The Value of Remarkability

// March 19th, 2010 // Business, Personal

Seth Godin’s book, Purple Cow, made a huge impression on me a few years ago. Reading taught me to always think about making sure you’re doing something remarkable.

Think about it for a second. What’s the point of doing the same thing everyone else is doing when it only takes a little bit of effort to make it better and more memorable? While it may not be easy to create a Purple Cow, it’s certainly easy to make something worthy of notice.

Today, I received a letter from my daughter’s school. It was sent by a government organization inviting both of my girls to a forum in Washington DC. There, they will learn about leadership with other highly motivated students from all over the world.

Why were they selected? Simple. They stand out. They go out of their way to be different, in a good way. When I learned about Seth Godin’s beliefs on being remarkable, I immediately stressed it to my kids. I’ve said it so often while they were growing up that it’s virtually impossible they’re going to forget it.

So, what’s the business application here? Go out of your way for your employees. Be a different vendor than any your customers have seen before.

Create experiences with your company. Stop just delivering normal products and services. Normal doesn’t create word of mouth.