Is your business all it's quacked up to be?
Okay class, this is Marketing Husbandry 101. Please hold all questions, like "what the heck is that?" until the end of the session. Let's begin with a simple truth: You can’t succeed through the old “duck” theory of business. Remember ... “If it walks like a duck, looks like a duck ... and quacks like a duck ... it’s a duck?” Well, unless you happen to be a duck this is a terrible business strategy. What's wrong with looking like that other duck over there? Because that's not a cute, cuddly quacker it's a giant, ravenous vulture circling closer and closer. It's, it's the Competition o-o-o-o-o-o. Scary!!!
Size up the competition
Let's do a quick exercise, think of all the possible competitors you might encounter. Now, who are the biggest, baddest competitors? I bet they have tons of people and resources, loads of marketing money and are simply smarter and more professional that you are. And you have no strategy, leadership and your products and services are worthless. Well, my friend you are doomed, DOA. It's time to put all the equipment and office furniture on eBay, sell the house and start shopping for that used 12-wide mobile home on the outskirts of Gotham City. Deep breath, what percentage of that list is just not as experienced, prepared and professional as you are? Pull them out of the mix. Look at who is left - roughly 10-15% of the pack. How do you compete with them? Don't be a duck.
The "Don't Compete" Competition Plan
If the rest of your industry is a flock of ducks ... don't ever be one. You compete by tossing out the traditional strategies and using some untraditional ones.
Strategy #1 - Find out what the competition does best and don't do it. Go back to that list of viable competitors. Every one of them has strengths. So don't go head-to-head in those areas. Look at most major players in any industry. Their basic strategy is to do the same things their rivals do, just try to do them better. Your strategy is don't! Do those things in different ways or do some thing completely different.
Everybody has a bed
When you strip it down to the basics every hotel room has a bed, TV, desk, chair and pictures on the wall. Where's the competition - the bedspreads? In 1998 Holiday Inn Express was sitting in a market filled with look-alike hotels. They used Strategy #1 when they introduced the "Stay Smart" campaign. You've seen it; people are involved in outrageous situations. Thing go haywire and the person looks up and proudly states, "But I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.” No matter what happens the guests feel smarter for choosing Holiday Inn Express. There's no emphasis on location, restaurants, rates or any of the other areas where hotels slug it out. They didn't even try to compete, Holiday Inn Express emphasized the experience and set a new standard for comparison. What could the other chains do, claim they could make you feel "even smarter?"
Strategy #2 - Change the rules. We all learned this big marketing rule. Differentiation, researched positioning and showcasing superior benefits will create an unbeatable competitive advantage. I love all those things but they don't make you bullet proof. Let's go back to those ducks. Have you ever seen a bunch of duckling walking? They line up single file and follow the one in front. Did you ever notice businesses walk like ducks? They're afraid of risk so they wait until someone leads and then they follow. New products, opening markets, using new techniques, it's usually the same. The moral is if you can’t win the game change the rules. If there's some area where you can't compete and win, make it unimportant. Don't follow, be prepared; determine the best time and then lead. Be the first duck and not the last. I won't mix metaphors with sled dogs but you get the idea.
Strategy #3 - Stand up and stand out
Chick-fil-A is famous for chicken in a market filled with beef. They combined all three strategies in 1995 with "Eat Mor Chikin." Here's the idea - the cows of the world have united to encourage the American public to eat less beef and eat more "chikin." Apparently cows are big on teamwork and a little loose on spelling. 14 years later the campaign is still working. Chick-fil-A turned what looked like a perception problem into a benefit.
How to compete
Be "unconventionally conventional" - Don't feel you have to do business in a traditional manner.
Be consistently different - Be unpredictable, do the unexpected. Become known for surprise in providing dazzling benefits that delight customers.
Pick your battles - Don't go head-to-head, create or play in a different market.
Find an equalizer - Eliminate an obstacle or flip it and make it a benefit. Create a strategic alliance or partnership.
Find your unique benefits and use them - If you can't honestly develop a compelling list of valuable, unique benefits for that customer - get another customer. There is just some business where you can't compete in ways that are practical and profitable.
When the ducks come home to roost
What does this have to do with walking like a duck? Hey, it got you to read this far, didn't it? The answer to the ultimate question of "How to Compete?" is to "duck" the competition, change the rules and really stand out. It's a tough barnyard and you have to be able to compete and win if you want to be that goose that laid the golden eggs and not an ugly duckling.
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Andy Johnston is an multi-faceted communication professional with deep experience from strategic planning, to messaging, to marketing, to media, to events, to training, to creative direction … and there are several other ”to’s.” Andy is known for his energy, creativity and his unique ability to discover the key results that must be generated – and then to develop ingenious ways to engage and motivate audiences. Positive business results are the objective. He believes that one of the most important results is an enjoyable experience for everyone involved. Andy is a principal partner at Think! Consulting Group and The Idea Group.
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