employees have reputation as snobs, alterations take a long time.   3. Differentiate Your Business From the Competition     Your next job is to describe how your business differs from the competitions strong and weak points. Again, remember to carefully look at your business from the customers perspective.     If youre not sure how your pricing policies compare to the competition, here are some guidelines. Most people associate high prices with high quality and extra service, while they associate low prices with low or average quality and minimum service. Make sure you provide extra quality and service if your prices are higher than your competition-or make sure that your prices are lower if your quality is average and your service is minimum. Check your assumptions by making a price survey of the competition.     Remember that customers may take for granted that you have the same strong points as the competition; if so, you can leave those out of your description. Customers hope that you do not share the same weak points as the competition. But if you do share some weak points, it is probably a good idea to mention the ones you have in common. Antoinettes Dress Shop: How My Business DiffersFrom the Competition     Antoinettes will offer a wide selection of merchandise to our target customers, as do the department stores and specialty shops. We will offer low prices and convenient hours for the working woman. Antoinettes will take particular pride in more efficient services such as special orders and alterations as well as a stable, helpful and knowledgeable sales staff.     To summarize, Antoinettes takes the worry out of clothes shopping by providing a good selection, good prices, good service and helpful people who know their field.           4. Describe Your Target Customer     The next step is to describe your target customer in specific, individual terms. As you know, business is a very personal endeavor. When you sell services or merchandise, you sell to one person at a time. As a matter of fact, most people dont like being treated like members of a group instead of individuals. Thats why the most successful restaurants have owners or maitre ds who remember your name and ask about your family or your interests whenever you patronize their business.     Additionally, most of us are more comfortable talking with one person than making speeches to a large group. So it makes sense to address your advertising, promotions and other marketing activities to a single person instead of a group.     Of course, no two customers are exactly the same. But if you can personalize your marketing program to a typical customer, it will be more effective because it will seem more friendly to your customers. The easiest way to do that is to create a mythical target customer and individualize that target customer so that you consider her a friend. Be as specific and as personal as you can. If you have friends you hope will be your customers, describe one of your friends. Include age, education, occupation, income, hobbies, family status, reading preferences, favorite television shows, favorite music and so forth.