Don’t tick people off

In my second podcast, discover why I think the easiest, possibly most powerful way to position yourself or your company in the marketplace is to focus obsessively on what ticks people off.

Special thanks to The Autumn Film for jazzing it up with the tunes – you can download four free songs from their most recent album at http://theautumnfilm.com/share, and you can follow them on Twitter.

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  • Sean Johnson
    Thanks man - now that I'm the guy on the other side (the one with all the work to do), I wonder sometimes if I ever infuriate our account folks (or our clients) the same way. I certainly hope not, but it's a question worth asking. To keep my ego in check if nothing else...
  • I can't help but think about our previous business encounters while listening to this...you practice what you preach. Plenty of other folks at that time may have ticked me off but you managed to engage in a facilitation style that made you the go to guy.
  • Sean Johnson
    Yeah - Godin's book Free Prize Inside talks quite a bit about the stuff that Fast Company article discusses - how people rarely are buying the product itself (at least not exclusively). Being 'good enough' is just enough to get you in the door, not enough to close the deal (let alone be known for something remarkable.)
  • Brad Maier
    Great use of negative phrasing i.e. "don't do something" as a tip for being successful as a way of making people actually think about what's being said. I've always found the 105% percent principle or "give people what they want" to be good ideas that get lost in the generalization and positivity of the statement. You should write a book.

    Another article on the subject (particularly the ritz carlton vs. doubletree example): Give 'em Something to Talk About in Fast Company
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