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Seagulls, Teenagers, Wal-Mart Customers and Sports Fans By Geoff Ashley What do seagulls, teenagers, Wal-Mart customers, sports fans and SAP customers and business partners have in common? While it seems like a strange question, the answer is quite simple: each is a large group that appears at first glance to be homogenous, when in reality it is quite diverse. Have you ever watched a flock of seagulls? When they fly in formation, they seem to turn as one. They act and sound almost exactly the same in every situation. From the outside looking in, every seagull seems the same to me. The same is true of teenagers. They try so hard to assert their independence. You see it in their clothes, the color and style of their hair, the piercing and tattoos, and even the attitudes. All these "statements" are meant to show their uniqueness, and yet, they all look the same to me. Did you hear that Wal-Mart is thinking about selling automobiles? Of course, being Wal-Mart, they wouldn't carry all makes or even all models from a single automaker. Being Wal-Mart, they will make the choice for their customers. Only certain cars with certain features and certain options will be inventoried. And if that model doesn't sell, "off with its head." In short, Wal-Mart will focus on a certain kind of customer demographic. From the outside looking in, the cars and the customers would all look the same to me. Consider a football game. You can look out at all the fans dressed in their team colors, similar shirts, painted faces, the never ending wave ... From the outside looking in, all those fans look the same to me. If I were to compare your company with the literally thousands of other organizations that "do what you do," would I see a difference? When is the last time you looked at your organization in this way? Do you look and act different from the rest of the flock? Is your difference more than superficial or are you just like a teenager – raging with hormones, confused about your place in the scheme of things, and trying just about anything to be accepted? Maybe you are like Wal-Mart, offering everyone a limited choice on a commoditized item at the "best price." Or some of you might be like the rowdy football fan. You rip off your clothes in below-zero temperatures, paint your face red and make a fool of yourself whenever you get into the "big game." That's a lot of time and energy to expend considering that you are only participating on the sidelines. What really hurts is that the real players (customers and competition) don't notice your existence – except as one of the crowd. This is what positioning is all about. This is what success is all about. This is what you should be all about. I can't think of anything more important to an organization's success than clearly defining who they are. The answer to these not-so-simple questions will drive everything else that you do, and everything else that you are. Are you different? Consider the following questions:
Break free of the flock. Grow up. Become a boutique instead of a mass merchandiser. Be unique. SAP customers and partners do indeed have one thing in common. You all have access to a very interested and trusted business partner. SAP would love the opportunity to work with you in defining and implementing a competitive advantage for your organization in 2008 and beyond. If you would like to explore this opportunity with us, please contact your SAP Business Partner or SAP directly. Together we can break free of the flock, stand out in the crowd and … dare to be different. |
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