September 19, 2011

Great leaders do this one simple thing to be successful

Source: Unsplash

Great leaders do this one simple thing to be successful.

If ever there were a silver bullet for the leader of an organization to focus on, it’s how to be different; how to carve out a unique and relevant place in an over crowded marketplace

It’s not only a life saver, it’s THE critical driver of success.

This is what the competitive herd looks like:

— flogging products is the main tactic employed by herd members;

— lowering prices is the main strategy herd members use to acquire and keep customers;

— everyone copies everyone else in the herd under the guise of innovation;

— ‘follow the leader’ defines the typical business planning approach of all;

— product features are incrementally changed to match a competitor; delivering memorable experiences is a major void;

— mass marketing methods are used to try and sell; addressing the specific needs of individuals still lags as a marketing focus.

What an opportunity for an organization to break out from the herd and differentiate themselves by the value they create for people

Leaders need to spend more time asking their people…

▪️ “How can we be different?”

▪️ “How can we be more relevant to our customers in a unique way?”

▪️ “Why do we copy others?”

▪️ “Why are best of breed and best in class even in our vernacular?”

▪️ “Why do we have to rely on price discounting to sell our stuff?”

If leaders don’t ask the right questions they will never get the answers they need to create a remarkable organization.

The silver bullet is about differences. Go create them. Now.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 9.19.11 at 09:15 am by Roy Osing
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September 15, 2011

Why revenue targets should determine what your business plan looks like

Source: Unsplash

Why revenue targets should determine what your business plan looks like.

My business plan creation process involves answering 3 basic questions.

▪️ How big do you want to be — revenue growth goals;

▪️ Who do you want to serve — customer groups to target;

▪️ How will you compete and win — competitive differentiation strategy.

The answer to the How BIG question starts the process.

Your revenue growth goals determine the character and risk level of your strategy. A plan to grow revenue at 10% per year, for example, will look different than if your plan was to grow at 50%.

To assume that the 50% plan would be the same as the 10% plan would be folly; you simply can’t change the growth numbers and expect the plan profile to remain the same.

The latter could require, for example, more resources, new target markets and customer segments and an acquisition to get the 50% growth required.

The traditional approach to planning is to first develop the strategy and then determine the financial impacts — the numbers are set at the end of the planning process.

This has always been a problem. Typically the growth produced by the strategy is unacceptable by leadership, so the assumptions are tinkered with to produce new numbers rather than adjusting the inherent profile of the business plan.

This is a problem — you can’t change the growth targets without changing the strategy to deliver them.

The boldness of your business plan is governed by your growth goals.

Get your thinking straight on HOW BIG; then create your strategy to achieve them.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 9.15.11 at 09:00 am by Roy Osing
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September 8, 2011

Why the opposite direction is often the successful route to take

Source: Unsplash

Why the opposite direction is often the successful route to take

Distinctive. Unique. Remarkable. DiFFERENT. These words are used to describe successful organizations that know how to thrive and survive over the long term.

The challenge, of course, is to figure out how to get there.

One possibility is to be a contrarian. Do the opposite to what the faceless competitive herd is doing

Break from the trend. Get out of the box.

If the herd is doing it one way, go in the opposite direction. If they are going north, go south.

One amazing example of applying contrarianism is to look at what The Grateful Dead did. Several years ago, rock bands never allowed concert fans to record their music during a live performance due to copyright concerns bands had at the time.
The Grateful Dead did exactly the opposite and enabled their fans to do it, thinking that it made sense to have their music shared with as many people as possible and that record sales would increase as a result. They were right.

Another example is the Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas that went against the trend of offering healthy food to offer a range of high calorie food including ‘the triple bypass burger’.

And a contrarian view might actually stimulate customer loyalty in the credit collections function in an organization. Organizations generally treat their collections function as a one-way collect the balance due task.

But what if you treated it as a credit management function where employees are empowered to manage credit risk and work with the customer to develop a payment plan that was a win-win for both the company and the customer? The move from collecting amounts owed to finding a mutually beneficial solution would go a long way to build a positive feeling about the company in the customer’s mind.

What if you went against the herd and focused on providing premium value at higher prices than others? The herd generally has a commodity mindset, believing that having the lowest price will garner business. The contrarian, on the other hand, plays the specialty game, looking for opportunities to create a unique brand that commands higher prices (and margins).

So, when you’re developing your business plan, specifically test the opportunities that might be available by taking a contrary position to what others are doing.

“What would happen if we went against the flow?” is the question that should be probed to see if you can BE DiFFERENT, get noticed and standout from the crowd.

Go against the herd. Practice opposition and get noticed

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

• Posted 9.8.11 at 10:00 am by Roy Osing
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July 18, 2011

Why Customer Secrets Are the Ultimate Game-Changer in Business

Why Customer Secrets Are the Ultimate Game-Changer in Business

In the cutthroat arena of modern business, where competition is fierce and differentiation is elusive, the most successful organizations don’t just understand their customers—they know them.

