Different is distinctive — Kelford Labs Daily

“Differentiation is the essence of strategy, the prime source of competitive advantage. You earn money not just by performing a valuable task but by being different from your competitors in a manner that lets you serve your core customers better and more profitably.

The sharper your differentiation, the greater your advantage.”

— Zook & Allen, “The Great Repeatable Business Model” in HBR

I’m going to an advertising industry awards/networking event tonight. Well, last night, when you’re reading this.

I’m going to see a lot of old industry friends, past coworkers, and current and former clients.

And I’m wondering what I’m going to say when someone asks what’s new, or what I’m up to.

Been there before? I bet you have.

There are a few ways to approach this, depending on what I want to happen next:

1) If I don’t want to continue the conversation, I’ll say: “I’m a marketing consultant.”

Because nobody’s going to ask a follow-up question about that. I mean, it’s an advertising industry event, after all. Most of the people there will be marketing consultants in one form or another. So no one cares to hear more about my particular consulting.

2) If I want to continue the conversation, though, I can say: “I do marketing for communicators: Advisors, consultants, and fellow marketers. Basically, we show you what to say to demonstrate your value to ideal clients at a distance.”

No one will have heard exactly that twenty times already during the evening. It’ll stand out, just a little bit, without feeling weirdly rehearsed or catch phrase-y. And it might be exactly what they’re looking for.

Now, I’m not really going to the event to pitch or pursue new business actively. Honestly, being social at all is often a hard enough challenge.

But I don’t want people to wonder what I’m doing, or miss an opportunity if someone needs what I do done for them.

So the next time you have an opportunity to tell someone what you do, think about that:

• If you want the conversation to end, give them a job title or function.
• If you want to keep talking, tell them what you do.

And they might just need it done for them.

Reply to this email to tell me what you think, or ask any questions!

Kelford Inc. shows communicators the way to always knowing what to say.