Dan was a guy who worked at a power company. The company would put up power poles on construction sites so that the construction crew could plug in electrical equipment and get their work done.
He did everything – sales, marketing, reporting, repair, installation, customer-on-boarding and more. In fact, every time the CEO needed someone to pick up a dropped ball, Dan was the guy who always volunteered.
Most of us might volunteer for some task we thought would be fun. Or something that might challenge us. But rarely for the boring stuff.
Dan, on the other hand, signed up to do anything. He was willing to do what others decided was too hard, or not worth it.
Most of us see things that are hard and decide to skip it. If we don’t see an immediate payoff, we pass by and ignore the opportunities.
But if you’re willing to do the hard work and invest in the spots that others ignore, you can enjoy all sorts of benefits because that effort turns into differentiation.
In a world that’s filled with copy cats, differentiation is the name of the game. And the best way to stand apart is to show customers that you’re willing to do the hard work that others aren’t.
In fact, helping customers realize you can be a partner for them, while also highlighting that you don’t shy away from hard work, is a fantastic way to close deals.