I read a very insightful book over Easter – difference by Bernadette Jiwa. Standing on the shoulders of some very smart people, she offers a compelling approach to reimagining your business.

The thesis of the book involves a one page Difference Map. The map asks you to consider some essential questions within six sequential categories.

Principles:

What is the truth about you as an owner and your company?
What is the truth about your market?
What is the truth about your customers/people we want to serve?

Purpose

Why do we exist?

People

Who is this service for?
What do these people care about?

Personal

How can we change how people feel?
How can we help them live better lives?

 Perception

What do these potential customers believe?
What would we like them to believe about you?

Product

What do prospects really need or want?
How can we create value for our customers?

The book explores these ideas, puts then into a historical context and uses some great modern case studies to explain the concepts.

Quotes I Loved

People who adopt the difference model approach:

• Make products for their customers, instead of trying to find customers for their products.
• Understand that they need to give people a story to tell – a “you’ve gotta see this” moment.
• Realize it isn’t the person with the best idea who wins; it’s the person who has the greatest understanding of what really matters to people.
• Understand that people don’t want to be sold on the reasons you think your brand is better or best. They don’t want something different. They want something that creates a difference.
• Understand that people don’t buy features; they buy promises.
• Flip the product development sequence on its head. Instead of starting with the idea, it begins with an examination of people’s current reality and explores what’s possible in a world where the problems and desires of those people are solved and met.

So in summary I’d recommend some actions having read this book:

Actions

1.  Read this book – it will bring together some first class thinking of what is working today. Readers of my blog will appreciate the consistency with my playbooks.
2. Ensure your marketing is telling a story that highlights how you are changing people’s lives.
3. Be inspired to revisit the monitoring of your customer in action not what they say.
4. Consider not why you are different but how you allow your clients to be different, to allow your clients to create a difference.
5. Consider what needs to change with your marketing approach and your sales process to be more relevant to your customers. 

Book link here.