How to Make Customers Choose You Over Your Competitors

Build something so thoughtful they’ll drive 27 miles past your competitors to find you.

Build your business so client-centred and unmistakably helpful that they’ll pass everyone else to get to you.

The Hydration Challenge That Led Me to a Beaver

Last week, Rick and I drove from Florida to Canada. It’s a trip you can do in 2 days, but we took 7.

We zig-zagged across 8 states, stopping to visit friends, family, and whatever caught our eye. It wouldn’t have been too challenging if it weren’t for my unhinged non-negotiable challenge I took on myself: drink 3 litres of water a day.

A noble goal for hydration. A terrible one for road trips.

If you’ve ever road-tripped before, you know: the desired state is dehydration. But I’m a health-conscious, perimenopausal woman trying to do better. So, I drank. And I searched desperately for bathrooms.

Which is when I met the beaver.

A 27-Mile Tease

Somewhere in the South, a billboard caught my eye. A giant buck-toothed beaver grinned down at my car: “Bathrooms so clean, we leave a mint in the urinal.” In smaller letters: “27 miles.”

And then? Another sign. And another. For 27 miles, I saw billboard after billboard with the same promise, each more entertaining than the last.

“Potty Like a Rock Star.”

“Stopping the Pee Dance since 1982”

“You Can Hold It”

I was hooked. I had to see what the fuss was about. I also really had to go.

I passed at least 15 decent gas stations with decent bathrooms. I passed a Love’s. I passed a Shell with a Starbucks. I passed a rest stop. My bladder screamed. But I drove on.

I wanted what the beaver was selling. Whatever that was.

The Buc-ee’s Experience Blew Me Away

Enter Buc-ee’s. Imagine a gas station the size of a grocery store. With dozens of pumps. A greeter at the door. A barbecue stand with singing staff. An tea station with every variation I didn’t know I needed: sweet, unsweet, flavoured syrups, you name it. Oat milk? Of course. Plop in pre-cut lemon wedges and pair with healthy car snacks? Yup!

And the bathrooms? Spotless, of course. Wide stalls. A faint scent of eucalyptus. No lines. I nearly wept.

Of course, I wasn’t the only one congratulating myself for ‘holding it’ until I got to Buc-ee’s; the place was packed. I mean, people queuing at the entrance, security guards, every square meter covered by happily relieved travellers.

It was absurd. It was amazing. And it got me thinking about my businesses.

I didn’t need to Google Buc-ee’s mission because I lived it.

But I did look it up later: "To provide a clean, friendly, and in-stock experience for every customer."

That’s precisely what they did.

Can My Law Firm Feel Like Buc-ee’s?

And it made me wonder: could someone guess my business mission before even hitting my website?

What if I made my law firm’s client experience so clear, so frictionless, and so fun that people would pass by 15 other firms just to work with me?

Borrowing the Buc-ee’s Blueprint

Inspired by Buc-ee’s, I’m designing my law firm around a single goal: to remove the intimidation factor from hiring a lawyer.

That means:

• Friendly greetings

• No jargon

• Walkthrough videos

• Clear pricing and timelines

• Personalized, branded contracts

• Updates when laws change

• Follow-up meetings (not just fire drills)

• An interactive website that actually explains things

• A playful, approachable vibe (without losing professionalism)

Maybe not a singing BBQ slinger, but you get the idea.

And

I’m also building the billboards: social media posts, podcast guest spots, webinars, summit talks and in-person connections that all point back to the same promise:

To make legal support feel friendly, accessible, and built just for you.

Would Your Clients Drive Past 15 Others Just to Find You?

Could someone guess your business’s mission without visiting your website?

Would they drive past your competitors just to get to you?

If not, maybe it’s time to think like a buck-toothed beaver. Build something so helpful, so delightful, and so clear that your dream clients can’t help but choose you.

🧠 Try This with AI
A Prompt to Become the Only Choice for Your Clients 🤝

“Act as a client experience strategist. Ask me five insightful questions to uncover how I can make my business so helpful, client-centered, and memorable that people bypass all other options just to work with me. Don’t let me off easy—dig deep.”

Build something that stands out from all the others. Build something that is billboard-worthy. Build something worth the drive.

Sonya

P.S. You’re probably not the only reader muttering, “Great. Another story about driving and cars. Can this lady talk about anything else?" Apparently, not.