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    <title>Home: Message List - How to Differentiate Your Big Idea</title>
    <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/community/forum/salesandmarketing?view=discussions</link>
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    <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:36:36 GMT</pubDate>
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    <dc:date>2008-07-09T19:36:36Z</dc:date>
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    <item>
      <title>Re: How to Differentiate Your Big Idea</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=31030&amp;amp;tstart=0#31030</link>
      <description>&lt;b&gt;More awesome articles here.&lt;/b&gt;&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;b&gt;Thanks for the info,&lt;/b&gt;</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:36:36 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>LUCKIEST</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=31030&amp;amp;tstart=0#31030</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-07-09T19:36:36Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jul 9, 2008 3:36 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
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    <item>
      <title>How to Differentiate Your Big Idea</title>
      <link>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=31021&amp;amp;tstart=0#31021</link>
      <description>More awesome articles here... www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
To succeed in business takes more than a good product or service.&lt;br /&gt;
The Internet has revolutionized the way that we do business and the way&lt;br /&gt;
customers evaluate with whom they will do business. The landscape is extremely&lt;br /&gt;
competitive with many products and services competing in the same space. To be&lt;br /&gt;
heard above the clamor of a cluttered marketplace, you must have a "big&lt;br /&gt;
idea" - a concept or a hook that makes you stand apart from everyone else.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Your big idea does not even have to be new; you can take an&lt;br /&gt;
existing concept and position it in a different way. For a real world example,&lt;br /&gt;
consider the diet book market. There is nothing at all new about dieting but&lt;br /&gt;
each new diet success takes an old concept and adds a different twist that makes&lt;br /&gt;
it appear to be revolutionary.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The big idea really distills down to differentiation. Listed below&lt;br /&gt;
are a few tips for being a rebel in a "me too" world and reaping the rewards&lt;br /&gt;
from your big idea.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Give them the Fish.&lt;/b&gt; We often hear that if you give &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	a man a fish, he'll eat for a day, but teach him to fish and he'll eat for &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	a lifetime. That advice however does not apply to how you approach your &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	market. In today's time starved world, people are looking for the package, &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	the instant solution. So, don't teach them, give them the fish! Your &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	customers need to grasp your big idea immediately. Cater to their laziness &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	and you will stand out from the crowd.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Differentiate by being &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	specific.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	Time management experts share that if you start a meeting at 9:03 AM &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	rather than 9:00 AM everyone will remember and be on time. In starting off &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	the hour, it is more specific and thus more memorable. The same is true in &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	marketing your product or service. Specificity will bring you greater &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	results and will stand out from generic promises. In example, "33 Days to &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	Riches" is more specific than "Great &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	Ways to Make Money". Consider the success of &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	"Eight Minute Abs." Would it have been as successful if named "Sixty &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	Minute Abs"?&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Do the Opposite.&lt;/b&gt; Doing the opposite of the &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	masses gives you the opportunity to differentiate your business and create &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	a niche that you can dominate. If you simply follow the well trodden path &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	of the masses and become a "me too" product you will find greater &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	competition and less profits. However, by seeking to go in a different &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	direction, you create the path and open new avenues of success.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;b&gt;Move the Application.&lt;/b&gt; Take a concept or hook from &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	somewhere else and use it in a new way. You can look outside of your &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	industry and take successful concepts and use it in a new way for your &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	business. Many businesses fall into the trap of being myopic. They view &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	what their competitors are doing to measure their success. They stay &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	within their own industry, often even reluctant to hire employees from &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	outside of the industry. In this way you miss out on great ideas that can &lt;br clear="all" /&gt; 	help you differentiate your business.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
Your business success&lt;br /&gt;
requires more than just having a good product or service. There are lots of&lt;br /&gt;
great products and services on the market. The big idea will give you&lt;br /&gt;
visibility and viability. Keep your eyes open and see what is happening in and&lt;br /&gt;
out of your industry. Your next big idea may just be staring you right in the&lt;br /&gt;
face.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
www.readtheanswer.com/index.php?RTA=web2</description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:07:35 GMT</pubDate>
      <author>rontowns25</author>
      <guid>http://smallbusinessonlinecommunity.bankofamerica.com/thread.jspa?messageID=31021&amp;amp;tstart=0#31021</guid>
      <dc:date>2008-07-09T19:07:35Z</dc:date>
      <clearspace:dateToText>Jul 9, 2008 3:07 PM</clearspace:dateToText>
      <clearspace:replyCount>1</clearspace:replyCount>
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