WHAT I WISH I KNEW SOONER

I was reading an article about a leading business founder and advice that he wished that he received earlier in his career. This prompted me to think about some of the lessons that I’ve learned and what I wish someone had told me.

Have you ever done this?

You want to be best-in-class, so you start looking at others that you believe are best-in-class to try to figure out what they are doing right. You think they are successful so they must be doing something right.

It’s okay to take a peek over the fence to see what your competitors are doing. There is something to be said for observing and implementing best practices but be careful! There are a couple of traps that you can easily fall into.

Pitfall #1: Don’t fail to remember that you can pull best techniques and still be authentic. Don’t try to be like someone else. Really. It’s that simple.

There is a difference between best practices and being a copycat. Yes, you are in the same industry, and that means there will be some overlap of technique. Remember this: just like every person has their unique qualities of greatness, every business does too.

The way you conduct business is a reflection of what excites you about being in your industry. There is little doubt that you started on your path for business growth because you wanted to be different and make a difference in some way. Don’t lose sight of that! That is what makes your brand unique.

This brings me to the next trap. Pitfall #2: When you look over the fence, and it’s natural to start comparing what you are doing to what ‘they’ are doing. Then, it’s possible that you start comparing what you have to what ‘they’ have.

You compare their abilities to your own. Because you are goal-oriented, you realize you want what they have. Then it starts…Pitfall #3. At this point, it gets easy – too easy, to focus on what you perceive as your lapses instead of your strengths and successes.

If you are doing this, just stop. If you are not, don’t start.

There have been many times, which I’ve explained to a client that he or she could not get the same marketing results as the next guy because the same foundational elements were not in place. It could have been budget. It could have been structure. It could have any number of something elses.

This is what I wish someone had said sooner.
Believe me; I know how it feels to fall into these traps. It wasn’t too long ago that my mentor told me something that I wish I had heard earlier. It’s something I think everyone can benefit from hearing. She said, “Don’t compare your start to someone else’s middle.”

She was right. If you can stay out of these pitfalls, comparative analysis is an excellent exercise in marketing. It allows you to pull the best techniques, become aware your own strengths, and communicate your unique brand proposition to your audience. That’s when you can be different and make a difference in your industry.