Daily Lab: “How do I stand out from the noise?”

One of my favorite expressions is, “You’re not stuck in traffic, you are traffic.”

It’s easy to forget that we can be part of the problem we’re complaining about.

For instance, if we’re in a noisy crowd, we end up shouting to hear each other. Which makes the crowd yet noisier for the next people who join and try to communicate.

Pretty soon, nobody can hear anybody—everybody just hears everybody.

And then we find ourselves wondering how we can “cut through” the noise we’re all creating.

Well, you can be the loudest. Which means getting louder and louder every second.

You can be different and create a new sound that cuts through the cacophony.

You can leave and find a quieter place and draw other people craving quiet to you.

You can try a different medium altogether and make a sign.

Or you can connect directly with the people you want to reach and just text them.

So if you want your business to stand out in a crowded field, what will you do?

Spend more and more every day to get louder and louder?

Create a different sounding message that people will notice in a crowded space?

Find a smaller, niche community where you can have a louder voice?

Find a medium or channel that your industry hasn’t adopted and crowded out yet?

Or connect directly with your best customers via a direct channel like email?

Because the question isn’t, “How do I stand out from the noise?”

It’s, “How am I making things quieter and more comfortable for my best customers?”