If you’re friends with me on Facebook, you know that I often post one word status updates. I started doing this last year out of complete boredom. For a period that lasted six months, I would only post a single word.
Of course something very interesting happened—with learnings to be had.
Happened upon this statement in a post today.
The railroad tycoons thought they were in the business of railroads when they were really in the business of transport—they were myopically product focused instead of being customer focused.
I’ve heard this before, but it’s a good reminder to think about. What is your business really in the business of? Not the item you make, and not what people say they bought. What do you really deliver? Because ultimately, that is what people are buying.
Have you defined what business you are in?
I had this said to me recently in the course of a discussion regarding the sharing of my 2 boys’ endeavors via social channels. I’ve taken to talking about them under the label “littlemen” both offline and online, utilizing the term in discussions in reference to them, as well as the hashtag #littlemen, #littleman & #littlestman when sharing on social platforms. It wasn’t the first time I’ve heard a comment of this nature in reference to what I was “doing:” putting in place these external, recognizable “marks” that refer to my boys. But I never really gave much thought to it, and even joked about it myself at times. “They’ll thank me for it later on.”
But this time it struck me differently.
I am a Packer fan. In fact, I love the Packers. It’s a weird behavioral thing that certainly needs some user research. I find it to be completely irrational. I yell and scream at the TV. I read about the team incessantly. I will text 6 other Packer fans just like me throughout today’s game. I am blindly brand loyal, even though I have never once—ever—seen an ad for the team that states its features and benefits.
It’s a valuable lesson (one that you can’t learn soon enough) to get in the mindset that you are always self employed—even if you receive a paycheck from an employer. Yes, it’s good to identify with and be proud of the company you work for. But in an industry as volatile as ours, it can often be a painful discovery to realize that no agency is bullet-proof and nothing lasts forever. Always begin with the (your name goes here) brand. It will make you a better and more valuable employee, team member and contributor to your community.
Just Sayin' is where we take what's in our head and put it into words. And pixels. While we know it would be far more interesting to have these discussions with us in person over a pot of Translator XD coffee, this is the best that current technology allows for. Patience. We're working on it.
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