Distinctively Different.
Grant Leboff, Property Academy’s marketing expert, speaker and trusted advisor, gave a masterclass on branding for our members last week*. He had five key themes and one that really stood out for me was how to be different in a world of similarity.
Are McDonalds and Burger King different?
What about CocaCola and Pepsi?
Nike and Adidas?
PWC and KPMG?
Of course they are.
Perhaps a better question then, one that Grant posed: “Are they meaningfully different?”
And for me they’re not. I might prefer one over another but if my first choice wasn’t available and I absolutely wanted a burger, coke, pair of trainers or an audit, then each one from the pairs will do.
How about you and your business? Are you different to your competitors? (And I bet you are). But, are you meaningfully different? (My guess is, for many of you, the answer is no, not meaningfully).
Being meaningfully different is really hard. No sooner do you release a new product innovation or a new level of service then your competition copies it. But rather than trying to be meaningfully different there’s something else you can do that will differentiate you.
Be distinctive.
Stand for something. Stand out for something.
It’s why culture trumps strategy, systems and brand. It’s so much harder to copy, indeed near impossible.
Many businesses spend a huge percentage of their best brains, time and money on R&D – for good reason – but what if they were to invest just 25% of their resources on developing their culture, their distinctiveness, that’s immediately identifiable and relatable for their smallest viable audience?
*When you come on a free trial of membership of Property Academy you get access to all the expert sessions we’ve created, including three from Grant (he will be adding three more this year as well). Details here for estate agents, sales and lettings: https://propertyacademy.co.uk/services/leadership-coaching-for-estate-agents and here for industry suppliers: https://propertyacademy.co.uk/services/partnership-groups-for-property-industry-suppliers
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