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Hi, I'm Bob Parsons, here with Leeann. On this episode, I'm going to share secrets that I've used to turn 3 startup companies in to mega million dollar empires.

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These secrets can help any business or any entrepreneur stand out from the competition.

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Ooh, I love secrets.

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First, let's start with the facts.

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Fact #1: It's not possible to succeed by being exactly like your competitors.

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Fact #2: All of us are creatures of habit, and we will resist changing our buying patterns, unless we are given a significant reason to do so.

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Fact #3: To succeed, you absolutely must give prospective customers compelling reasons to change their buying patterns and start doing business with you.

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"It slices, it dices, it splices your multimedia data".

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Fact #4: Having compelling reasons is not enough in itself to get customers to switch. You must also find a way to inform prospective customers of those reasons.

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Okay Dr. Bob. Now that we have the facts, how do we put your secrets to work and stand out from the competition?

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The first and most obvious way for any business to stand out is price and value.

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To do this, you're going to need to organize your business so that you have lower overhead and can economically afford to deliver your product or service at better prices than your competition.

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And promote those prices. Value is a major motivator for new customers. Many successful businesses, Go Daddy and Walmart to name a few, have been built on the promise of low prices.

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Keep them coming back for more.

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Better pricing might attract new customers, but it's your service that keeps them. Pay extremely close attention to your customers and communicate, communicate, communicate.

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Do whatever you can to build a relationship.

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I love you customer.
I love you too Go Daddy.

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Gladly accept customer feedback, good and bad.

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Use the bad to improve your products or service. This keeps your customers happy, and your business moving forward.

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Remember, a customer isn't always right, but the customer is always the customer.

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Be a useful resource, but avoid being a nuisance.

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Stay in touch with your customers, and make sure there's value around each and every contact. Your contact should be limited to things like service reminders or notice of new products or events. Make sure you get permission to contact your customers first.

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Advertise smartly.

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Every new business has one thing in common, they can't afford large advertising budgets. But that's okay, there are other ways to make a name for your business and stand out from the competition.

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Start by writing columns or articles for trade publications, online communities, local newspapers. People like to do business with experts, and the media is always looking for content.

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As soon as you or one of your articles appear in the media, you'll gain expert status. And be sure to promote your website offline on all of your business materials and at your place of business.

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Hi, I'm Bob Parsons. GoDaddy.com.

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Woot woot. Party over here!

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If your business lends itself to it, have events that will excite your customer base and generate traffic. These events can be held at your physical location, or even via chat on your website. They don't have to be parties per se, they can be educational seminars.

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I own a chain of motorcycle dealerships, and my most popular and well attended events are exciting things like, how to quickly change a tire.

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Here's how I change a tire quickly.
"Help, I have a flat tire".
*snap* Just like that, the tire gets changed.

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See anything you like?

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Make sure your offerings have better presentation than your competition. One of the most important lessons taught in culinary school is that presentation of a meal is at least as important as its preparation.

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You eat with your eyes first, then your stomach.

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You can eat with your eyes?

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Metaphorically Leeann.

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Anyway, this applies to every product and service. In my experience, the best deal presented poorly won't do as well as a mediocre deal presented well.

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We're trained from little up to presume that good presentation indicates good value.

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Invest in a good team.

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Your employees must fully understand your products or service. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic employees go far in gaining the trust of your customers. And it's important that you too come across as enthusiastic as possible.

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Why? Because enthusiasm is contagious. And new customers are attracted to high energy environments.

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Don't fall into this trap.

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Finally, but incredibly important. Avoid hiring inexpensive disinterested employees like the plague. Whatever money you save on wages, you will lose many fold in sales and ruined customer confidence.

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You know, there's an age old saying that is so true. "You pay peanuts, you get monkeys".

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Well that's a wrap for this episode. If you have any comments or questions, please post them here. I'm always interested in what you have to say.

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For Leeann and myself, thanks for watching. We'll see ya next time.

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During my life, I've assembled a collection of 16 rules. Most of them I learned the hard way. These rules helped me in business and my personal life. Hopefully they will help you too.

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Today's rule is #11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing. When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like an organized and peaceful place.

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Want more Bob? Follow Bob on Twitter. Search DrBobParsons.