As B2B companies vie for attention in a still-wary marketplace, one of the keys to profitability is differentiation.

Take a moment to ask yourself: How does your company set itself apart from the crowd? Does your team truly understand what makes your products or services stand out from those of your competitors?

If you hesitated before answering, you're not alone.

As Ardath Albee reports in a recent post at the Marketing Interactions blog, 62 percent of sales and marketing executives say their company's message does not stand out in the marketplace, according to a recent survey by Corporate Visions.

To help you find your star power, Albee offers a few tips for determining what differentiates your company from the B2B pack. Gather your team and take a look at factors such as these:

• Your approach to solving your customers' problems. Examine how you do what you do, step-by-step. What stands out?
• What your customers say is the value they get from you. Why do your customers keep coming back?
• Your employees' passion in working for you. "Why do they show up every day? Albee asks.
• Your intellectual property. What do you know that few others can rival? The answer to this one shows "why you do what you do," she says.

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