The proximity effect

This is a great little post on how important it is to be unique, or at least appear to be unique, better, special... purchase-worthy. If you think about how huge the 'proximity effect' can be in a niche market or service industry, when you are presenting to a client who is actively looking to buy... it becomes vitally important to stand out. Unlike trying to catch the eye of a shopper, you must catch the eye of an active shopper with criteria that is known, and unknown, to you.

So damn important to be aggressively unique.

Seth's Blog: The proximity effect: "In fact, the proximity effect can work in your favor. It usually does if your product or service is special. The proximity effect gives the consumer confidence. It creates a category where no category existed before. It lets you sell the difference, as opposed to the whole thing.

At a bar, you don't have to sell vodka. You should have to sell why your vodka tells a better story than the other guy's vodka."