Are you stuck trying to articulate what’s your “special sauce”?
In a conversation with James Turner, we got to this point. (shared with permission)
All good stuff to ponder as I circle and circle my own differentiation.
- Who do I work with?
- What do I offer?
- What problem do I solve?
Here’s an easier start to get you in motion:
- Who do you NOT (and won’t) work with?
- What DON’T you offer?
- What problem you’re NOT interested in solving?
- What type of problem you DON’T want to solve?
Fellow daily emailer Louis Grenier found this quote that will let you see things in a different light.
Finding open market space is a counterintuitive skill. The human perceptual system is only programmed to notice what’s there, not what’s not there. In perceptual theory, the difference between THERE and NOT THERE is known as figure and ground, or positive and negative space.
Artists are trained to appreciate both at once, which may explain why they sometimes notice things that others don’t.
Artists are trained to appreciate both at once, which may explain why they sometimes notice things that others don’t.
Marty Neumeier, Zag The Number-One Strategy for High Performance Brands. 2007
Here’s the thing
The opposite take is what Marty Neumeier calls “Zag”. As in, when everybody zigs, you zag.
When everybody is trying to fit in, you stand out.
When everybody is trying to find a product-market fit, you find the gap.
And you claim it and own it.
Zag, my friend.