Let’s face it – business as we know it has changed. If recent years have taught us nothing else, they have taught us that our lives, businesses, and customers can change in a moment’s notice. Ask yourself if you are ready and prepared, because you know changes will keep coming.

Right now you have a choice to make. You can continue to do business the way you have always done it, hoping and praying that when the next big shift comes, it won’t significantly impact your business or bring disruption. And you know what, maybe you’ll get lucky.

The alternative, however, would be to use the time that you have now to open your mind to new ideas and new ways of doing business that will position you, your team, and your organization in a way that controls the shifts in the marketplace rather than having those shifts control your business.

Here are three innovative strategies to redefine business growth and position your team to differentiate, dominate, and deliver.

Differentiate – According to research done by Gallup, customers are 62% of the way through the buying cycle before they ever interact with a sales person. What this means is that the buying cycle has not only changed, it actually begins without you. No wonder it is so frustrating to try and get the customer’s attention - you are entering the game at halftime! If you want to get above the noise and differentiate yourself in the marketplace, you need to get into the sales game where it begins. Understand where your prospects are looking for information and position yourself there. They need to find your profiles, articles, and videos when they are searching for information, talking to others in their industry, and searching for solutions to their biggest challenges.

Dominate – It is a myth that people are not spending money in an uncertain marketplace. In fact, I think they are actually more prone to buy as well as less price-sensitive. If you want to dominate the marketplace by having customers continuously choose you over your competition, it’s imperative to be relevant to your prospects. Understanding their current problems and positioning your business in a way that solves them is key. While you may be selling the same product or service, your customers and their problems have changed, so you need to change the way you present the solution.

Deliver – The sale happens in the follow up. It always happens in the follow up. What do you think the chances are that you are going to interact with a customer at the exact moment that they are ready to buy? They’re actually slim to none. If you want to close deals, increase referrals, and sell more to existing customers, you need a well structured value-added follow up system. 

Listen, I get it. Doing business today is tough. More things that can impact your ability to be successful happen outside of your business than in it. However, if you understand the shifts and how they are impacting the buying cycle, your customers, and your overall business growth strategy, you will have everything you need to turn uncertainty to competitive advantage.