August 9, 2010

Absolutes of The ONLY

Quick Review: The ONLY Statement is THE way to stake your distinctive competitive position in the market. If you can declare yourself as “We are the ONLY ones that…..” the blur of non-unique competitve claims will fade away and your organization will stand clearly in focus to thrive and survive!

Your checklist to being the ONE and ONLY.

Your ONLY Statement Absolutely MUST:
> Address the HIGH PRIORITY needs, interests, desires, secrets of your FANS. Being the Only one on something that doesn’t matter to your FANS will achieve nothing. If it doesn’t matter to your FANS you will talk about it at your own peril.
> BE TRUE. Claiming you are the ONLY one at something that your FANS don’t believe is deadly. The sneezers will tell everyone, remember? Make sure you test your ONLY with your FANS. In addition to getting feedback on it’s believability you are likely to get input to bake your Statement even better.
> Express VALUE CREATION. Product flogging has a limited life. Unique value creation has longevity that is difficult to copy by others in the herd. Focus on the solution that is being provided and you are getting closer to the element of value.
> BE BRIEF. If it takes you 10 floors on an elevator to declare your ONLY Position you’ve missed it. It’s a Nano-Statement that shouldn’t require you to take a second breath.
> BE COMPELLING. It has to have some WOW emotional appeal to capture the hearts of your customers. Avoid being pedantic and terribly intellectual.
> GET EMPLOYEE JUICES FLOWING. ONLY is a war-rallying-cry of sorts. It defines the hill you are claiming and dares the herd to climb it. Your employees have to FEEL (there’s that key strategic concept again) what it says. What it requires of each and every one of them to win the battle.

Here’s an ONLY I like. Lets test it against the Absolutes:
“Queen’s Full-Time MBA is one of the world’s premier MBA programs, renowned for its leading-edge curriculum and innovative approaches to learning. But what really sets it apart is its focus on you. Only Queen’s provides personal development coaching to build on your individual strengths, as well as specialized electives tailored to your specific career aspirations, in order to help you achieve the greatest personal and professional growth.”
> Students need a more personal approach to business education; feedback states that they believe Queens delivers it consistently.
> Queen’s ONLY talks about Student Value, not specific courses or programs being supplied.
> Their ONLY is more that Godin’s eight-word Rule, but it is to the point and clear.
> Compelling? Oh Ya! An educational institution that actually focuses on personalized education for the unique requirements of each student. Brilliant. Outstanding. Remarkable. Gaspworthy.
> Don’t know if Queen’s faculty gets an adrenalin rush from their ONLY. I do. They should. Anyone could explain it. It’s exciting to be The ONLY at what they are.

The ONLY journey. You need to be on it.
Cheers, Roy

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Leadership | Marketing | Strategy | Permalink
Posted 8.9.10 at 07:00 am by Roy Osing | Read Comments (1) | Leave a Comment