Creating a mist of difference that is identifiably you

Who are “they”?
Why don’t “they” get it?
What’s not to get?

I’m wondering, why “they” have access to your brake pedal?

They

If “they” have not gotten it by now, “they” are not going to get it tomorrow. If your future is, in any way, tied to their past, let go. Each day, “they” don’t get it, your life spark dims.

Move on.
Find people who get it.
They’re looking for you

If you run the place and “they” are employed by you, replace them with those who get it. Or better yet, those who’ve done it.

 Them

Jack Trout spoke at the Gathering of Eagles earlier this month. He offered his unbiased perception of real estate to brokers that included a very unclear sense of the differences between brands.

Jack does not get the fact that for eons, the customer was the agent. The differentiators Jack does not see were folded neatly into brochures, postcards and offered prior to a handshake.

What Jack does not get is how these differentiators were individualized based on the agent. Agent A might get a better deal than agent B which was different than agent W. When you have 1000 agents, each with different deals, there’s no way a brand can publicly disseminate their differentiator.

Jack gets that.

You

Differentiate or Die.
It’s so simple.
And yet some still don’t get it.

What’s not to get? Technology? Change? Protocol? Cohesive branding initiatives? Creating a mist of difference that is identifiably you?

Papa John’s Pizza. They entered the pizza industry wading in serious competition. They could have chosen to compete on pricing and mired themselves in the muck of Little Caesar’s. They could have branded around fast delivery and ended up being perceived as a Dominos clone. They could have gone after variety and ran out of gas chasing after Pizza Hut’s customers.

Instead they built their brand around ingredients.
And the quality of what “you” place inside your body.
“You” care about that.

You birthed that brand.

We

“They” who sit in your boardroom, need to differentiate because “we”, don’t know who “you” really are, what “you” stand for or why “we” should align ourselves with “you”.

“We” gravitate toward things that look different. Things that sound different. That smell different. Things with personality. Things that stand for something. An ideal. A vibe.
 
A hotel chain recently built their brand around a mattress? W Hotels now grace the landscape. You might think the W stands for Wonderland. I say it stands for “We”. The customer. Those who now go out of their way to have that W sleep experience.

“We” have not really witnessed what could happen if a new real estate brand emerged with something truly different. Sure we’ve seen models that offer lower commissions or assisted services but these are not the differentiators “we” care about. Differentiators need to be important. Transcendental. And fill a resounding void in the marketplace.

“They” tend to argue with these concepts.
“They” think they know better.
“They” sit not far from your office.

As a result, “you” are busy explaining why “your” hands are tied. Why this year won’t be better than the last. Why “you” can’t exercise change. Why today all “your” troubles seem like they’re here to stay.

“They” believe yesterday. And “you” are careening toward tomorrow.

– Davison