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| THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING FIRST
“Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.” Vince Lombardi
Who was the first person to set foot on the moon?
Who was the first black professional baseball player?
Who was the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic?
With few exceptions, people can answer these questions without much trouble:
Neil Armstrong
Jackie Robinson
Charles Lindbergh
Why are these names so easy to remember?
They all represent “firsts” in what they accomplished. Being first
holds a powerful place in our minds. It seems our minds are wired to
only remember one bit of information per category, as evidenced by the
fact that we do not remember who came in second in each of these areas.
Was
the second person to step on the moon any less accomplishing, or did he
risk any less? No. The challenge is that our memories do not hold the
same dramatic distinction for a repeat performance as they do for the
original.
I can remember the smallest of details the day my
first daughter was born. From my scarce recollection, you wouldn’t
believe I was even in the country when daughters two and three came
along.
The mind of the market, regardless of how special you
think your offering is, will quickly group you into the “also ran”
category, starting with your company’s grand opening, unless you
distinguish yourself as an original. Are you thinking that since you
are not the first person to do what you do in your industry, you can’t
take advantage of this concept? You are only one of many doing what you
do, and we can't all be firsts, right? Wrong!
When another name
has become synonymous with your preferred category, you need to create
a new category. For example, who was the third person, but the first
woman to fly solo across the Atlantic? You suddenly remember Amelia
Earhart, don’t you? Why? She created a new category and thereby became
a “first.” This can be done in any number of ways, but take care with
what you choose.
When choosing your category, here are a few rules:
1. The category must be perceived as a significant advantage for your group of buyers.
2. Your difference must be unique, compelling, and emotional.
3. It must satisfy a profitable void in your market niche.
4. You must be able to affordably communicate the benefits to your market segment.
Additionally, consider these words of wisdom:
1. It’s more important to be different than better, e.g., “Domino’s Pizza.”
2. Selling cheaper is often a default for the lazy.
3. Test your ideas in a survey before rolling them out to the entire market.
You
are only limited by your own creativity. Positioning a company requires
work, study, research, experimentation, and then the discipline to
stick with it when the results are slow to catch on. Hey, kind of like
success!
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