[VIDEO] Duncan Nugget® #56: Point Of Differentiation

*Yawn*

After interviewing a dozen students for a job in the restaurant that I was managing, that was all I could do—yawn. They all gave similar answers:

“I’m a hard worker…

“I’m a fast learner…”

Boring.

Many professionals, entrepreneurs, and students are pushing the same old stuff. Where’s the differentiation? Put some salt and pepper on it. Season it up.

For example, one guy asked me, “What’s the hardest thing to make on your menu.”

“Well…there’s this souffle…”

He interrupted, “If I go back there and make it, will you hire me?”

“Yes.”

He did. I hired him.

Here’s another example:

When Vitamin Water first hit the market, they didn’t put it on the aisle with juice or soft drinks. It was on the aisle with water. It was the only colorful drink on the aisle. Brilliant. That’s differentiation.

Million-Dollar Question:
In today’s competitive market, what’s your point of differentiation?

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ACTION STEPS/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Practice telling your story. If you tell it the right way, it will always have points of differentiation in it because there’s only one you. If you need some help with how to tell your story, check out How to Tell Your Story in Professional Settings.

(If you are working on this in a group setting, print out Tell Your Story, have students spend 10-15 minutes coming up with their story, then break the group up teams and have each team member take turns telling his/her story to the rest of the team.)

2. If there was a person who was the same age as you, had the same level of experience as you, and was applying for the same job, internship, or scholarship as you, what would make you different?

3. Write down and research 3-5 organizations or activities in which you can participate to help you become more valuable to colleges, employers, and clients.

4. Other than taste, what are some things that make Coke and Pepsi different from each other? (Feel free to substitute other major brands for Coke and Pepsi. For example, Subway and McDonlad’s or BMW and Mercedes.)

5. In a perfect world, what would like to be your main point of differentiation? What one thing would you like to have happen that will always give you a competitive advantage over your competition? What are 3 things you need to work on to make this a reality?