This is a guest post from Phil Johnson. Phil owns Major-Business.net, Phil posts a massive amount of content and it’s a huge honour that he has spared some time to write for this site too. Phil over to you;
Earlier today I decided I could do with a spot of fresh air and took a stroll into town (well, York City Centre actually), where I wandered the streets of one of the North’s premier shopping destinations.
After an hour or so checking out the shops, and passing other non-retail businesses such as recruitment agencies, holiday companies, insurance providers and even banks, I started thinking…
I had been looking for some kind of inspiration for an hour and had found none, nil, zero! Absolutely nothing had jumped out at me and screamed BUY ME! BUY ME!
I’ve been thinking about this all day, analysing what I had (or rather hadn’t) seen. Every retailer was practically identical, using “proven” window dressing techniques, and providing the expected top quality customer service technique of having someone stand at the door and give you a fake smile as you walk in. In summary, it was such a boring experience that it actually wound me up big time.
And this kind of going on isn’t just reserved for the high street. It’s happening online too. Everyone is doing the same. One person has a great idea, and everyone else tries to muscle in on it. There’s a simple description for it – ‘Copycat’.
A good few years ago now I was offered a piece of advice which has made a huge difference to everything I have done in life so far, in terms of both business and pleasure.
“Observe the masses and do the opposite”.
If you look at all the real success stories of the past, be it online or offline, or both, the things that make the most impact are the things that are totally out of the ordinary. It’s the stuff that doesn’t follow the crowd that catches your eye, like when you see a crowd of people walking in one direction down the street but one lone guy walking in the opposite direction. What does that guy know that the crowd doesn’t? ;]
To enjoy real success you need to stop measuring yourself against what everyone else is doing. Instead, why don’t you set yourself the task of leading the pack rather than doing the following? The beauty of doing this is not only getting you noticed, but it means that there are no rules, and there is nothing to measure up to. You set the standards for others to follow.
I’ll leave you with a quick description of what I’m talking about just to get you thinking, and this really happened! Just a few months ago in fact…
York is filled with lingerie shops, with big names such as LaSenza and Ann Summers, and it has its fair share of smaller independent names too. A brand new store recently opened its doors, sandwiched in between the two names above, and in its opening week quite literally stole all the business from its well established competitors, had countless mentions in the local press and on local radio, and was even featured on local TV. But why? Well, it opted for a slightly different window dressing policy. Rather than the usual plastic mannequins that EVERY other shop on that street had adopted, this store hired live models to stand for the entire week in the windows, modelling the different collections that could be found within. It was such a bold and somewhat tongue-in-cheek marketing tactic that it was a huge and roaring success. Since then almost every one of that stores competitors has tried the exact same thing, however, it’s been done before so the effect just isn’t the same as it was that very first time.
To me, that really is “standing out from the crowd”. Now, think about how you could apply this principle to your business activities. If you run a website, what could you do to be different and offer a ‘unique’ experience to your visitors?
Best of luck with it, and I would absolutely LOVE to hear your stories… what have you tried and how did it go?
photo credit: 1Happysnapper (photography)
Phil Johnson
Major-Business.net
This is a great post and so true. Websites are just the same.
The one thing that I did a few weeks ago was to give away a copy of a book (Tim Ferriss’ Four hour workweek) which I wanted to share with my readers. This was a great success and generated an enormous number of new visitors.
Hi Matthew.
Offering something for free is a great way to both retain visitors and generate new leads. Hopefully, buy giving the product away you were also able to capture email addresses and their permission to continue to market to them? This is a seriously top way of growing both quickly and efficiently.
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..A Guide to National Insurance =-.
My former boss and mentor taught me a slightly different version of “Observe the masses and do the opposite.” He called it “Zig when everyone else is zagging.” I couldn’t agree more! Thanks for the informative post.
Your welcome Ruth.
Yeah, I quite like that alternative :] Sounds DIFFERENT!
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..A Guide to National Insurance =-.
Awesome story – hiring models for your window – that’s pretty, pretty bad (in the good sense).
