What Are You Offering?

By William T Batten

Hypnotists, along with many other small business owners, think about what makes them unique. I strongly encourage this. Thinking about what separates you from others is a great way to develop your brand. But what does it mean to be unique and how is that useful?

These are important questions. One of the things your website's homepage must do is emphasise what makes you different. Your potential client might have a hundred tabs open - something is going to grab their attention, so make sure you have what they're browsing for.

If you are unique (and the right fit), then they'll ignore all other offerings. They won't even consider them. If you are just another hypnotist, though, then they'll start comparing things like prices. Everyone loses, including the potential client.

Imagine a street in a large city that has dozens of restaurants on it. Over time, this place has evolved as the culinary centre of the community. Customers flood the streets, just as businesses crowd the buildings. These restaurants offer what the customers want - great food. The problem is that they all offer it, so how do they distinguish themselves?

Peter Thiel gives a few examples in his book, Zero to One. One restaurant might the only one on the street serving authentic south-western Pakistani food. Does this make them unique? Surely it does - they offer something no one else is. But customers tend not to look for specific regional south Asian menus. They look for dinner. For most customers, the specialist cuisine is a fact about the restaurant, not about the customer.

What do customers want? Well, some are looking for a quick, cheap meal. One restaurant has to have the lowest price (though maybe they should say they have the best value). Another might specialise in fast, fresh takeaway.

Others go out to eat for the experience. A restaurant that prides itself on hiring and training the best staff have a unique offering. They can talk about the experience, pointing to testimonials raving about their friendliness and professionalism. Place which serve decent food with fantastic entertainment provides something that few other places would.

If you know you offer the best food, find a way to prove it. Whichever restaurant has been in business the longest should mention that. What about the one with the highest reviews online? Who has the freshest ingredients, the best vegetarian options, the most easily customisable meals?

These are all things customers want. It's how they think about food. How they think is how they decide what is unique and what is replaceable.

Thanks to the internet, hypnotists share space on one of the longest, busiest streets in history. And we don't just share them with each other - anyone offering a solution to the client's problem has a place. So how do you stand out?

Do you specialise in one niche within hypnosis? Don't talk about which school you're from - clients only care about the results, not the method. If you are the quit-smoking specialist in your area, that's your unique offering.

What about experience or qualifications? Clients don't care if you have more qualifications than the next person, but they do like how it suggests that you are skilled.

Have you worked with big-name clients? Do you have relevant life experiences? Do you offer the best product or the best guarantees? What about how you deliver - are you the most convenient?

Your client looks for solutions with a checklist in their mind. If you are the only one that ticks all the boxes, then you have them. Prove to them you're only person that offers what they want. You only have a few blocks of text on your homepage to make an impression, so don't waste them.

Of course, it can be hard to find your unique offering. Then you need to put it into words. This isn't easy, though it is important. If you want to be sure that you appeal to the right people, talk to an expert:

   https://battenandking.com/