You might be wondering why a blog about marketing has a picture of a goth to start?
The gothic industry is the perfect example of a point I would like to make today. The point is, that there are so many companies out there, claiming in their mission statements to be “innovative”, “ground-breaking” or “unique”…but are they really?
Just as there are all these goth kids that talk about how bad they want to be different from everyone else. Yet in their quest for individuality, they quite possibly are the most uniform group there is. The gothic movement is so uniform, that there is so man small attributes that you can look right at, and say “that’s gothic”.
That is the end of that comparison.
So how do you REALLY become different from your competitors.
Look at the #menwhobuiltamerica
Ford revolutionized manufacturing by using a production line. He dramatically increased productivity, and reduced errors because each man was checking behind the last man, throughout the process. In this way, Ford was truly different from all those that made automobiles before him, and even differentiated himself from any other manufacturing process of his time.
Not only can we identify key ways that Ford was different, we can see how these key differences made Ford better!
Going away from the traditional is a HUGE risk! That risk is partially mitigated by understanding first how things are done, and then applying a radically new way into your way of doing things. Are you daring enough to do that?
Some people will call you stupid or crazy when you depart from the norm. But what great thing ever came about from doing things the same old way? If we kept with the norm, there would be no cotton gin, no light-bulbs, no motorcycles!
Thank goodness for all of those innovations, and the great things that came as a result!
Do you have what it takes to make the next great invention? To create the next innovative process?
Do you have it in you to change the world?
I sure hope so, because we are not the same society as our predecessors; we have more opportunities and comforts. I fear that we might be too comfortable to create anything revolutionary anymore. This is where my best friend chimes in, and reminds me about smart phones! Yes, smart phones continue to be life-changing and awesome.
But lets not stop with smart phones, people! There are no limits to what we can create!
But you can’t just be great and different, people need to know. Start here – tell me why your product or service is great and different from everything else out there. If you really are great and different, you will have my wild support!!