The Australian elections this weekend gave a sobering lesson in how (NOT) to stand out from the crowd.
Both major parties appeared to pedal similar policies and want the same things, (at least from an NZ perspective)
Result: A hung parliament – too close to call, and all power now vests with the tiny solo ‘independents’ and the one seat of the Greens. Its happening all over the western world as political parties bend over backwards so as not to offend anyone – and end up not standing for anything and annoying everyone.
The lesson applies to large business – if you are perceived to be similar to your major competition – then you will loose market share to some little startup sooner or later.
It could be argued Apple did just that when the phone market was full of me-too items
The lesson applies equally to small business – stand for something different – stand out – and you wont be trampled by the big guys – but you might just grab more market share than you expected – in a hurry – from people bored with the same old same old.
So – In what way is your business the same as your competition?
And how can you change that – and strengthen your customers perception of a business that is strong, vibrant, a leader – someone they want to do business with!
The crowd is always with you…except when you’re in the desert; then you’re all alone and up the creek without a paddle or an original idea to think of…
[…] Updating my earlier Standing-out-from-the-crowd post here […]