As promised, today I am making the 2nd of 3 posts around the 3 tiers of Differentiation. Yesterday I covered Tier 1, and we started at the bottom with Price(cheapest), moved up to Specialty(intense focus in one area) and then finished with Experience(tenure or time in the business).

Today we move on to Tier 2 and before I go into it, a bit of a warning. These 3 levels in Tier 2 are the last 3 levels if differentiation that you can do on your own or solely with you and/or your team. Level 1 requires others.

So Level 6 is "Skill". Stephen Covey was famous for his "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". One of those habits was "Sharpen the Sword".

Are you constantly working at getting better at your specific craft? Are your clients aware just how hard you work at improving your skills? Is your expertise showing?

Level 5 is "Approach". Have you taken your skills and created specific systems, processes and procedures that have now been molded into your product delivery or service delivery model? Is the client experience different in a good way because you have this "Approach"? Recently I worked with an accounting firm that decided they would create a new approach to communicating with their clients inside the tax filing cycles.

The result? An Approach that communicated earlier and more often with the client and the result is that the accounting professional knows more thoroughly what went on for the client in the prior year, information is gathered earlier and pressure is dramatically reduced for everyone in March and September.

That is an "Approach" that differentiates!

And finally for Tier 2, #4 is Brand Recognition. So many things go into Brand Recognition. Marketing and Advertising play a big role here. Even logos. We all do not work for large brands.

So, a more long term approach can be developed by acting in accordance with your principles and values; demonstrating your commitment to your values, even if they force you to lose money in order to comply. Community and industry involvement fall in this category as well.

So, my brand- "The Noble Force". If I am true to the brand it would mean that my services are a force for good.

There you have it for Tier 2 "Differentiation". We started at the bottom and we have gone from Price to Specialization to Experience to Skill to Approach to Brand Recognition.

Monday we examine Tier 1 and then I will have a little surprise for Tuesday. I learned the system from Darren Shirlaw and it is a little framework called Distribution; how to build Channels to Market.

Have an awesome weekend!