Some of the greatest minds in history were first considered crazy.
- Leonardo DaVinci thought flight was possible in 1480
- Copernicus and Galileo Galilei believed Earth revolves around the sun
- Pythagoras believed the earth was round
- John F. Kennedy believed we could land a man on the moon
- Alfred Wegener believed that all the Earth’s continents were once joined and are continuously moving
The list of crazy people eventually proved right will continue to grow, as long as we continue to refuse to consider the unimaginable.
There’s No Such Thing as “Can’t”
My mother always told me that there’s no such thing as “can’t”. I believe this small comment has been a huge driving force in my life and affects my view of the world. Am I going to be as great as those mentioned above, probably not; but, I think if we all begin to think this way and teach our children to think the same way, unimaginable things will begin to occur. Sure, there will always be naysayers, but I believe that it will only make it easier on those different thinkers when we attempt to give credit to the original thinker. Too many people claiming that it was their idea will only cause arguments as in the great debate of who discovered the telephone, the light bulb, video camera and again, the list goes on.
So what is my point? What does this all mean for you?
Well, I’m asking you to try to risk being called crazy, to think differently.
Differentiate or Die
Better Marketing means Differentiate
In business, to succeed, you have to provide a great product and a great service. When you have competition, you have to differentiate. To do that, you have to think differently. How many businesses have you seen marketing the exact same product? Touting the exact same level of customer service? Using the exact same messaging? That’s not differentiating.
I’ve used them as an example before, and will probably continue to do so as long as they keep doing as they do; Apple thinks differently. When Steve Jobs was reacquired by Apple Computers when they purchased his company in the 90’s, Apple was in trouble. To make a long story short, they re-emerged with a new strategy, product and a new marketing campaign they called Think Different.
- Microsoft laughed at Apple’s product offering.
- Marketers chided that the slogan wasn’t even proper English.
- Business critics wrote them off.
- Who’s laughing now as the most valuable company in the world?
It never ceases to amaze me, when sitting down with clients who need some ads written, and they tell me “I like those (insert company name here) ads; I want ads just like those”.
WHY? You’re not that company. You need to be different.
I want you to stop all your messaging that tells customers WHAT you OFFER, and start telling them WHY you’re DIFFERENT.
I have read many, many business and marketing books and most of them say the exact same thing, just a little differently. Claude Hopkins discussed individuality and distinctiveness in Scientific Advertising, Seth Godin said be a Purple Cow, Jack Trout said Differentiate or Die.
So why are there so many businesses who don’t? Fear.
Fear is the Great De-motivator
Fear of being ridiculed. Fear of being wrong. Fear of the unknown.
Columbus set sail for the Indies heading westward from Spain. He didn’t in fact find Asia, but instead found a new undiscovered land mass that made him just as, if not more so, famous. He was wrong, but did it matter? No. He tried a new route and it paid off.
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost is one of the most celebrated poems ever, yet we fear to attempt it in our own lives.
Don’t Be a Sheep
I challenge you.
To cast fear aside, to venture into the unknown, to accept the ridicule of others, to accept that you may be wrong, to stand out from the crowd, to be different, to believe that the seemingly impossible can be attained, I dare you to believe that there is no such thing as “can’t”. Don’t be a sheep. Think Different.