LET’S BE DIFFERENT

Imagine you’re in a room full of people. You all want the same thing, but you don’t know how to get it. Some of you are trying to push your way in front of others, some of you are using brute force, and some are trying to seduce your way in.

The thing is: none of these strategies are going to work. If everyone else is doing them too, then they simply won’t. And if someone is more charming or stronger than you, then again—you’re out of luck.

So how do we get what we want? We have to stand out from the crowd by being different from the crowd—not just different in one or two ways, but different in every possible way. We need to find our own identity: an identity that makes us stand out from everyone else who wants this thing that we all want so badly.

And once we’ve established an identity that makes us unique and special (in a good way), then we can start thinking about strategy: how do we use our identity as an advantage? How do we take advantage of what makes us different so that it helps us achieve our purpose?

It’s no secret that the modern marketplace is a cutthroat one. You have to differentiate yourself from your competitors, or you risk being forgotten in the sea of choices. You also need to strategize so that you can achieve your goals and compete with other companies for market share.

So, to get started you’ve got to do a little research on those competitors.  What is their brand, what do they do very well and where do they fall short?

Understanding that if all factors are the same and your customers can’t tell the difference you force price as their number one issue. 

Add to that, as customers our expectations are rising as fast as our options are increasing and it’s no longer acceptable to just be good, you have to WOW us!

So, back to your identity.  Where do you want to be different?  What is in line with your beliefs?  What problem do you solve?  Who is your target audience?  How can you make it better? Why did you start your business in the first place?

Once you know “who you are” you can create a strategy and start to attract the customers that resonate with your brand.  You see the problem is most businesses try to be everything to everyone and that is mistake number one in any business.  It’s impossible and in trying you lose your identity and you’re forced to compete on price alone.

The world is changing.  Brands that don’t change with it will be left behind.

The key to success in this new era is differentiation, identity and strategy.