They go beyond the surface-level needs and tap into the secrets that drive individual desires, cravings, aspirations, and behaviors.

These secrets are the untapped goldmine that separates the mediocre from the extraordinary, the followers from the trailblazers.

Needs are common; Secrets are power.

Most businesses operate in the first tier of customer understanding—the needs-layer.
They focus on identifying what customers need and delivering products or services to meet those needs.

But here’s the brutal truth: everyone is doing this.

The needs-layer is saturated, and it offers no sustainable competitive advantage. Why? Because most people already have what they need.

The real opportunity lies in the second tier—the secrets-layer.

This is where you uncover what customers want, what they covet, what they dream about, what they crave.

It’s where you discover the hidden drivers that make them tick.

The Secrets-Layer: The Untapped Frontier of Customer Insight — A customer secret is not a mass-market trend or a generic desire.

It’s deeply personal, unique to each individual. It’s a habit, a bias, a dream, a fear, a lifestyle choice, or even an unspoken aspiration.

Crowds don’t have secrets—individuals do.

And when you uncover these secrets, you gain the ability to deliver something that no one else can.

You create experiences, products, and services that resonate on a profoundly personal level.

This is the ultimate differentiator.

While your competitors are busy meeting needs, you’re fulfilling desires.

While they’re playing catch-up, you’re setting the pace.

◼️ What Does This Mean for Marketing? — The shift to a secrets-layer focus transforms the way you approach marketing.

Gone are the days of periodic, mass-market research that gives you a snapshot of what people need.

Instead, you must adopt a continuous, individualized learning process.

You need to engage with customers on a deeper level, uncovering their secrets in real-time and using that information to craft hyper-personalized offerings.

This is not just about selling; it’s about building intimate customer relationships.

When you understand a customer’s secrets, you can create marketing campaigns that feel tailor-made for them.

You can craft messages that speak directly to their hopes, fears, and aspirations.

This is how you build loyalty, trust, and long-term engagement.

◼️ What Does This Mean for Customer Service? — Customer service is no longer just about fixing problems—it’s about turning mistakes into moments of magic.

When a service blunder occurs, the secrets-layer becomes your secret weapon.
By leveraging what you know about the customer, you can turn a negative experience into a loyalty-building event.

A service mistake can create a “gaspworthy” moment and a raving fan forever.

The key is speed and personalization.

You need to respond within 24 hours, and you need to surprise the customer with something that feels deeply personal.

Maybe it’s a gesture that aligns with their lifestyle, a gift that reflects their hobbies, or a solution that addresses a challenge they’ve been quietly grappling with.

When you recover in a way that feels personal, the customer doesn’t just forgive you—they become even more committed to your brand.

◼️ What Does This Mean for Sales? — Sales teams must evolve from being product pushers to secret gatherers.

The traditional role of hitting quotas and pushing products is no longer enough.

Salespeople must be trained to ask the right questions, listen intently, and uncover the secrets that drive customer decisions.

This is not just about closing deals; it’s about building trust.

When a salesperson takes the time to understand a customer’s secrets, they’re not just selling—they’re connecting.

And that connection is what leads to long-term relationships and repeat business.

To make this happen, organizations must incentivize Secret Gathering.

Sales bonuses should be tied to the ability to uncover and leverage customer secrets.

This isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative.

◼️ The Secret Discovery Process: How to Uncover What Really Matters — The process of uncovering customer secrets is both an art and a science.

It starts with asking the right questions and listening deeply.

You need to show genuine interest in the customer’s story, not just your own agenda.

When customers feel heard and understood, they’ll willingly share their secrets.

The key is to shift from transmit mode to receive mode.

Instead of talking about your products or services, focus on learning about the customer.

Ask questions, take notes, and follow up.

Over time, you’ll build a Secrets Manual for each high-value customer—a living document that captures their unique desires, preferences, and challenges.

◼️ The Ultimate Competitive Advantage — In a world where technology, branding, and product features are easily replicated, customer secrets are the one thing that can’t be copied.

Customer Secrets are the ultimate source of sustainable competitive advantage.

When you understand what makes your customers tick, you can create offerings that feel irresistible.

You can build relationships that are unbreakable.

And you can achieve levels of performance that are unmatched.

The question is not whether you should start uncovering customer secrets—it’s how quickly you can make it a core competency in your organization.

The organizations that master this will not just survive; they will thrive.

They will be the ones setting the pace, defining the future, and reaping the rewards of a customer-centric revolution.

The hidden edge is there for the taking. Are you ready to unlock it?

Cheers,
Roy
My Podcast Show Audacious Moves to A BILLION shares the specific Moves I made to achieve jaw-dropping growth in an insanely competitive internet business.

”The Audacious Unheard of Ways I Took a Startup to A BILLION IN SALES” is the latest in my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series.

• Posted 7.18.11 at 11:00 am by Roy Osing
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