You know that all your competitors want to get hold of those same great professionals that you’re hoping to recruit. All of them have the same need as they scale, and the biggest need is usually more great people.

Here’s how the vast majority of companies position themselves when hoping to attract talent:

• We have values that align with yours
• You’ll love our friendly environment
• We offer free snacks and beers on Friday
• Check out our great pay and benefits

Our experience is that great people take an excellent work culture as a given, if you don’t have the above then you’re not even in the running.

Unless…

You have a really cool project to work on. Work that makes the person so excited to do the work, solve the problem, and save the world.

Or

You have a really cool leader that the person will work for. He/she is a leading person in xyz and the chance to work with them is impossible to pass up.

Or

You have an incredibly interesting team for them to work with. Colleagues that will challenge them, and push them, and encourage them to do really amazing stuff. Yes, even on the weekend. They’ll be lifelong friends.

Or 

You have a future benefit for them that you can clearly articulate. As your business grows, they’ll have the opportunity to become better, stronger, or wiser.

As a business owner that needs cool talent, you need a key differentiator. Not just beers on a Friday. Something REAL.

Find it, describe it, and share it

What’s your key differentiator? What makes your business stand out from your competitors? As always, I’d love to discuss, debate and help any way I can.