Alot of people ask how they can seperate themselves from the competition. When you are in an industry where thousands of people are trying to do the same thing as you, how do you seperate yourself from the pack? The obvious answers like working harder to get better or charging less can be good advice but it is not always the best choice. Hard work is important but it can only get you so far without proper strategy. Lowering prices will turn into a race to the bottom because there is always someone willing to work for less. There are even unpaid interns who will work for free. So, if these aren’t the answer, what is?
The key is developing multiple skills that benefit eachother. Here is an example. I want to do web development. The only way that I can seperate myself by only being skilled as a web dev is by being the best at web development or by cutting prices below everyone else. At the end of the day there is always going to be someone with more talent out there and there is also someone willing to work for far less than what I want to work for. So what do should I do?
Develop another skill of course! Some skills that pair with web development are website management, social media marketing, email marketing, and graphic design. I can now combine one or more of these skills with web development to create something entirely new which means less competition.
Finding the right pair can help you seperate yourself from the crowd but how do you find the right skill? First, ask yourself who your clients are. For me, I design websites for business owners so what else do business owners need? Many of them need help with social media, or maybe they need cold outreach via email. Find out who you are trying to help then combine skills that suite their needs.
