Seth Godin tells us in Purple Cow: Tranform Your Business by Being Remarkable that the way to business success is not by doing things the same way and marketing to the masses with the same message as everyone else, but rather it is by being remarkable. In being remarkable, the key is being noticed.
As you drive down a country road, you may see hundreds of cows... but if you see one that is purpple, you WILL stop, and you WILL take pictures, and you WILL tell your friends. The purple cow will be remarked on, and will be remarkable.
But the question is how to make YOUR business remarkable...
The fast and easy version is that you need to have a Unique Selling Proposition... a USP. Instead of being everything to everybody, you need to be the right thing for the right person. As real estate agents, we can do that by being the absolute expert in a geographic area (geo-niche)... basically, that is the overt goal of Localism here, or Diamond Dwellings Realty. The other way we can do that is through a demographic niche. You can specialize in golf properties, horse properties, lake homes or properties for auto enthusiasts.
But what about builders?
You are actually my primary audience right now... Homes have become the ultimate commodity. Builders are fighting it out with price, and sacrificing their margin. In some areas, one builder is across the street from another... location isn't a decider anymore.
How can a builder be remarkable?
By building the house with materials that are better than another? Not really, because much of it is invisible, and many buyers won't recognize the true difference.
But, that doesn't mean it can't be done... It could be done by building homes that take advantage of the best technologies to reduce energy requirements... but that isn't as remarkable as it should be. Unless your home delivers utility free living (or so reduced it might as well be free) you aren't going to get the buzz from green building...
So, build something that NOBODY else is building. Build something that will make the local and regional TV stations come out to talk with and about you... in a good way. Build something that might get you on the national network morning shows. Build something that will get you millions of dollars of FREE advertising... buzz... viral marketing. Build something that will make buyers line up to be a part of YOUR community.
Build with Car Guy Style...
Did you think I was going to leave it there?
I wrote a couple of posts last year... yes, last year. First, I took off on the signs I see all over the place, "If you lived here you'd be home now". Talk about NOT remarkable. I know where 20 of these are. And a few of them are in places that are NOT even convenient... meaning that I'm not on my way home.
If you lived here, you'd be Rock Crawling/Drag Racing/Road Racing now!
Think about it. National enthusiast magazines would write stories. The enthusiast press would be all over it... and there could be mainstream media coverage because this would be a purple cow... remarkable.
Unless otherwise noted, all content of this blog is the property of Lane Bailey, ©2012 Lane Bailey.
I'd love to hear from you...
