect

Former freelance copywriter turned freelancing coach, Ed Gandia, terms it the “Happy Meal Effect.” He describes offering a splashy new service is as akin to the “new toy” in a Happy Meal. The toy is really just superficial motivation. The real substance is cheese burger and fries.
Similarly in professional services, it’s not the splashy new product that sets you apart from your competition. It’s YOU.

The Lean Startup Approach: Defining Your Minimum Viable Concept

Let’s look at this from a difference angle. In his bestselling book, the Lean Startup, author Eric Ries’s describes how successful startups begin by defining their Minimum Viable Concept. This refers to the business’s core product, and the value the product provides.

Core Product + Value = Minimum Viable Concept

• For Uber it’s a smartphone app (product) that seamlessly manages transportation fees (value).
• For Airbnb it’s a worldwide online peer-to-peer (value) home rental service (product).
• For Snapchat it’s a smartphone app that enables the sharing of photos and videos (product) that quickly disappear (value).

Of course with professional services, the core services you offer is the product. But YOU provide the value…

• The quality of your execution
• The level of customer service you maintain
• The warmth, engagement, trust and comfortability your personality engenders among your prospects and clients
• And the relationships you cultivate with your prospects and clients over the course of your business’s growth and development

…all of which adds up to the Core Product + Value combination that defines your Minimum Viable Concept.
And that’s what sets you apart from your competitors. Not your splashy menu of services or repackaged “new products” leveraging hyped up thrills and frills.

The Solution Here?

So if a “new angle” isn’t the solution to your marketing needs, what is? How do you stand out from your competitors in the increasingly crowded professional service field?
As you’ll notice is the theme here, the answer is: Good ole fashion Marketing Strategy.
Identify your ideal client. Figure out what makes them tick. And build a profile.
Define your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Zero in on what’s different, singular or better about your biz than your competitors.
Execute appropriate marketing tactics. Measures that engage your ideal clients, highlight your USP and convert prospects into paying customers.
Measure your results. Reevaluate and adjust your approach as needed to maximize returns.
Rinse and repeat. Again and again.

Have You Fallen Victim to the Happy Meal Effect?

Finding yourself desperately scraping together new concepts or searching for a “new angle” to manifest some quick cash? Swing by my Google+ page and share your tales service repackaging and repurposing woes.