Exercise: How to stand-out by playing a different game.
Whatever 'category' you see yourself in, there are hundreds of conventions that just become the norm. Unconsciously how things are done.
You’ll see this in…
How you structure your business
How you package your services
How you market yourself, from the channels you use to the specifics of messaging
The language you use on your website
The clients you look to engage.
It. All. Becomes. The. Same.
It was the same when I worked in advertising agencies, research agencies, when I started my first consultancy business, when I went into coaching. The context tells you how to do things and it can feel like the ‘proven way’.
YOUR DIFFERENCE WITHIN IT, BECOMES ABOUT BEING ‘BETTER’ THAN THE OTHERS, BUT THAT’S A TOUGH ONE TO PROVE AND TO MAINTAIN.
As I always say to my daughter. "Know the rules, so you can work out which ones to break"... which probably makes me a terrible parent, but no one loves a rule-follower, do they?
One of the exercises I do with clients, helps shine a bright light on all of this unconscious rule-following, so they can be more intentional about what they’re doing and why… to create a strategy that matches their ambition, their day-to-day resources and helps them land their difference.
Because we’re all on a different journey, right?
So, here’s how to make a start.
TIME: Give yourself an hour of uninterrupted brainstorming time.
EQUIPMENT: Post-its, A3 Pad, Pack of Sharpies* (other brands are available, but honestly why would you use anything else?!)
Think of your industry and name it. Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Online Consultancy, Accountancy, Website Design, Architecture…
Think about all of the conventions in your industry, you know, the things that have become the norm, that no one ever questions. Throw ideas out there and aim for a long-list, not a neatly edited short list. Some prompts.
How are people marketing their businesses? Which channels are they using? What are the tactics?
What kind of visual styles are common?
What about the language used around what they do, what they deliver, how they do it?
How do they package up their services? Are there specific product types? Common names? A hierarchy of services?
What are the founders typically like? How would you describe their personal brands? Where do you see them? Saying what?
Who are their customers/clients? Who do they speak to? How?
The golden rule always, for any brainstorm is ‘one idea for one Post-it’. Get to 30, 40, 50 examples and spend time thinking about them.
Are you noticing any specific themes? Can some of them be grouped together? Maybe you have 5 of so bigger themes and some sub-themes within them… it doesn’t matter, but we want them to be manageable.
Take 4-5 of them and question them…
How is this serving the category? The individual businesses?
Does this resonate with you? (With your ambition, your resources, the difference you want to land).
Notice any that are a bit outdated, a bit crap, ridiculous…
Which are the rules you want to break? Obviously, break them with absolute intention and purpose, not just to be a maverick.
Get to 5 things you can do to really live your difference. Ways that help you to create your own game. Think about this in the context of your strategic plan for the business.
I promise you’ll never be able to unsee the ridiculousness of some of these conventions. Off you go wild one.
