Jim Connolly Marketing

  • Home
  • About
    • About Jim Connolly
    • Jim’s small business marketing newsletter
    • Top Marketing Tips for 2026
    • Privacy Policy
    • How I use cookies
    • Contact
    • Disclosure
  • Let’s Grow Your Business

How to own a valuable chunk of your marketplace

Updated April 2025

By Jim Connolly | March 4, 2023

marketing differentiation, stand out, get noticed

All accountants, designers, lawyers, training providers and marketing agencies are not the same. But to look at their marketing, you’d think they were. Of course, this is true of service providers in every industry and profession.

For a moment, put yourself in the shoes of a prospective client, eagerly looking for a service provider in your industry. Currently, they’ll find themselves faced with what looks like an ocean of very similar businesses.

Then, everything quickly changes

I want you to imagine that a serious competing provider turns up. A provider that’s differentiating themselves in a valuable, meaningful way. They stand out for all the right reasons. And huge change is coming.

Here’s what it looks like every single time this happens.

  • This new provider starts attracting the attention of the marketplace.
  • People start talking about them and the word begins to spread.
  • With so many people saying good things about this new provider, they build a great reputation.
  • They become the default choice, for clients who want more than a cookie-cutter service provider.
  • They soon own the most profitable end of the marketplace: The clients who want something better and will happily pay for it.

Faced with this possibility, you have a couple of options.

  1. You can wait until a competitor like that turns up, targeting your clients and your prospective clients. You’ll be forced into action and you’ll be playing catch-up. This takes the timing out of your control and gives you a bigger, more serious problem to deal with.
  2. Alternatively, you can improve your marketing and become that provider yourself, growing your business with the best clients. You can do it now, so you control the timing and have all the advantages this brings.

Yes, I recommend option 2.

And I recommend you take it sooner rather than later. Opportunities like this come with a use-by date.

IMPORTANT: If you want to make more sales, boost your profits and grow an amazing business, this will help you!

Creative Marketing Tips

Get my best ideas delivered direct to your inbox. Just add your email below.

You can unsubscribe at any time. I respect your privacy.

Jim Connolly

Hi! I'm Jim Connolly and I use creative marketing to help small business owners increase sales, boost profits and build amazing businesses. Read more here.

Featured by

marketing advice, marketing help

Categories

  • AI (7)
  • Blogging (407)
  • Business development (493)
  • Copywriting (307)
  • Creative Marketing (1,668)
  • Email marketing & mail shots (187)
  • Professional development (545)
  • Social media marketing (358)

Hosting provider

20i hosting

Search

Recent posts

  • Sign your work. Grow your business August 17, 2026
  • Get creative: Let others market your business for free! August 7, 2026
  • Traditional marketing is dead July 27, 2026
  • The stupid game July 13, 2026
  • Hey! Not so fast! July 6, 2026
  • How to get your fees right June 23, 2026
  • A 3 shot espresso for your business June 17, 2026
  • Unproductive? You’re probably just bored June 12, 2026
  • Make AI grow your business June 8, 2026
  • It motivates people to take action, now June 4, 2026
  • Is your business one of the 50% that prospects now avoid? Probably! May 30, 2026
  • Give your best ideas away for free. Here’s why May 12, 2026
  • AI is wiping out your competitors. Now take their market share May 5, 2026
  • Powerful words for your marketing toolbox. Part 2 April 29, 2026
  • Your social media is sending an important message April 27, 2026
  • When was the last time? April 23, 2026
  • Jim, why are my sales numbers down? April 20, 2026
  • The secret sauce you were looking for, is here April 15, 2026
  • A few things worth learning, from the top small businesses April 9, 2026
  • Be optimistic. Because all this is true April 2, 2026

Creative Thinking?

My Creative Thinking Website
  • Home
  • About
  • Let’s Grow Your Business

Copyright © 2026 Jim Connolly