I got off the phone with a potential new client that found us on Google via 'find a marketing consultant'. Coming up 2nd on this search has given us the best possible chance of doing work with this new business.
Being in business for 20 years, I asked the potential client, lets call her Jane, what she thought made her different from the competition and why someone should choose her business services over her competition. 99% of new potential clients answer the same way, there was a moment of silence, and as a small business marketing consultant, I automatically think 'opportunity'. Why? A business who doesn't know why it's different to the competition but has lasted for 20 years has something good going for it, it perhaps just doesn't know what it is.
At the first meeting that we had, Jane brought with her some detailed notes about her business and had more of a think about what made her different to the competition. She nailed it, and as far as I'm concerned, she's done the hard work. Getting her brand out into the marketplace is now the easy part!