This is Part 6 of an exploration of 'uncommon help'.
When you make an offer, it registers in the mind of someone as an opportunity, a threat or it does not register as either. As stated in previous blogs, the most powerful offer is a threat (threat of the loss of a hoped-for-future: you won't get the girl unless you use this deodorant).
The worse possible result is that your offer produces indifference. Most 'common' offers produce indifference and with the increase in globalization, autonomy and free access to information - having your offer produce something other than indifference (opportunity or threat) is a triumph itself.
In todays market if you aren't doing everything you can to act 'uncommonly', your offers will produce indifference. If you are not 'learning new rules' and continue to 'think and act the same', you will quickly find that others in the market are willing to learn the new rules and render you obsolete.
Some uncommon actions:
- authenticity: with so much bullshit and hype, telling the truth is far more uncommon
- integrity: you are reliable for doing what you said when you said
- accountability: you make unsolicited promises to those around you and keep them
- walk your talk: act vs talk about - if you hear "I'm a no BS kind of guy", prepare to be lied to
- ownership: acting as the entire company regardless of where you sit in it
- knowledge: mastery in one specific area
- leadership: making declarations about the future and acting on them, enticing others to join you
- network: not high numbers of 'friends' or 'followers', but a specialized network of specific help
- responsibility: acting as the source of all that happens
- not tolerating people of high-cost: the integrity to disengage when you don't intend to future with that person
- dignity: you keep your word to yourself
Learning to operate in a sea of people seeking new ways to grab your attention is going to continue to drive your position in the market down. Better educate yourself or get comfortable with a lot less.
Hows that for a threat?
Tomorrow: Dignity
John Patterson
Great work, John.
In this age of constant marketing by every single media chunk, differentiating yourself is critical.
In my business with Vigilant Legal Solutions, we find that differentiating our attorneys from the mass of debt pirates and misery merchants that use "fear and panic" to sell people on unbelievably bad and irresponsible programs.
These "get out of debt free" programs are non-sense. Moreover, they are staffed and owned by the people that created the problems in the first place (Mortgage Brokers and profiteers).
Any suggestions?
Posted by: Scott Forgey | July 31, 2009 at 10:02 AM