Last week I promised 3 posts around the topic of Differentiation, to outline 3 tiers or standards to consider. If you are ambitious about growth in this particular area, I hope you will consider the 9 levels of Differentiation and work to best move yourself and/or your company up the scale.

The lowest tier, Tier 1, from the lowest to highest is "Price", "Specialization", and Experience(time in business). The next tier, Tier 2, from lowest to highest is "Skill", "Approach" and "Brand Recognition". Today we take a look at Tier 1, the top tier.

Sitting at #3 in Tier 1 is "Professional Referral". This referral is made by a professional that knows of you or your company. The knowledge of you can come in many ways but it does not include any personal experience of working with you.

Sitting at #2 in Tier 1 is "Personal Referral". This referral carries the confidence of the referring party because they have used your services in the past and they know first hand that their own brand will be improved by the introduction.

And, sitting at #1 is "Raving Fan". This is where your own business and reputation are enhanced to the point you begin to advocate for another person or business.

Obviously, moving your company and personal level of differentiation up through the levels and tiers is a journey. I hope these posts help you think through your level of "blending into confusion" for others about who you are, what you offer and the quality you bring to the marketplace and your relationships.

In the next blog post, "Navigating Differentiation", I will give a personal story about branding and reputation and how a certain behavior caused my brand, without any personal knowledge, to create a high quality raving fan, which in turn, later created a windfall for my business. I look forward to sharing this personal story.