Can you hear the “heartbeat” of your best clients? If not, you need to rethink how you and your firm stand apart from your competitors. Marketers call this process strategic differentiation. It is very essentially a personalization process of business development. It gives you better business ears, eyes and financial results. More importantly, when your words and actions portray the unique benefits you deliver to clients, clients have a reason to listen, converse more intimately, deepen the working relationship and pay premium prices because they have no reason for remorse.

There are three considerations in strategic differentiation that are germane to this discussion:

• Position: With whom, specifically, do you want to stimulate business development? Certain market segments such as entrepreneurs, community banks or hospitality franchisees; larger business classes like health-care institutions; or market segments interested in specific issues, such as renewable energy? Your choice of target requires you concentrate your actions, immerse yourself in their networks and communicate to their crucial top-of-mind issues today and on the horizon.