Be Different or be dead

May 12, 2011

Why claims like these don’t give you a competitive advantage

Source: Unsplash

Why claims like these don’t give you a competitive advantage.

When you make statements like these, you really have no advantage over your competition at all…

you’re better;
you’re the best;
you’re excellent;
you’re the market leader;

you’re exceptional;
you’re number one;
you’re in the top three;
you’ve been around for 100 years;
You’ve got the most knowledgeable employees;

you’ve got the lowest prices;
you’ve got the most;
you’ve got more;
you’re the fastest;

you’ve got the most comprehensive;
you’ve got the most complete;
you’ve got the biggest;
you’re ahead of others.

The crowd makes these types of competitive claims when they have no distinguishing characteristics. They’re meaningless

These statements don’t work. They’re totally ineffective. No one believes them.

Aspirational claims like these don’t mean anything. Not specific enough. Can’t be interpreted into meaningful action by anyone. But they make the authors feel good that they are at least saying something about why people should buy from them. But it’s wasted energy.

Real competitive advantage comes from being both relevant (satisfying a want or desire that people really care about) and unique (providing something that you do that no one else does).

You need to strive to be the ONLY ones that do what you do.

Spend time building your ONLY. Leave aspirational thinking aside.

If you can’t be the ONLY one that does what you do, you don’t have a competitive position.

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

• Posted 5.12.11 at 10:53 am by Roy Osing
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May 9, 2011

Why customer intimacy is the best way to get repeat sales

Source: Unsplash

Why customer intimacy is the best way to get repeat sales.

Marketing and sales today are focused on pushing products and services.

The main problem with this approach is that no one appreciates getting something shoved down their throat.

So why do organizations continue to covet this flogging strategy?

It’s an easy route to follow. Focus on what you produce or supply. Be mesmerized with functionality.

Believe that if you advertise it far and wide people will come to their senses and buy.

Unfortunately the easy route is not very often the successful one that will make your organzation remarkable and indispensable because the herd is doing it in unison.

Let’s get back to Humanity 101.

People buy stuff because they feel they are getting value that somehow makes their life better.

Happier.

And the source of value delivery is an intimate relationship.

People do not buy goods and services. They buy relations, stories and magic —Seth Godin, marketing mastermind

Bonding with another human being takes time. Patience. Asking questions. Listening intently. It’s a tough job. But in the end it’s the ONLY process that will generate a long-term revenue stream.

If you really want to flog, flog intimacy.

Product pushing definitely has a limited existence.

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

• Posted 5.9.11 at 11:00 am by Roy Osing
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April 28, 2011

Why taking action isn’t really important at all to success

Source: Pexels

Why taking action isn’t really important at all to success.

The biggest progress eater is ‘The activity trap’.

Churning time. Busyness. Momentum creator. A do loop. The treadmill.

To some, a soother that makes them feel good.

Activity for activity sake steals your advancement towards your business plan strategic goals. Don’t go there.

Be a deliverer. Be mindless about end results. About creating and delivering stuff.

Sure, activity is necessary. But do it with delivering something in mind. If your busyness doesn’t contribute to delivery, cut it.

It is the CRAP that will paralyze you.

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

• Posted 4.28.11 at 10:00 am by Roy Osing
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April 21, 2011

Why a business plan for 24-months makes the best sense

Source: Unsplash

Why a business plan for 24-months makes the best sense.

The 5-year business plan has serious flaws.

The outlying years 3, 4 and 5 can’t be predicted with any degree of accuracy and they never show up (anyone ever see year 5 materialize?)

More importantly, fussing about these later years keeps you from executing today.

So what’s the appropriate planning period?

In principle it should represent a slice of time that you believe will have a high degree of continuity. A period of time where the degree of uncertainty Is relatively low.

It’s a crap shoot no matter how you look at it.

I always had success using a 24-month plan and differentiating it from a 2-year plan. Thinking of the business plan in months keeps execution in your sights.

It also keeps you from being too locked in to a specific course of action regardless of the results you achieve and how much you learn through implementing your strategy.

My formula: create a 24-month business plan.

Focus on execution. Learn from how well you execute

Be alert to the unforeseen. Adjust on the run.

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

• Posted 4.21.11 at 10:00 am by Roy Osing
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