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Be the Leader In Your Industry: Blaze the Trail
Steve Jobs resigned last week. This is likely not news to you. But what is interesting is it likely will cripple the consumer electronics industry.
Spending quite a bit of time on the speaking circuit, I constantly hear from leaders that they’re afraid to use the web for business reasons because they don’t want the competition to know what they’re doing.
A Page from the Apple Book
The consumer electronics industry is built around copying the successful products that Apple produces.
When the iPhone came out, there were copycat touch-screen phones on the market within months. Apple blazed the trail.
The iPad created a tablet category that didn’t exist two years ago and now every mobile company on earth is building one. Apple blazed the trail.
Amazon, Google, and BlackBerry now have app stores. Apple blazed the trail.
Microsoft opened 11 retail stores this year. Apple blazed the trail.
Blaze the Trail
Apple also is the most wealthy company in the United States. They have more cash than our government. And they blaze the trail for their competitors.
They aren’t scared of the competition figuring out how they do things. They blaze the trail.
Read what Om Malik says on his blog, GigaOm:
If you want to change something, you have to be patient and take the long view. If Apple and Steve’s incredible comeback teaches us something, it’s that when you are right and the world doesn’t see it that way, you just have to be patient and wait for the world to change its mind.
Today, we are living in a world that’s about taking short-term decisions: CEOs who pray to at the altar of the devil called quarterly earnings, companies that react to rivals, politicians who are only worried about the coming election cycle and leaders who are in for the near-term gain.
Taking the long view is hard work, especially in today’s world. Letting our competition peek into our minds, our companies, and our R&D is scary.
Wouldn’t you rather blaze the trail than try to keep up?
But How?
Last week I quoted Jeff Jarvis and how he thinks we’re moving to a jobless future.
A future without jobs because, as leaders, we’re waiting for the economy to rebound so we can fill spots that have been vacated in the past three years.
A future without jobs because, as leaders, we’re afraid participating on the web is going to give our secrets to our competitors.
A future without jobs because, as leaders, we’re afraid to blaze the trail. We’re afraid of doing things differently. We fear change.
So buck up! The only way we’re going to help the economy rebound is to take a page from the Apple book … and learn from Steve Jobs.
Don’t be afraid to let the competition know what you’re doing. You’ll be looking forward and they’ll be scrambling to keep up. Blaze the trail.
This first ran as my weekly column in Crain’s Chicago Business.
G'Day Gini,
The success of Apple is yet further grist for the Ries and Trout mill. Be First! Most people think that means be the first product. That can be useful. But what Al and Jack said back in 1981 was "be first in the prospect's mind." With Apple, that goes right back to the Mac.
Earlier this year, the Ries and Trout book, "Positioning, The Battle for The Mind," was voted Best Marketing Book Ever by the readers of "Advertising Age." The book was first published in 1981, thirty years ago. "Positioning" wasn't the first book to address the so called mental aspects of marketing.
But it was the first to attract major public attention and support.
As Al and Jack said in 1981, "Marketing occurs in the mind."
That's one of the many things that Steve Jobs understands better than most.
And I reckon he had lots of fun too.
Regards
Leon
@Leon I think he absolutely had tons of fun. And, if I were him, I'd have had fun knowing I was right, while everyone discounted me...only to prove them wrong later. I love that kind of story!
It's funny you should bring this up. If you didn't see Mark Schaefer's post from the other day about the End of Marketing as We KNow It, he laments the shortened product development cycle and lists some of the product release gaffes in the tech industry... I was thinking about it and then I read this, and I realized.... that's because everyone is rushing, stumbling over there feet trying to be first to copy Apple.
@Lisa Gerber Yep - and it's going to be interesting to watch and see what happens. My mom thinks the Apple age of technology will be like the renaissance period for painters. We won't see it again.
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"They aren’t scared of the competition figuring out how they do things. They blaze the trail." So many people said this when blogging first became popular, and then whined later that they wish the blog/YT channel/FB page they started six years later wasn't so far behind the curve. If you're too afraid to fail to take action, you're not qualified to lead in my book.
G,
A wonderful gentleman, Chad Coe, shared this advice with me: You project energy when you speak about projects that excite you, so you have to lead with that. Don't worry if someone co-opts your idea, it's your vision that makes the project zing. I received a lifetime of learning in the 1/2 hour I spent with him. And may I add to his wisdom: Go ahead and steal my idea. I'll already be bringing my next idea to market. Companies (leaders?) that react in fear of competition have already lost. Leaders relish competition.
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Truth is - if your competitors know what your doing, chances are so do A LOT of other people, which is excellent for your business! Stop hiding, as @ginidietrich said, Blaze the Trail and dont be afraid to let others know about the great things you do!
I have heard it said that "copying is the sincerest form of compliment!"
