My friend and colleague Rasul Sha'ir, President of Cnvrgnc, wrote a blog post on the 5 "beats" to help with differentiating your brand. Click here for his article.
Beat #1 - Creativity - See it. Know it. Embrace it. Love it. Why? Because its a part of who we are. It bubbles readily to the surface more so for some than others but its there within each of us. Why do we love rock stars, actors, and artists? They wreak of creativity. It taps into and displays that raw energy that's in each of us to do something new or do something old with a unique twist to it. Either way plug into those internal juices and tap into your inner creator!
Beat #2 - Solutions - Being creative is the easy part. Does your creativity actually solve problems or provide solutions? Does it make life easier, or more pleasurable to deal with? If it does your product/service will be seen as a godsend and that ladies and gents is gold coins in the bank account.
Beat #3 - Memorability - As I mentioned in my last post our lives are ultimately about stories. Not how much money we make or the cool gadgets we own or how big our houses are. It's about the stories we share with the people we know. That also goes for what you are offering. If you have a great and memorable story about what you do or sell, people will keep you in their minds and when they are talking and sharing stories with friends. . .out comes your tale and the powerful word of mouth begins.
Beat #4 -Purpose - You're a good company that takes care of your customers. You make sure you take care of people as they will ultimately take care of you (you need them to pay your bills). But beyond making money (which is of the utmost importance) what's the reason that your company even exists? Beyond engaging your customers in day to day transactions what do you stand for? What's your purpose?
Beat #5 - Trust - You can have all of the above (and more) but if your customers, colleagues, clients, business partners and/or co-workers don't trust you - pack your bags right now and head down to New Zealand for wind surfing classes. Trust is often what keeps businesses average or takes them to the next level. Its more often than not, the gateway to more and better things to come. As the old saying goes "trust is something earned not given". It doesn't happen overnight so dig in and prepare for the long haul. If patience isn't one of your virtues, I think I saw that suntan lotion over there by the dresser. . .
Visit Rasul's blog at thresholdblogazine.com
