"Kill" the Competition? Is homicide the best mindset for business rivalry?
My friend Shel Israel is writing a new book. He and Robert Scoble's book "Naked Conversations" was going to be titled "Blog or Die," but I got them to abandon that title.
Now Shel is asking for input on the title of his new book. This brings up some issues about how a company thinks about the competition.
Tentative title = "Lethal Generosity--Why Customer Kindness Kills Your Competitors."
MY RESPONSE:
"Lethal Generosity" at first glance seems to be saying "Generosity is Fatal, So Avoid It."
Business, at its ethical best, is not violent or warlike.
"Slay", "kill", "crush", "destroy" are all old fashioned business terms that sound too harsh and nasty nowadays. I don't think it's productive to think in terms of hostility and "murder" toward competitors.
You don't declare war on the competition. You declare war on the customer need, problem, or "pain".
Your company is not out to "kill" the competition, but to "kill" the problem so the customer is victorious and happy.
I'd prefer a less violent, more positive title like "Strategic Generosity -- How Pampering Customers Makes You Top of Mind Choice."
WHAT SAY YOU?
Do you see competitors as "enemies" that need to be "killed" or "destroyed"?
Tentative title = "Lethal Generosity--Why Customer Kindness Kills Your Competitors."
MY RESPONSE:
"Lethal Generosity" at first glance seems to be saying "Generosity is Fatal, So Avoid It."
Business, at its ethical best, is not violent or warlike.
"Slay", "kill", "crush", "destroy" are all old fashioned business terms that sound too harsh and nasty nowadays. I don't think it's productive to think in terms of hostility and "murder" toward competitors.
You don't declare war on the competition. You declare war on the customer need, problem, or "pain".
Your company is not out to "kill" the competition, but to "kill" the problem so the customer is victorious and happy.
I'd prefer a less violent, more positive title like "Strategic Generosity -- How Pampering Customers Makes You Top of Mind Choice."
WHAT SAY YOU?
Do you see competitors as "enemies" that need to be "killed" or "destroyed"?
I myself prefer to see companies attack the customer's problem and declare victory over that.
No comments:
Post a Comment