And yeah, too many websites are just bland copycats, one drop in the ocean of oblivion – nothing noteworthy at all. That’s why I spent countless hours designing my page and sharpening my writing style.
It’s not nearly as remarkable as I want it to be, but I’m getting there, one idea at a time !
“Observe the masses and do the opposite”.
I use that as a mantra now
.-= Mars Dorian´s last blog ..How to become Productive like a Jedi ! =-.
Mars, thanks for the comments.
The great news is that I honestly do not believe that anyone ever gets it right, or at least not perfect anyway. In this game its all about testing and measuring. Do something small before you commit. Test the water so to speak. Then, measure the results, and if the figures stack up you know you have something that you can milk.
The important thing to remember is that things don’t work forever, so you should always have your eye on the “next crazy stunt”, so to speak :]
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..A Guide to National Insurance =-.
Very interesting how a seemingly simple and gimmicky idea can create tons of business. Here in the States, a pizza chain started hiring people for minimum wage to stand on street corners and wave signs to get people to come in. It was a HUGE success and was easy promotion with minimum investment. There are many many companies that do that now, especially this time of year when taxes are due. Lots of tax prep places have people dressed as the statue of liberty or Uncle Sam waving signs. brings in business. I now have to figure out how to do that with my website….
.-= Justin Matthews´s last blog ..A Dream, A Post, A Comment. The New Psychoanalysis. =-.
Justin, thanks for commenting mate.
All you have to do is look at history. Generally speaking, the most successful gimmicks/businesses often employ the strangest and most unlickely ideas. Take the Million Dollar Home Page for example. Such a rubbish idea on paper… but who is now a certified millionaire in his own right? :]
Would love to hear back from you when you find out what works for you!
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..A Guide to National Insurance =-.
I have always been different and as a child it was hard to fit in. Now as an adult I can see how being different is a huge advantage. Great post.
.-= Adrienne´s last blog ..Cubicle Freedom Through Real Estate Investing =-.
You are so right! Glad you enjoyed.
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..A Guide to National Insurance =-.
I’m not entirely sure if this counts but I did my first video for my readers and it went up today. It talks about my best blogging tip which is inspired by an earlier post by Darren over at ProBlogger.net.
.-= Eric´s last blog ..The Power Of A Lie, Is It True? =-.
Hi Eric.
Video is a great way to make your site stand out. Many site owners haven’t yet caught on to this. Visitors want things quickly, and easily. If they have the choice of watching a video over taking the effort to read and digest, then I know which one I would choose…
Good on you!
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..A Guide to National Insurance =-.
This resonates with me greatly. Not too long ago, I read a beautiful post that inspired me so much I wanted to post a variation of the “main idea” of the post in my own worlds and style of writing.
But I knew something was holding me back from doing so. I began to observe why I felt uncomfortable tackling that topic and it was simply because it had already been covered.
I’ve always wanted to be someone different and not post what everyone else was posting. I wanted to be different. So this post is confirmation for me.
Thanks for sharing!! Very much worth the Re-tweet!!
Originality is key to success. I notice you said that you actually felt uncomfortable about doing something that had already been done. If you don’t feel comfortable about what you are doing then its never going to succeed.
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..Choosing the right name for your business =-.
Hey Phil,
This is one of the most important rules that I try to live by, especially when it comes to business. Whether it be web design, writing style or just the method of product delivery, I cannot bear to be just like everyone else. I’m a new blogger and on my journey I try to evolve as far away from the norm as I can. As I learn more about what exists online I will be better able to be unique in every possible way.
The most successful people in the world created many of their riches and accomplishments through originality and their philosophy is the only thing I intend to copy.
Great post! Keep it up.
.-= Robyn from Sam’s Web Guide´s last blog ..Will Social Media Marketing Consistently Outperform Search Engine Optimization? =-.
Hey Robyn,
Thanks for commenting. Yeah, I agree with every word. Originality all the way my friend!
.-= Phil Johnson´s last blog ..Choosing the right name for your business =-.