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Nobody Talks About Boring Businesses

Marketing podcast with Bernadette Jiwa

Perhaps one of the most primary objectives of marketing is to get people talking about your business. Sure, you actually want them to buy from you, but when there’s buzz, when people think what you’re doing matters, there will be sales.

boring

photo credit: Kalexanderson via photopin cc

To me there is no more important job than building your business in a way that allows you to stand out from everyone else.

But, how do you create something that will get people talking? How do you build a story that people want to share and become a part of? How do you not be boring?

Not being boring doesn’t mean you have to create controversy or fanfare, it means you have to do something in a way that others don’t. It means you have to do something better, faster or with more soul.

There are two parts to beating the boring equation – first you need a value proposition that allows you to both stand out and deliver something that no one else is. And then you need a story to carry your value proposition.

What most of us are really trying to do in this world is build a loyal community and few things build community like a story worth sharing.

The first element, the value proposition, however, is actually the harder part to get right.

So often we want to tell the world about our product or our service. These might be nice things, but the reality is they don’t build community. Community forms around ideas, process, common language or what I’ve come to call “Method.”

In order to truly tap the power of a value proposition you must fully develop your way of doing business, your method for standing out and delivering value.

When you get this part right, the story people tell and build practically creates itself out of the common language of the community that forms around your unique method.

And that’s how to not be boring!

To expand on this notion I visited with Bernadette Jiwa, author of Make Your Idea Matter: Stand out with a better story for this week’s episode of the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast.

Jiwa’s book is a tremendous resource in arena of storybuilding and making your business one that people can’t live without.

How to Take on a Giant

Marketing podcast with Stephen Denny (Click to play or right click and “Save As” to download – Subscribe now via iTunes or subscribe via other RSS device (Google Listen)

Some years ago I wrote a post called the Natural Advantages of Small Business. The topic is one that I’ve also delivered as a presentation for Chambers of Commerce and the like. In this week’s episode of the Duct Tape Marketing I visit with Stephen Denny, author of Killing Giants - 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry.

Denny tackles the question that many small businesses face and that’s “what to do when you’re faced with competition that has more money, name recognition and customers?”

If I were to sum up Killing Giants it would be this – Identify a competitor’s vulnerability and exploiting the heck out of it.

Interestingly Denny’s research showed the speed and nimbleness isn’t the answer because, by itself, it doesn’t scale. Companies that use speed also make better decisions based on fact, not gut.

The book uses case studies to illustrate how successful smaller businesses took on giants in their industry to do just that.

One of my personal favorite case studies is Method’s taking on Proctor and Gamble.

From the book:
Everyone thought Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry were crazy to start Method, a new cleaning products company. The category had long been dominated by P&G, Unilever, and Colgate-Palmolive. Those giants had so much clout with the retail chains that their soaps had barely needed updating for decades.

But by taking advantage of its underdog position, Method carved out a very profitable niche: environmentally sound products in stylish, innovative packaging. Despite a far smaller marketing budget than their competitors, Method connected with a substantial minority of people who wanted to “buy green” but who also wanted high-quality products.

Some of my favorite strategic approaches from the book include:

  • Win in the last three feet. Leverage someone else’s investment—just be there the moment the customer grabs their wallet.
  • Create “thin ice” arguments. Shift the conversation to places where the competition can’t—or won’t—go.
  • Fight unfairly. Learn how the underdog can turn the tables, pick unfair fights and create awkward mis-matches.

You can listen to the show by subscribing the feed in iTunes or a variety of other free services such as Google Listen (Use this RSS feed) or you can buy the Duct Tape Marketing iPhone app. (iTunes link – Cost is $2.99) or