Founding a startup? Here are the 4 secrets to compete with big players

It becomes hard to promote and sell your services when you are fighting against corporate giants. These are the established competitors who never want you to win the race no matter what. Let’s make a small comparison, a company with only $50 million quarterly sales can stand nowhere in the competition where a company exists with $1.6 billion quarterly sales.

However, it’s true that consumer perceptions greatly influence buying decisions. People prefer to buy from a better, a big and established brand regardless of the price they are offering. They consider it to be the safest choice. So, it’s hard for a startup company especially a home improvement industry to get its foot through the client’s priority list, whilst using its elbow to push the big players in the same industry.
But it’s not as hard as it sounds. You can win the competition with these smart considerations:

Demonstrate your brand’s credibility:

The first and important step for a startup company is to demonstrate the credibility of their business. You may not be around for the long run or considered as a well-known company, so people will naturally get more suspicious when you convince them to buy from you. You can do this:

• Create a case study of every client who has been using your services. It could be in a video form or can exist as a written copy, but it should be prepared as a proof to show your next client.
• Request your clients to become a good reference for your brand, and to provide a strong reference to your other clients.
• You can also offer a free return to the customers if they are not satisfied with your service. You could even tell the client that he would not be expected to pay if they are unhappy with the product.

Best customer services- Art of selling unconditionally

There are numerous companies out there which are well recognized for their exceptional customer service. The owners pride themselves on providing a best customer service experience which later becomes their strong selling point. As a start-up, it’s essential to demonstrate that your customer services are as good as your competitors. Most of the big companies put themselves in their client’s shoes and offer them the outstanding services as they would demand. This could be used as a best-winning strategy for a startup or a small business industry.

Position yourself as a strategic partner by only asking “Why” to your client!

We have often seen sometimes that, most of the parents attest to a fact that their child’s frequently asked question is, "Why?" Now it’s not just a one solitary "Why?" It’s going to be the long series of other "whys" as well until the parents run out of the ways to satisfy them.

So, if you are a home improvement startup, you also need to practice this most effective approach in order to understand your clients’ needs. You can simply drill down by asking the customers "Why you want to implement this?” “Why you want to prefer this color rather than choosing this?” By exploring more, you will be able to identify where you can add the most value. However, if you successfully do this, it would be the best strategy to position your brand as a most trusted and strategic partner.

Challenge big players on price:

There are two clever ways to challenge ‘big players’ on the price.
• Offer cheap services than your competitors so that your clients find an incredibly good value for your business.
• Conversely, you can also give the impression that your services are better than others and of much higher value than others in the marketplace. You could purposely charge much higher than the competition. Doing this will clear the doubts of your customers and they will consider you as a trusted partner. This would be “reassuringly expensive” way to stand among the crowd.

Being a startup company, it’s natural to be intimidated and discouraged by the recognized brands. It’s hard to struggle with the competition, but it’s also a time to embrace it. Find something that sparks you, and motivate you to strive, and help you become a better version of your brand.