How many times have you heard someone say, “That is not how this business works,” or, “That would never work for my business?”
Complacency is the Disease in Business
There is a disease in business and that disease is complacency. When I blogged about shopping for a couch with my girlfriend, I gave a great example of an industry where many of the players say they can’t have more colors available, speed up customization, or provide an unforgettable sales experience. Why can’t they? IKEA does, but then they say, “That would never work for my business?”
Do You Want to Stay in Business?
If that is not how your business works, then you might not be in that business much longer.
If you are a student of business, you will see this scenario play out time and time again. An outsider to an industry will see a need for a different way of doing business, will be told that the business doesn’t work that way, and then will go on to dominate the industry until someone comes along and changes they way business is done again.
Be the Outsider . . . Do What Others Aren’t Doing
An example is Dell. Before Dell, computers were sold in showrooms with the salespeople making huge commissions on computers that were obsolete before you walked out of the door with them. Dell changed the model and allowed you to buy a custom computer direct from the assembler. Michael Dell created a fortune by doing something that others said wouldn’t work.
Then along comes Apple. When selling direct and in limited retail outlets wasn’t driving the sales that Apple required, they started opening Apple Stores. The industry slammed Steve Jobs and said that the retail store was a dead idea. Instead, the Apple Stores are a Mecca for Apple fans and people that want to try out the products before they shell out a premium for an Apple.
You Just Might be on to Something
If you see a need for something different in the marketplace, then fulfill that need. If your competitors tell you that it is not done that way, you might just be onto something.
What businesses have you seen succeed when others said that it was not supposed to be done that way?
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