Last week, I drove downtown in the snow to attend a business workshop all about sales.

I’m probably the biggest geek in the world because I totally love attending business events! If you feel trapped in the house as an entrepreneur, I highly suggest finding a social networking group to join in your area!

For the past few months I’ve been attending a ton of local events to get out of the house and meet like-minded people (who want to gush about business all day and night just like me!). And it’s been a blast.

So anyway… I’m at this sales workshop listening to a panel of experts answer questions from the group.

And then this Australian dude in the back raised his hand and asked perhaps the most common sales question in the history of life on planet Earth: 

“How do you make yourself stand out from the competition?”

People have been asking this question ever since, well, there were more than two people around to compete with.

And when I heard the Aussie ask the golden question of marketing, all I could think was, “Holy cannoli! I just made a video about this topic!”

What a coinkidink!

Do you want to know the coolest part of this story? (To me, anyway?)

The panel of experts TOTALLY gave the same answer as I’m giving you in this video. (Except they didn’t have a piece of string stuck to their bangs while they did it. You’ll see what I mean when you watch :P).

It’s not hard to stand out from the crowd, really. You have what it takes. It’s just that so very few people actually do what it takes. You’ll have to watch the video to find out more about how to do it:

 

 

Tweet out your favorite tidbit from today’s video:

You get what you give 10-fold. Apply this to business. Rinse and repeat. @CourtRJ http://ow.ly/HlUsB

Eliminate the competition by being a better giver. @CourtRJ http://ow.ly/HlUsB

 

Here’s your 5-minute action to help your business stand out from the crowd:

You’ll benefit most from this exercise if you’re feeling a bit anxious about your business right now, worried about where your next client is going to come from, or feeling a bit desperate (hey, we’ve all been there!).

• Take out a piece of paper and write “WAYS TO GIVE” at the top.

• Set a timer for 5 minutes. During those 5 minutes, make a list of as many ways you can think of to give to your community, your readers, your clients, your customers, your Facebook fans, etc.

• Think in terms of referrals, surprise gifts, giveaways, compliments, personal touch, and anything that will add value to your community and their lives.

Once you’ve completed this week’s action, you can give even more by sharing this article with your friends + fans!