This quick marketing tip is all about the marketing power of being one of a kind in a world full of blandness.
One of the many common characteristics of successful businesspeople, is that they have the courage to be different. I’m not talking about being different just for the sake of it – I’m talking about being brave enough to stand out from the crowd and do what you believe to be right.
I remember listening to Warren Buffett, the world’s wealthiest and most successful investor, explaining how his company made so many tens of billions of dollars. He said: “We simply attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.” In other words, he achieved financial success by not following what the crowd were doing.
Marketing the ordinary
In marketing, we know that the more similar a product or service is to its competitors, the harder it is to market or get noticed. People don’t talk about the mundane and ordinary – they talk about the extraordinary. Yet, most businesses within the same industry are almost clones of one another.
Here’s what we see in every town and in every city: We see competing companies offer the same range of services, to the same marketplace, with the same generic promises.
- You need to be smarter than that, if you want to avoid price or fee sensitive customers.
- You need to be smarter than that, if you want to attract word of mouth publicity too; because people only speak (or remark) on those businesses that are remarkable.
- You need to be smarter than that if you want to want an above average business.
Most small business owners don’t really own a business at all. They have simply bought themselves a job with long hours and a ton of stress. They don’t look to the future with excitement, they look to the future with apprehension.
The great irony here, is that by taking the easy route and replicating what their competitors are doing and saying, they actually make business (and life) far harder for themselves. Conversely, by having the courage to be different, business and life become far, far easier.
Image credit: Monk3y
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Hi Jim
Began reading you a short while ago and wanted to say that I enjoy your take on things and that I have been already inspired and motivated by your words. Particularly about having courage in business and life- that resonates very deeply for me! Thank you. Yael from Israel
Thanks for the feedback Yael. It’s great to know the posts are of value to you!
Sometimes with a shake of the head, friends wonder how I have embarked on such a different journey. For me, using social media tools to communicate is doing business differently than others. I had many people looking at me as if I was crazy but I am now realizing that I suddenly have a richness of resources, people, and the ability to implement new ideas all because I did things a little differently. For me, every day is a learning opportunity. Thanks, Jim!
We certainly never stop learning Julie. A great point!
It is kind of like saying there are no new ideas just new takes on old ones. What I find works if you are in a competitive field is find areas where people might get frustrated. For example if I were to compete with Amazon I would focus on shipping. Only amazon.com has all the cool products but a lot of times it is very difficult to figure out do they ship to Canada. Even worse is sometimes you will ship products say to Malta and it will never arrive because the products get stopped at the border. This is very frustrating so if a company came out and said we ship all over the world and we will give you an accurate date for delivery… I would use them in a heartbeat…
This is teh extreme case. Look and see if your competition uses paypal. Paypal makes it much easier to buy online. Check out the buying process cause often this is a huge area of frustration..
Do they use social tools? Because social tools allow you to give a face to your business and it is easier to be loyal to people than a company or a product…
Lastly you pay for the sins of others so do not use the word free often cause who hasn’t has the free if you enter your CC.. and forgotten about it and been charged… once that happens free means to a lot of people you are going to screw me over..
Hi Gebadia – some interesting views there. How knows; maybe an entrepreneur will spot the need for a service, like the one you mention and own the marketplace.
Generally, I believe it’s always a great idea to listen to the marketplace – no matter what area of business you are in. Find what people want / need and provide it as well as you possibly can. That’s a great place to start.
Thanks for the comment.
Jim,
Very good advice. It’s a shame more businesses do not adhere to it (but good for you in marketing). In our industry, web hosting, this is sooo true. There are 1000’s of hosts all shouting the same phrases, all competing at the same level.
We’ve found that by being different (in our case our price point and service level) we are able to stand out, and get noticed in the niches we target. It helps us create a loyal following and an image of really being better (which you have to work hard to maintain).
It definitely is not easy to be different, and can feel quite uncomfortable, but the rewards for sticking to your guns and refusing to follow the lemmings pay off well in the end.
Rob – LexiConn
Another superb post Mr Connoly. Whilst courage favors the brave, it is sadly rare. Jean xXx
Jim,
While it’s simple, it’s not easy! You are quite right in your assessment. It’s starts with having an understanding of self! What makes you and your organization unique? We each bring something different to the table which is where our strength lies. A lot of us don’t have clarity in knowing what that is.
And we must know and understand our competition! What are their weaknesses?
In summary, we must maximize our strengths and capitalize on the competition’s weaknesses!
Don’t forget to let me know when you are visiting New York!
Great reminder to keep navigating down a challenging and exciting path Jim. Each of us follows our own internal compass in business, but can share the infectious power of inspiration with each other.