You need to be the best in SELLING what you offer, not necessarily the best product in the market.

In any lineup of similar products or services, only a few can be considered the best. But that doesn’t mean that you are fated to lose if you don’t have the best products. In fact, the market is replete with numerous examples of how objectively inferior products can outsell higher-quality competition.

So how do you become the best in selling what you offer, if your products aren’t necessarily the best? Historically, these are the most common and most effective tactics:

– Offer lower prices. This is the most common technique for achieving higher sales figures than your “better” competition. That’s because there’s always a sizable segment of the consumer market who value low prices more than any other factor. You can then target these buyers and customise your pitch to them accordingly. Beware though, if you are a small business competing on price only, your long term prospects may not look so good. Unless your product is unique you will easily be undercut further by competitors.

– Give away freebies. Consumers always like the concept of getting something for nothing. So perhaps you can give something as a bonus for buying your product. Cereals are a good example of this technique. They offer a “prize” inside that kids love, and these prizes don’t even have to be expensive. This makes the particular cereal brand better than its competitors in the eyes of kids

– Provide superior additional services. If you check out many of the negative Amazon reviews, some of the complaints are not about the product itself. Some customers complain that they got damaged products delivered to them, while others whine about the poor customer service. That means you can offer better support or higher quality packaging so that items are not damaged during delivery. You can also offer extended warranties to make your products look better.

– You can strive for a “cool” image. You don’t have to be the best to outsell your competitors, if you are deemed cooler by younger consumers. The best example of this technique is how Apple sells their iPhones. Every new version of the iPhone is objectively inferior to its Android counterparts, and the “new” iPhone features have already been offered in two-year old Androids. Yet people still line up to buy the latest iPhone models.

– As a variation of this technique, you can identify and adopt any image that resonates with your target market. Just as Apple tries to be cool, you can for example try for a “reliable” image. You can go for a macho look, be the fashionable choice, or perhaps rely on nostalgia. You can even stress where your product is manufactured—if it’s made in New Zealand, some people automatically think it is better even if it’s actually not.

– You can focus on a particular advantage. If your competitor’s product is better than yours in 9 out of 10 ways, then you should focus on that 1 element that you are better than them. Make it seem as if that’s the only standard that matters. For example, the only way your product is better than a competitor is that your product looks better. On the other hand, your competitor product does its job better, has more features, does the job more quickly, and even lasts longer. So, in your marketing, you can stress the importance of having a better-looking product.

Business is a relay race. Coming up with the best product is just one part of that race. Unfortunately many inventors fail, as they come up with an often brilliant product, however the marketing side fails dismally.

But selling the product more effectively can make up for any shortcomings that it has and you may end up selling more than your “better” competition.

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