Once upon a time, a consumer was asked for his favourite product. His answer?
“Oh, that’s easy, the DVD player,” he responded. “It had always been my dream to have a machine that would play any movie I wanted to see. I just didn’t think everyone else was going to have one too.”
Why that would make any difference is a puzzler, but it’s also true about the Internet. So, the same technology that allows you to attract clients in Timbuktu, is available to pretty much everybody else too. But so what? Work is more specialised, not everyone can do the job as well as you, and a lot of the potential competition is busy playing video games or reading the sports pages.
Still, as you can see on LinkedIn, it’s a vast number of potential competitors out there and sometimes it looks like everyone has the same qualifications, or has worked with Spielberg, or has been recommended by Bill Gates.
Local Knows Best
So, in your quest to become the world’s largest provider with clients in Beijing, Sydney, and Belfast, don’t forget your own home town. There is a local angle to pretty much any marketing pitch you can imagine, and your international reach is an advantage in bringing in business from around the block. Thus the expression, “The farther you are from your home base, the greater an expert you seem to be.” Spiritual gurus from India, noodles from Japan, and brides from the Ukraine all fit into this category, though gurus, noodles and girlfriends may be available in your neighbourhood.
Obviously, local PR people are going to know–or should know–the media in the area better than the mega firm in New York City. Local lawyers will be better acquainted with the local judges and juries. Salesmen have always prided themselves in “knowing the territory.” Some services–plumbers, hair stylists, and the like–can only be accessed locally, though they may work for a larger company or be a franchisee.
Use National Contacts to Go Local
If you work for the local Supercuts as a PR person, maybe you can connect to the regional or the national office.
If you’re looking to network, think of national organisations you belong to, and whether they have local networks you can join.
Business people still do connect in ways other than online, and being able to make that local call, or meet for lunch, can provide the added edge or comfort factor you need to compete against the bigger, more expensive vendor in London.
