There are two types of businesses.
Those that have built – brand equity – have seared a hot, burning stamp into the minds of their ideal future buyers – they know their business story and pitch just by glancing at their logo.
These businesses have built a mental shortcut – that triggers powerful positive emotional cues.
Apple is one example.
How did Apple achieve this global status?
In the 1990s, it was nearly broke and washed up.
With the return of Steve Jobs (the second time), Apple rebuilt engineering and product development.
Jobs momentous change – was to differentiate and re-position Apple.
Customers viewed computers as – a sea of beige. How do you differentiate from the next brand?
The answer – was to create a strategic narrative and pitch –The start of the global movement from product features, price and brand to narrative and pitch.
Steve Jobs and his advertising agency – crafted the – Think Differently – campaign.
It was a success – a struggling New York CRM business – desperate to rise above the noise and stand out – got Steve Jobs to mentor him.
Marc Benioff had 13 employees – a pimple compared to Apple then.
Benioff applied the same principles – strategic narrative and pitch (along with improved product development and various other changes).
Benioff remains the CEO of Salesforce today – a net worth of over $8 billion.
- Apple then Salesforce – is ground zero for the millions of businesses that followed – they all told a story more significant than their products and services – gaining incredible and sustainable market advantage.
Employee 13 at Salesforce was Tien Zhou – the newly appointed marketing director. He embraced Steve Jobs’s differentiation – strategic narrative and pitch – so much that he replicated this at his own business – Zuora – to make a cool billion himself.
It was the beginning of a global movement – Tien Zhou says – about strategic narrative and pitch – it always works.
The second type of business – those that still need to differentiate – challenges their markets – yet.
Differentiation – has been diminishing for years – on the back of ultra-cheap – highly targeted Facebook + Instagram campaigns.
That’s now collapsed –
- new privacy laws and Apple IOS changes,
- the cost to acquire has skyrocketed,
- Ideal buyer targeting has declined rapidly.
Businesses are returning to the core issue – how do I differentiate – stand out and win more market share?
Potential buyers do not want more than 1000 choices; they want three.
How do you get into the top three considerations?
In the old days, you could count on the local small business owners’ sound and personal advice to help with your buying decision.
With big box stores and the rise of online retailing – trusted sources disappeared.
Next, reviews and consumer reports failed to deliver independent, and impartiality is a three-ring circus of conflicting information.
Which reviews are fake – which magazine articles claiming independence have been paid for by suppliers?
- Potential buyers want easy,
- Convenient.
If your business seeks to seize new opportunities for competitive market advantage through disruption, upend business models and gain more consumer loyalty – advanced differentiation has become a natural starting point.
Want to understand more about differentiation, increase your businesses trustability and win more ideal buyers?
Start with The Balanced Growth Scorecard Quiz. Get your custom gap analysis and blueprint for faster growth in ten minutes or less.
