One of the roles I must play to truly serve my clients is that of a “Heretic”. I often listen to business leaders discuss how what distinguishes them, their team, their product or service in their marketplace. They confidently state ; product quality, our service, and my favorite of all…our relationships is our competitive advantage… Bla…Bla…Bla. That is when I need to explain that in today’s competitive global economy, quality, customer service and relationships are not differentiators. Very quickly some leaders become defensive and start discussing how “I don’t understand their industry…” and they often start sharing how “their competitors suck”. Again, you may have weak competitors, but the fact that you may or may not be better than competitors that suck is not a way to differentiate yourself or create a sustainable competitive advantage…(sorry)
Posts Tagged ‘intention’
28 Jul
Mentor Moment #5: Brand with Intention or the Market will “Brand you by Default”
The reason I wrote my first book in 2007 was to solve a problem a number of businesses had; they did not intentionally brand their product or service in the minds of those in their market(s) and the net result was the market” branded them by default”.
10 Jul
Gym Socks and the importance of listening to customer concerns
customers often share little things that annoy them and we quickly move to justifying what we do, or “defending the fortress “instead of listening and making necessary changes. It is my desire to serve my family.to listen to their needs. So although my wife has mentioned her concerns a number of times over the past 24 years, I quickly mentally rationalized the feedback and did not listen and I did not change my behavior. I failed to be intentional about something that obviously concerned someone I cared about. It would take little effort to accommodate her requested change in my behavior. However it would require a change of habit.
30 Jun
Are interruptions “transforming “your customers into shoppers again?
what I experienced was a painful interruption. Unlike the first movie, this one threw in characters that did not support the story line and were actually a painful interruption for me. Interruptions are those elements thrown in to cause a response that add no value other than shock. They create a momentary interruption to grab your attention like a bikini clad model in an ad for spark plugs.
30 Jun
Five questions a radio preacher asks to see if your business is heading in the wrong direction
1. Do you find yourself fighting greater battles within than without?
2. Is there more attention on one verse the team? (kingdom building)
3. Do you feel you don’t need the Lord’s help in your business?
4. Are criticisms of your leadership and your business quickly dismissed verse taken seriously and respected?
5. Are consequences of sin are no longer feared? ( as a reminder, the definition of sin is “missing the mark”)
20 Jun
Have you realized a loss recently? An understanding of the grieving process will help get you back to healing and hope.
If you have experienced a loss know there is hope. It may never be the “way it used to be” but a different life will emerge. For your business it will never be the same again. Markets have changed, consumer buying patterns have changed, your team has changed, buyers have changed their buying process, and customer needs have changed.Once you reach the hope stage you will create to foundation for a new future.
17 Feb
Branding with Intension or by default? …Four questions to ask your brand manager
One of the most important items every company must address is its brand.
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