Eliminate Your Need to Compete
For us this means being authentic, human, and most of all, driven by purpose. People no longer care about what you make or how you make it, even if it’s different from anybody else on the market.
The truth is that today’s consumer has so many choices and each of them is as good as the products or services that you sell. If you’re in the small proportion of businesses with no competitors, it’s just a matter of time until they start popping up like dandelions on a beautiful spring day. Over the last decade, the large corporations that have caught on to this shift in consumer mindset have seen incredible growth. Those who have not are still struggling today to find their place in the market.
Let’s use Dove as an example of a company that has adapted to this changing landscape (see ads below). Back in the 1980s. Dove’s communications consisted of convincing the consumer that their soap was the creamiest and softest of them all. While it may have been true 40 years ago, there are plenty of soaps today that are as soft and creamy as a Dove soap bar. Yet, Dove is still number 1 in women’s soap sales.
What happened?
Dove caught on.
Dove has shifted from the softest soap company to the company who believes that beauty should be a source of confidence, not anxiety.
They have focused almost all of their efforts on helping women everywhere develop a positive relationship with their bodies. Why are they talking about something that’s not even related to their business? Because it matters to their customers. Women around the world are talking about the issues related to body image and Dove has positioned themselves as a leader for the cause.
Finding your purpose and defining your story may be one of the most strenuous things your company will have to do but it is nevertheless CRUCIAL for its survival.
While there are many ways to find to your purpose and story, there is not one guaranteed path.*
*You might want to read Find Your Why by Simon Sinek to help you define your purpose, and Every Marketer Tells Stories by Seth Godin and Winning the Story Wars, by Jonah Sachs. To help you tell your story.
Once your purpose is found, tell it to the world. Your business will thank you.