To succeed as a singer, you can take one of two routes.
You can sing better than anyone.
Or you can sing differently than anyone.
It’s hard to pull off “better than anyone”. An illustrious ensemble of singers, some of them still active, precedes you. Plus “best “is subjective, and beyond most prospects’ capacity to evaluate. Who’s the best CPA or IP attorney? Who are the best HR consultants? How do you know? If you can tell them apart, aren’t you an expert yourself?
“Different” isn’t easy, but it’s easier.
The world doesn’t want the next Neil Diamond, Adele, or The Killers. The world loves the ones they already have. The copy cats merely remind these listeners how much they love the originals.
Sometimes, you need to refresh your own act, too. Paul Simon was dead-ending until he found the music of South Africa and imported it into Graceland, a Grammy Award- winning collection that has sold over 12 million copies.
Some accuse Lady Gaga of copying Madonna, who changed personae yearly. Lady Gaga seems to change hers weekly. Madonna was primarily a provocative singer, clearly “different’ rather than “better.” Lady Gaga is a performance artist. Her music accompanies her art, which she wears.
It’s different. Neither woman sings particularly well, but both have attracted big audiences. Each women has discovered and demonstrated that being “different” gets attention, something successful businesses need.
Are you attracting the business that you deserve? If not, it likely is not because you are not performing well, and perhaps even better than a year ago. It’s because you are not doing things differently.
Change.
But how, you ask?
Try this.
Ask yourself: If we were beginning this business from scratch, what would we do differently?
Also try asking: If you were your clients, what would you want your people to do differently?
Try this third question, too: If you were competing against you, how would you beat you?
Try these. They will get you on the path to different, and different will get you where you want to go next.
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