Breaking a market
In an atomized market, if you do average, you get average. To stand out you need to be an outlier. Thinking as most people, in diving it could be in a very special location, a special feature, etc. However, when the space is price-driven, you need to change the context. You need to be the obvious choice. Breaking a market For the outliers in the market: they don’t focus on the price, but look for a different kind of either an offer or a different kind of buyer, like a more sophisticated…
Diving. A commodity.
A good thing and a “bad” thing. Yesterday’s email said that diving is a commodity and a scaled productized service. And that it’s a good and a bad thing. Depending on where you stand. Good thing The first organizations who entered the market chose to make it like that. They standardized the processes, the inputs, the scope. Making it happen like that allowed them to scale and propagate everywhere. With this, they can (still) capture a high volume and different fees that support their business…
Dive certifications
You know what’s interesting about dive certifications? They’re a productized service. You know how much time it’ll take you. You know the scope of work. You have a fixed, published price for it. And it’s scalable (yes, hiring more hands to do the work, but still a kind of scalability). The easy thing for the people interested in diving and get a certification is that they self-select —either by location, pricing or other benefits. Schools, certifications, dives and more are all listed and the…
A perfect combo
A clusterfuck. The perfect combo for failure. To avoid it, start Thinking Like A Diver. Clusterfuck [diving].— A hectic situation where too much is happening at once. It causes stress and can lead to uncomfortable situations for all parties involved in said clusterfuck. Underwater, it increases the risks to everyone involved —the diver himself and the ones diving along with (in so many different ways). Losing control of a situation means moving faster (causing fatigue), wasting oxygen, lose…
Seeing the unseen
How do you get to see the unseen? You dive in. You go below the surface and explore, test and find out what’s under there —what other people don’t get to see on the surface. How do you do it? Take a long step (or flip backwards) into the unknown. Feel the pressure as you go down, how it surrounds you and feels like a blanket. Know your tools and judgement. How are things going on? Is it too deep? Can I see things? Now relax and explore. Question everything. Find the gaps. It’s a new world…
A reputation business
You C*NT
How many times have you told yourself you CAN’T do something? Because… You don’t have experience. You don’t know how to do that. It’s not how things work. Who are you to do that? You might fail. You have a reputation. You don’t have a reputation. You have to take care of your brand. You don’t have a brand to take care of. You’re not ready. You’re too small. You’re too big. You’re too young. You’re too old. … Those are valid reasons. However, are they really true? Let me pose you a challenge:…
Red flags
When you see red flags in a prospect or a potential project, call them out. You have 2 options: Saying yes and move forward. Knowing what you’re trading off —and what you’re giving up: being at your best, or… Saying no and move forward. Knowing that when you’re at your best, you can help best. Letting go of what seems like a big or interesting opportunity is hard (and easier said than done), YET think of this: if you get to say no, you get to be in charge of your next step. Seeing red flags…
Timing and response
Watch this and hit reply. What does it make you feel?
2 rich cousins
After yesterday’s message (on the response from Samsung to Apple re: their new tablets), this reply by fellow daily emailer Wes Wheless from The Lightbulb summarized the feeling: “It feels like two rich cousins fighting in public” Spot on. Besides the comms and whether or not the message went through in their ads, the overall feeling is the same: it’s all about them. And when you (and your business) focus and react to what the competition is doing right or wrong, you’re missing the mark. It’s…