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They probably already know what you're doing if you're doing it right @sydcon_mktg - and you're right about copying. When was the last time you heard someone say "that sucked so much - let's do the exact same thing!"
@Tinu You are so right! Part of business is being aware of your competitors (if you have your head in the sand you will fail!).
One thing we ask prospective clients is what are your competitors doing?
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@sydcon_mktg LOL! Unless they're copying something that really is irritating...like your outfit.
@ginidietrich Oh yeah, copying your outfit really stinks!! Our your hairstyle, UGH!! HA!
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I'm scrolling to find the comment where @ginidietrich calls me a dork. I can't find it.
So, I'll just say, Gin Blossom, you may only call me a dork in French. That could possibly be "dorquette," but I leave you to your own linguistics. Merci.
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@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing@ginidietrich the french translation for dork is...dork. I looked it up.
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@rustyspeidel@KenMueller@Adam | Customer Experience
WRONG! It's dorque.
@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing@ginidietrich and Jayme, she called me a dork on Friday.
@Lisa Gerber@rustyspeidel@KenMueller@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing@ginidietrich Where's that @johnfalchetto guy when you need him?
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@Lisa Gerber@rustyspeidel@Adam | Customer Experience@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing@ginidietrich excuse me, but did you just say i was wrong? you need to talk to Gini. She'll set you straight. I'm NEVER wrong.
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@rustyspeidel@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing@ginidietrich sorta. it's Le Dork
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@KenMueller@rustyspeidel@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing@ginidietrich For Jayme, I believe it is La Dork, not Le... :)
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@Soulati | B2B Social Media Marketing I called you the dork on Twitter. So now it's out there for EVERYONE to see it.
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OMG; this is La BlogJackette at its finest. @ginidietrich
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You already know how I feel about the competition Gini--- Forget 'em and do your thing. Fear no one. Concern yourself with customers and customers alone. Give them everything and more.
Marcus
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@Marcus_Sheridan I totally agree with you. On most things...except swimming during a hurricane.
@ginidietrich@Marcus_Sheridan that 's an AWESOME idea!! No sharks and the water's warm. Plus it's sort of studly.
@rustyspeidel@ginidietrich@Marcus_Sheridan Do we have any video or photos of this swimming in a hurricane? :)
@ginidietrich@Marcus_Sheridan OOOHHH! Forget that, I wanted an OCEAN swim in the hurricane. ;)
@rustyspeidel@Marcus_Sheridan He totally did it. In his front yard and then in the pool. While it was pouring down rain and wind.
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The country has succumbed to some pretty big corporations in just about every facet of life--it's hard to drive across the country and not think that every town is the same because of all the corporate fast food, gas, etc that litters the highway. It's the same with just about every industry--the focus on systems, repeatability, cost reductions, and leverage has even made it a crime to store corn seeds for next season, thanks to Monsanto. It's hard to get psyched to truly innovate. BUT...
Take a cue from social media and the music business. It IS possible to just bypass all that BS and make something truly good. Focus on quality, solving a legit problem in a new way, and delivering it directly. Remove friction from the process. Be transparent and take pre-order commitments. Consider co-developing solutions with clients, rather than trying to own it all yourself. Solicit your customer's inputs, $$, and, support and then give them what they want--you know, like the old days when we actually cared. I think we'd all be amazed at what might happen.
@rustyspeidel It's funny - @kmueller62 and I had this conversation the other day. He thinks local (and I agree) is coming back. And, to your point, it's possible to bypass the BS and do something. Just do it.
@ginidietrich@kmueller62 It's coming back just like khaki pants and the business suit and izod shirts, baby!!
seriously, i agree. ignore the large impediments and just solve it. whatever it is.
@rustyspeidel@ginidietrich nope. my one client has a few interns from F&M...they aren't seeing it.
@KenMueller@ginidietrich not at F&M either? Well, these Virginia schools are full of it, and so is Denison where my son Chapin is.
@rustyspeidel@ginidietrich hmm. not up here. two kids in college and neither are seeing it. and not the very preppy college a block away (F&M). Maybe we're immune.
@rustyspeidel@ginidietrich man, i hope Izod shirts aren't coming back. that was a big part of the whole preppy thing I avoided back in the 70s. ick.
@ginidietrich@rustyspeidel I wish i had the time to sit down and really study the cycles from small to large to small to large. I really believe we are on a move to small now. At least in our area we are. Though I'm also seeing an interesting symbiosis between small and large, and they can co-exist.
@geoffliving I never stop dreaming. It's nice to have dreams that aren't interrupted by emails, texts, Facebook messages, tweets....
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Well put Gini. Being a trail blazer is definitely taking a strong confident position. If you think your competition doesn't know what you're doing, you'll be surprised. I learned this all too well in manufacturing.
Better off to Lead then to play catch up.
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@janbeery Kind of like my Avis/Hertz story. Avis wasn't paying attention and Hertz was. Guess who won?
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