Be Different or be dead

October 10, 2011

Why best of breed should be ignored if you want to be unique

Source: Unsplash

Why best of breed should be ignored if you want to be unique.

Best of breed is still part of the herd.

World class. Best in class. Best of breed. All ways to describe where an organization sits within the herd.

The problem is that every way used to stratify the herd essentially describes how successful someone has been to rise in it’s hierarchy. And people use what you have achieved to conclude how brilliant and successful you are.

You can be the best of breed and it guarantees nothing except you have been able to copy and incrementally creep forward more than your herd cohorts.

You’ve an edge that’s all. And an edge is not good enough when competition is growing at a breathtaking rate and customers are hungry for personal treatment and engaging conversation.

The best cow is still a cow unless it’s purple.

Different from breed should be what drives us.

Distinctiveness should be our goal. Remarkability should possess us.

Look at the best cow and create something different that captures the hearts and souls of your customers in a way that only you can do.

Best of Breed is only important to the herd.

No one else will notice.

No one else will care.

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

• Posted 10.10.11 at 10:05 am by Roy Osing
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October 6, 2011

Why the ‘simplify’ business is the best one to be in

Source: Unsplash

Why the ‘simplify’ business is the best one to be in.

There is an incredible irony being played out in markets today.

The complexity of business is growing at a breathless rate.

Competitors are multiplying in rabbit-like fashion.

The capabilities of technology literally know no bounds.

Employee demands are biased to personal life choice like never before.

And yet customers are searching for a simple world.

They are longing for organizations that will clarify this complex world for them and help them chart a course through it .

They don’t care about the limitless capabilities of technology. How their wants and desires can be served by technology is the only question they have.

They want to clearly understand how your value proposition stands out from everyone else out there. They don’t care about the rules you have to comply with.

‘Sort it out and help me get what I want’ is their prime directive.

Those organizations that can simplify the world for a customer will be rewarded with a customer for life.

Those that can’t will die.

Consider yourself in the simplification business —Roy, simple is good; simpler is better.

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

• Posted 10.6.11 at 09:00 am by Roy Osing
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September 19, 2011

Great leaders do this one simple thing to be successful

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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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