Moving Beyond Sameness

Product Parity is when there is not much difference in products, price/cost or location. Many organizations fall into the trap of being ‘just like everyone else’ unless they can differentiate and create a competitive advantage. In our experience, we hear from many business and aviation professionals that “it is all about price” especially on big tag items such as fuel for an aircraft. They say, “We buy from the lowest price provider”. Or many may buy products based on the location of the service/product provider. Those consumers say, “I buy from that provider because it is convenient” or “the only one around”.

Many products/services fall into these qualifications, but think for a minute how an organization might win over new customers or maintain loyal customers by creating a competitive advantage based upon “service”. Organizations, team and individuals who ask “Why choose us?” put themselves in the customer’s shoes. Most people mistakenly believe that product and service features are the only reason customers make purchasing decisions. It is very easy for copycats to offer similar product or service features (even price!) that push the product/service toward parity, which means there is little distinction between offerings.

The true way to avoid product and service parity is excellent customer service. Excellent customer service, both internal and external, can only be achieved through people.