This is “Vault Boy” from the Fallout Video Game Series. All about the little guy taking on the big guys through thinking differently and knowing one’s strengths. A great role model for me! (Thank you to Obsidian Entertainment for the image use!)
Talking Small Business Marketing (and any company size for that matter) we live in a competitive landscape.
The Consumer is totally spoilt for choices and each of us are up against at times “Infinite Competition”. What a positive article I am writing? Am I trying to scare you? Do I totally suck?
Touch wood it’s a no to all of them and even though my article may have a negative heading – I certainly have a positive message to preach in how one can deal with these situations and totally rise above with results!
Even though lately I am playing the game of life and love it – at times (and especially when I was a teenager) I was a massive gamer and loved playing Video Games (more PC ones) such as Civilization, XCOM, Doom, Wolfenstein and all those great ones. When I was unemployed during the GFC I got REALLY GOOD at Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Online! These days of course I am a responsible man and one recurring theme I love about video games is you start off – usually up against it. Most of the game is a struggle then towards the end you get the upper hand and it becomes quite a breeze!
One video game series I love is the “Fallout” series. It’s set like 200 years after a nuclear war between America and China and depending on which one – you usually start off as a person in pain, trying to make sense of the world and do what you need to do. The start of the game is really hard! Then it gets easier as you find your feet in the “Nuclear Wasteland”, get great weapons and just know how life works.
This sounds like starting a business to me! Sucks and hard at the start, but once you find your feet – it becomes an amazing experience and turns to awesome fun quite quickly!
In particular as a Small Business Owner – you at times can be the little guy up against the big guy. Unless you have some really really unique technology (which can be possible in some industries) chances are you are up against a Bigger Player than you with a “Similar Offering”. Be it a Small Business Owner who is bigger and already there or even say Global Companies – it places a great deal of pressure on us to come up with something different and compelling so we really stand out and get the success we deserve in the market.
I work as a Marketing Mentor and I have tons of competition out there! I am often compared against:
– Big Business Coaching Franchises.
– Business Coaches.
– Marketing Consultants.
– Other Marketing Mentors!
Lots of people out there and talking more personally me to you – if I am not careful and understand what really makes me unique and stands out – then I am complete toast. For example, I know that my success has been through:
– Staying Focused on Sales & Marketing (don’t stray into general Business Coaching where the competition is massive).
– Giving away more content than everyone else (such as this article you are reading).
– Having a fun and distinct brand (such as my logo which I love).
If you are about to go into business or you are in business – you CANNOT compete with the big guys. What I mean is that you CANNOT WIN if you operate like they do.
So what does this leave? Finding your own awesome unique style so you operate LIKE YOU DO and people totally love it. What can you do differently? How can you fight the big guys in style and win?
Here are a few general pointers that inspire me:
– Be more generous.
– Be specific.
– Have a great speciality.
– Think different.
– Show you are different
– Try harder!
When you study marketing especially like I have at the Post-Graduate Level (way before I became an Entrepreneur) a lot of the training and thinking is directed at the “Point of Difference Logic”. This is exactly as it sounds – what is truly different and how can it play out. All of us are different, our businesses are different so it may take part “Creative” and part “Logical” thought for you can do differently. This thinking has built me an awesome business and I am sure your own version of such awesome unique thinking can help you too!
Thank you from Edward Zia – Marketing Mentor who loves fighting the big guys (and Video Games Once!)
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