Choice as a differentiator
Choice as a differentiator – the pros and cons
Things we are talking aboutPosted by Jonathan on 10 March 2011
There are plenty of examples of companies that do fantastically well by offering one product, and no other choice. In this way the choice is the product you have to offer, or choose another company. Some people would say this is a more practical and careful use of resource and it allows you to do one thing, and do it really, really well. In many ways, those views are true. It can be a lot harder to offer choice.
The thing is, offering choice really differentiates. In late 2009 we decided to increase the choice of software we could offer by building our own CMS and eCommerce system to add to our software portfolio. We felt clients needed a system that would be usable, stable, beautifully coded, and hugely flexible. It would be able to be used for simple site implementations, and enable us to deliver Content Management and eCommerce more cost effectively to our clients. But most importantly, we felt it offered clients a powerful and potentially persuasive extra choice.
We did that, and in the first quarter of 2010, we launched version one of our new CMS software. Since then, we have gone on to build over two dozen client websites in this system (we called it Razorback). In January this year, we launched stage one of our eCommerce module within Razorback. However, the real strength of Razorback is that for us, it increases choice, and Razorback is still a tool that makes up only one of the CMS and eCommerce systems we work with.
When we look at a project, we look at what is best for the client – and that choice may be based on functional requirement, internal technologies in use and more. Only weighing up those elements can we know whether Razorback or one of the other systems we work with is the right tool for the job. Over the last twelve months we have also recommended other systems than our own, and that is simply because our new system was not the right one for them and their business.
You have to sing to your strengths, and a real strength of any business can be the ability to offer choice. The reason for this is that you can show to people that you can approach work consultatively, rather than just based on what you have in your cupboard and recommend the right ‘things’ for the right client. If you do not have the ability to offer choice (and for any number of reasons not everyone does) then you have to stand up and recognise whether what you have is right for the client/company you are talking to. If you get that right, that is how you build great relationships.
