Who Are You?

In 2011, I asked my readers in Reinvention Made Easy: Change Your Strategy, Change Your Results, “What are you the THE of?” Using examples like Johnny Cash, The Man in Black, Aretha Franklin, The Queen of Soul and Coca-Cola, The Real Thing I asked what is the primary reason your customers turn to you for products or service. Let me restate that question:

What do people associate with you apart from all others?

Canada chose a very good motto for their 2014 Winter Olympics Team in Sochi, Russia: "We ARE Winter." When you think about it the words make sense. Canada is associated with the cold, great white North. Canadian citizens live for hockey, ice skating, curling and all things snow. The slogan stirs the hearts of everyone from Newfoundland to British Columbia.

I was working in Toronto the first week of January. The lead story on every news station was the announcement of the player who selected for the Olympic Hockey Team. It seemed almost everyone on the streets knew the players by name, where they were from and how good they were at their respective position. I don’t think anyone in the USA can name the Olympic Baseball Team ( the America Pastime). But Canadians love all winter sports that are played in the coldest of environments. Yes, Canada IS winter!

What does the public associate with you or your services? Are you Speed? Are you Service? Are you luxury? Are you summer? What are you? If you don’t know who you are, then someone else who knows who they are will steal your customers! Or people will tell you that you are something you don’t want to be.