Two quotes came across my desk during the past two days…
The first quote is one from Robert Stack, a favourite American speaker who I follow:
“Experience has taught me that if you don’t fit in, you are probably doing the right thing.”
I’ve been loving Robert’s quotes and philosophies for some time now, and it’s a nice feeling when his great quotes are shared to me annually across my social media memories.
The second quote was shared with me today via email for the very first time, and it was shared by one of my mentors. It’s a quote from mentalist Derren Brown, and as my mentor said, you can substitute any profession into the quote for the word ‘magician’, and the quote would be instantaneously relevant for that profession…
“To ditch reality and to enter ‘magician’ mode, which, being neither specific nor human, has no more authenticity to it than the role of waiter or shop assistant. Your job is to be a version of yourself, well defined, distinct, authentic; you have no business being generic.”
Take a moment to reflect here…
“Your job is to be a version of yourself, well defined, distinct, authentic; you have no business being generic.”
Be well defined. Distinct. Authentic.
You have no business being generic.
Think about it… when you are being NOT-GENERIC… you are probably doing the right thing…
Dan Kennedy used to say that if he wanted to be successful starting up a new business in a new country town he would simply go into that town, and find out what his competitors were doing, and start doing the exact opposite of what all those competitors were doing.
Your customers and potential customers are looking for the unique point of difference that your business has to offer up to them… a point of difference that makes it look as though you have been looking out for them 24/7 …. day in and day out, week in and week out.
If you’re generic, and if your business is generic, then you’re vanilla.
Vanilla.
And not much else.
And when you’re vanilla, your customers will only differentiate you and your business from your competitors based on the prices you charge for whatever you do.
You’ll have successfully commoditised yourself.
And in so doing, you’ll have commoditised your business onto the road to extinction.
When your business is so generic that price is the only differential that your customers have to determine whether they do business with you, then your business will already have started circling the drain hole.
Good luck with that one… because the centrifugal force that exudes from that drain hole will suck your business into the drain hole’s vortex at such strength, that fighting that force becomes futile…
It becomes the end of the road…
It becomes the end of life as you know it…
Because your business now becomes controlled by bankers and creditors… and all they will want is a pound of your flesh.
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Dr. David Moffet BDS FPFA CSP is a certified CX Experience coach. David works with his wife Jayne Bandy to help SME businesses improve their Customer Service Systems to create memorable World Class experiences for their valued clients and customers. Click here to find out how David and Jayne can help your business