Is being different better than being better?
Al Ries once famously said, "It's better to be different than it is to be better."
Yesterday Seth Godin said, "Fitting in is a short-term strategy, standing out pays off in the long run."
In his book "Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable", Seth says that the key to success is to find a way to stand out - to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins.
How many of your clients or colleagues have the guts to be different, to take the opposite tack? Or do they model their business and their marketing on what everyone else in their industry does?
When you ask these people why they do what they do, they usually say something along these lines: "That's what you have to do in this industry. Everyone else is doing it, so it must be right."
Give them a few suggestions and they'll probably say, "Goodness gracious, I wouldn't be comfortable doing that!"
Doh! All they're concerned about is their comfort zone and not what their prospects might want.
We have a saying here at Evolve: To get different results you must do different things.
So let's have some inspirational stories... What examples can you think of where business owners are brave enough to stick their neck out instead of taking the safe, comfortable route and hiding in the shadows? What great results have they had? Share it now!
Tags: al, differentiation, godin, ries, seth
Views: 8
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lynnaire Johnston on -
I had exactly this happen to me recently, when a client asked me to rewrite his website. He's in the insurance business, a youngish guy who has a lovely, informal way about him that is also professional. But he wouldn't allow any of this to show in his website text. In fact, he had me take all the personality out of his copy so now it's just beige. (Billy Connolly, I recall, coined the term "beige people" meaning dull and boring) There's nothing to differentiate him from every other insurance agent in the country which begs the question: why would anyone choose him over someone else?
I'm with you, Brandon, and Al Ries and Seth Godin and Mark Blumsky (who last year wrote Slippers, which followed the same theme), businesses need personality, they need to stand out, they need to be different. But we New Zealanders are very traditional, we don't like to put our head above the parapet, and we give flak to those who do. And yet think about those businesses which are successful, and why they stand out. Michael Hill springs to mind. He's earned a fortune on the back of having personality. As have others, like Marc Ellis. Like 'em or loathe 'em, it's their colourful personality that has brought in the punters.
Of course, personality isn't the only way to stand out from the crowd. There are many others: excellent customer service, being first in your niche, and having the loudest and worst TV ads, among them. And now, there's online networking. I'm really looking forward to seeing how companies utilise that to their advantage.
In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can think of any of my clients prepared to stick their necks out... -
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Permalink Reply by Brandon Wilcox on -
I love the "beige people" description! Why is it that some people who are bright, vivacious and colourful insist on projecting such a beige image?!!
I have an example that matches yours to a tee - my recommendations went down like a cup of cold sick! But it's a bit too close to home to be told in this forum ;-)
It's funny how some business owners think their business is all about them. To paraphrase Jack Welch, "Your business is not about you. It's about the people who buy from you. The day you become a business owner, it becomes about them."
These days you have nano-seconds to get your audience's attention. If you don't grab them in the first 10 seconds they're gone... Off to another listing, another website... Off to a competitor who did grab their interest.
Positioning is about telling a story that matters to your customers. That's what you were trying to do with your insurance guy. But he probably just wanted to just extol the virtues of his business, to highlight the features of what he wanted to sell. That's what I call "brag-and-boast" advertising. Chest thumping is of no interest or importance to customers.
I don't believe buyers use marketing propaganda to make decisions, or that they want to hear claims from companies. I believe businesses need to share stories that illustrate their value. It's perfect if they can share stories that show personality and are based on customers' successes and other people's perceptions.
If a company says something about themselves, it's just brag-and-boast. But if a customer says it about them, it MUST be true!
I like your Michael Hill and Marc Ellis examples. It's so true that those who take a deep breath and stick their heads above the parapet reap the rewards. Yvonne McLean, the coach in our chapter, runs Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway workshops - very appropriate for those who are too scared to do anything other than project a beige image! -
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Permalink Reply by Brandon Wilcox on
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Okay, here's an example of a business owner who was brave enough to stick his neck out instead of taking the safe, comfortable route and hiding in the shadows.
The owner was referred to us by his accountant (and member of our chapter at the time) when he was setting this business up. It's a retail dry cleaning and laundromat business that has since expanded into commercial laundry too.
We developed a range of names and positioning taglines. Some were more straightforward and some were a bit "out there". There was one that captured his attention the most, but he confessed it also scared him the most. In the end he went with it. And so the company name became Dirty Business Launderers Ltd. The logo as above. The functional descriptor Drycleaners Launderers. And the tagline We love to launder!
And the results? Here's what the owner said to me last year...
It's the best investment I've ever made to bring in professionals to get the name and branding right. We haven't even promoted it much over the last few years but it always raises eyebrows and gets a snigger.
I went into a café with my Dirty Business shirt on and the logo on it really stands out, and the guy behind the counter said "I LOVE that brand. I drive down Rosebank Rd every day and see it when I drive past and it always brings a smile to my face. My wife's in marketing and she absolutely loves it too."
It would be at least once a week where I'm promoting my wares and a big smile breaks across their face. And that's what happens. They smirk, smile, chortle, you name it they do it. It really breaks the ice and makes my job easier.
And then in November last year Dirty Business even made it into the NZ Herald's Sideswipe column in a piece about "Punny Real Business Names". I emailed him to let him know and he replied:
"Good morning Brandon - yes I heard about it - three or four clients and/or family rang to let me know! As usual - it continues to cause a stir!" -
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Permalink Reply by Brandon Wilcox on
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Part of being brave enough to be "different" rather than "better" is accepting that not everyone will like it. Business owners who try to please everyone with their marketing, or should I say... who try to not offend anyone, end up with a bland message that doesn't cut through.
In writing about the secrets of Apple's iPad launch, one of the most successful launches of all time ($150 million sales on the first day!), Seth Godin said...
Don't try to please everyone. There are countless people who don't want one, haven't heard of one or actively hate it. So what? (Please don't gloss over this one just because it's short. In fact, it's the biggest challenge on this list).
You can read Seth's full article here. -
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Permalink Reply by Assia Salikhova on -
Unwilliness of 'standing out from the crowd' is not a national feature - I think it's time for New Zealand (where over 50% of population are immigrants anyway) to stop thinking they are somewhat different in that respect from other countries.
I think unwilliness of 'standing out from the crowd' is more to do with human personality. If you have a look on personality profiles (does not matter which system you look at) there are more or less outgoing people. The best thing for business is to have management team which has every personality present. All it takes are 3-5 people. The true problem is that there are a LOT of businesses with less than 3 people all together and for sure less than 3-5 in management team. That's why most businesses are SO dependant on personalities of the owners including all good skills and knowledge plus all limitations. While someone may thing they are not different, they absolutely are in their own, sometimes unnoticeable immediately way.
Is there a solution? One, of course, is to grow your business. Another one is to have an extended management team from people with other personalities (as we all tend to prefer people like us, not the opposites, whom we so need in business!). This is where some of members of BNI chapter can become your sounding council and extended management team. This is one way of doing it. -
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Permalink Reply by Brandon Wilcox on
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Good thoughts Assia! I like your observation that business owners with retiring personalities should pull a team together, even if it's their BNI team, to use as a sounding board. Now, how do you get them to action what that team recommends rather than filtering it through the lens of their unwillingness to stand out?!!!
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Permalink Reply by Brandon Wilcox on
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Great quote I just read: "In a world of extreme clutter you need more than differentiation. You need RADICAL differentiation. The new rule: When everyone zigs, zag."
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