Let's face it: There are probably hundreds of thousands of businesses already online. So, is it really possible to offer unique value in your online business? Probably not. But, that's actually the wrong question, and this is where a lot of gurus get it wrong.

How often have you heard some self-proclaimed expert come along and tell you that you have to offer unique value - that you have to differentiate yourself enough from everyone else who has a business online? And you sit there thinking that you have no idea how to do that.

I can tell you that I've heard it the same assertion and read it a lot. And I, too, have wondered how to do it. But I realized not long ago that this is all nonsense. There are only so many ways to differentiate yourself from a competitor. So obviously this is not the way to approach the problem. So what is?

Actually, it's not quite so complicated once you ask the right question, and that's the key.

The wrong question is "How do I offer unique value?" Or to be more precise, "How can I be different from everyone else?" The right question, instead, is "What can I do to make what I offer better than my competitors?" How can I offer more value than my competitors?

And, of course, the bar is always being raised. But, if you offer a better product or service, then you'll be different, but for all of the right reasons.

And it gets better. You're not competing with the hundreds of thousands of businesses online. You're not even competing with all of the businesses in your niche? Why? Because your prospects won't be able to see all of them in the time he or she has available to search the Web, never mind see them side-by-side. That means that as long as they can find you, you'll will have the opportunity to present your products or services without others encroaching on what you have to say.

A lot of online business people, through the incorrect advice that's floating around out there, worry more about offering multiple bonuses, for example, or a similar product with a few less features for less money than they do about creating quality. In other words, they attempt to make themselves different from their competitors by either offering a lot of extra free stuff, which often are products no one wants anyway, or by making less value available to their customers.