The Middle of the Road is Not a Smart Place to Stand.
The middle of the road is where you get run over. It makes me think of French Philosopher Jean Buridan, and the Buridan Ass. Based on Aristotle’s, On the Heavens, a donkey that is equally hungry and thirsty is placed precisely midway between a stack of hay and a pail of water. Since the paradox assumes the ass will always go to whichever is closer, it dies of both hunger and dehydration since it cannot make any rational decision between the hay and water.
Most firms have a problem getting out of their own way. Here is a few thoughts to help the needle.
We Help Our Clients Stand Out by Creating One of a Kind Unique Masterpieces
Boring Doesn’t Get Attention.
So many companies today have differentiation that we consider table steaks. Few actually dare to be different. No one wants to be the first to take on a new idea – because new ideas feel risky. The result of this this monkey see/monkey do mentality, however, is that everyone is basically the same — and ultimately boring.
Don’t take my word for it; visit a handful of websites and you’ll see they’re all using the same jargon. They all claim, “we’re client focused, we deliver on time, we understand our client’s needs, etc.”
The fact is, if you do and say what everyone else is doing and saying, you may feel safe, but there will be nothing that makes you stand out. In today’s competitive environment, where flat is the new up and status quo means not going backward, it’s important to understand the key factors that influence clients to do business with your company.
Finding unique ways to differentiate your business requires some time and introspection. But in the end – as you speed past your competition – you’ll see the investment is totally worth it.
Give Extra Value.
Tom Peters was famous for saying, “under promise and over deliver.” At Rothschild Marketing we take it one step farther and say, “over promise and over deliver.” If our clients don’t get the absolute best experience every time they engage with us, we have failed and should kick ourselves out. Our goal is to go above and beyond in doing what no one else is doing – and do it better than our clients could even imagine. We aim to deliver solutions that are worth talking about and to be measured, not just against other companies in the promo space, but also against every supplier our customers do business with in any market, product category, or product line. We want our service to exceed everyone our clients deal with – period. That is our measuring stick.
Go Big or Go Home.
A six- foot man doesn’t stand out in a crowd, because there are hundreds of six-foot men in this world. However, a man who is 7’ 2”, with size 22 feet is a totally different story. People would be talking nonstop about this man’s unusual stature and fighting to take selfies with him to share on social media.
As, my friend, Tom Choberka, CMO at Kelley Kronenberg reminds me all the time: to stand out, “you have to risk everything and be willing to put it all on the line.” Greatness takes big kahunas.
Let’s get out there and make some major impact.
Small Incremental Changes Can Have HUGE Impact
One small snowflake can feel inconsequential, but it has the power to create an avalanche. If you have heard me speak before, then you probably have heard me talk about our 1 degree or 2MM approach. That small changes can have radical impact. Tony Robbins, the motivational life coach, was telling me a story of an Olympic Swimmer he was helping for the 1996 in Atlanta. He learns all they have to do is reach 1/4″ further on every stroke and they make the Olympic team. Not only do they make the Olympic team, they won the gold medal.