Blonds Have More Fun!

I n t h e b o o k , T h e B l o n d K n i g h t o f G e r m a n y , A m e r i c a n a u t h o r s T o l i v e r a n d C o n s t a b l e d e t a i l t h e l i f e o f t h e g r e a t e s t f i g h t e r p i l o t t o e v e r f l y , G e r m a n y ' s E r i c h H a r t m a n n . D u r i n g W W I I , H a r t m a n n r e c o r d e d 3 5 2 c o n f i r m e d i n - f l i g h t v i c t o r i e s . T o p u t i t i n t o p e r s p e c t i v e , v e r y f e w A m e r i c a n f i g h t e r p i l o t s r e a c h e d 1 0 0 i n - f l i g h t v i c t o r i e s . S i m p l y p u t , E r i c h H a r t m a n n r e a c h e d l e v e l s o f g r e a t n e s s m o s t f i g h t e r p i l o t s c a n o n l y d r e a m a b o u t . W o u l d y o u l i k e y o u r b u s i n e s s t o a c h i e v e s u c h l e v e l s o f g r e a t n e s s ? A c o m m o n w a y t o l e a r n f r o m t h e s u c c e s s o f o t h e r s i s t o l o o k a t w h a t t h e y d i d a n d a d a p t i t t o y o u r s i t u a t i o n . H e r e a r e t w o w a y s H a r t m a n n r e a c h e d s u c c e s s , u s e t h e m t o t u r n y o u r c o m p a n y ' s b r a n d i n t o a B l o n d K n i g h t . 1 ) K n o w Y o u r E n e m y : " I f y o u a r e u n a b l e t o b e a t y o u r e n e m y a t h i s o w n g a m e , i t i s n e a r l y a l w a y s b e t t e r t o a d o p t s o m e s t r i k i n g v a r i a n t . " - W i n s t o n C h u r c h i l l ( i n t r o t o C h a p t e r 4 o f T h e B l o n d K n i g h t o f G e r m a n y . ) H a r t m a n n ' s U s e : H e c r e a t e d a P i l o t ' s H a n d b o o k o f E n e m y S t r e n g t h t h a t o u t l i n e d a l l o f t h e p l a n e s h i s e n e m i e s f l e w . I t d e t a i l e d t h e s t r e n g t h s a n d w e a k n e s s e s a n d t h e b e s t a p p r o a c h e s i n d e f e a t i n g t h e m . H e w a s r a r e l y s u r p r i s e d b y w h a t t h e e n e m y w a s c a p a b l e o f d o i n g . Y o u r U s e : D o n ' t d e p e n d o n y o u r p e r s o n a l i t y a n d h a r d w o r k t o p r o p e l y o u r b r a n d b e y o n d t h e c o m p e t i t i o n . L e a r n a l l y o u c a n a b o u t y o u r p r o d u c t s , y o u r f i e l d , y o u r c o m p e t i t i o n , f u t u r e c o m p e t i t i o n , e t c . F i n d o u t w h a t y o u a r e u p a g a i n s t a n d p l a n y o u r s t r a t e g y a c c o r d i n g l y . H a v i n g a g o o d i d e a , b e i n g h o n e s t , a n d p r o v i d i n g " g r e a t c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e " a r e n o t g u a r a n t e e s t o t h e s u c c e s s o f y o u r b r a n d . K n o w i n g y o u r e n e m y ' s s t r e n g t h s / w e a k n e s s e s a n d h o w y o u h o n e s t l y m a t c h u p a g a i n s t t h e m ( a n d a c t i n g o n t h i s k n o w l e d g e ) i s t h e g r e a t e s t i n s u r a n c e f o r y o u r b r a n d ' s s u c c e s s . 2 ) B e F i r s t : " I f y o u c a n ' t b e f i r s t , c r e a t e a c a t e g o r y i n w h i c h y o u c a n b e . " - A l R i e s & a m p ; J a c k T r o u t H a r t m a n n ' s U s e : E r i c h H a r t m a n n s a i d i t b e s t , " T h e p i l o t w h o s e e s t h e o t h e r f i r s t a l r e a d y h a s h a l f t h e v i c t o r y . " P l a y i n g c a t c h u p i s n o t a f u n p o s i t i o n w h e n y o u a r e t h o u s a n d s o f f e e t i n t h e a i r . Y o u r U s e : C a t c h u p a l s o i s n o t f u n w h e n t h o u s a n d s o f y o u r d o l l a r s a r e a t s t a k e . A v o i d p l a y i n g c a t c h u p b y c r e a t i n g a n e w c a t e g o r y . E v e n t h e s l i g h t e s t d i f f e r e n c e i n f o c u s c a n e s t a b l i s h y o u a s a c a t e g o r y l e a d e r - i n s t e a d o f a n o t h e r b r a n d i n a n o v e r c r o w d e d c a t e g o r y . D e l l c o m p u t e r s b u i l t t h e i r b r a n d o n s e l l i n g d i r e c t t o t h e c o n s u m e r . S t a r t e d i n 1 9 8 4 b y a c o l l e g e s t u d e n t ( s o o n - t o - b e a c o l l e g e d r o p - o u t , ) D e l l c o m p u t e r s c u r r e n t l y r a n k s a s t h e l e a d e r i n m o s t c o m p u t e r m a n u f a c t u r e r c a t e g o r i e s a c r o s s t h e g l o b e . C o m p e t i t o r s s u c h a s I B M a n d H P h a v e n o w t r i e d t o o f f e r c o n s u m e r - d i r e c t s e r v i c e . H o w e v e r , D e l l w a s f i r s t i n t h e c a t e g o r y a n d i t a p p e a r s t h e y w i l l s t a y t h a t w a y . E r i c h H a r t m a n n u s e d a o n e - t w o p u n c h c o m b i n a t i o n o f K n o w Y o u r E n e m y a n d B e F i r s t t o b e c o m e t h e b e s t f i g h t e r p i l o t i n h i s t o r y - T h e B l o n d K n i g h t . Y o u c a n u s e t h e a p p r o a c h t o h e l p b u i l d y o u r b r a n d . P e r f o r m e d w i t h c o n f i d e n c e , t h i s c o m b i n a t i o n i s s u r e t o g r o w y o u r b u s i n e s s . M e a n i n g : m o r e c u s t o m e r s , m o r e p r o f i t s , m o r e e n j o y m e n t - t h a t p r o v e s i t , b l o n d s ( b l o n d b r a n d s t h a t i s ) d o h a v e m o r e f u n !

Author: Kevin Kearns

Author Bio:

Kevin Kearns

Colorado Small Business Marketing / Branding Coach, Kevin Kearns, holds a Master of Science degree in Organization Development from Central Washington University and is a member of the Coachville Graduate School of Coaching. With a mixture of hands-on experience, research, and FUN, He helps Colorado home businesses become the only choice. He is one of the founding partners of the World's First Snowboarder Hotel, THE BLOCK HOTEL. He has profited first-hand from the level of success only true branding can bring. He doesn't just teach branding, he has lived it in his own businesses.

Kevin serves as the Executive Director of the Pikes Peak Advertising Federation in Colorado Springs, a professional association for professionals in advertising, marketing, and sales. He also assists the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado by mediating business disputes. Kevin lives with his wife and three children just outside of Colorado Springs, in Woodland Park, Colorado.

With the the right strategy coaching, any business can become a successful brand. If you want to grow your small business, Kevin Kearns provides the expert advice and experience you need to make it happen. He can provide you with step-by-step proven brand and marketing strategies: assessment, vision, promise, positioning, marketing plan, elevator speech, networking skills, and sales and marketing approaches.

In addition to small business brand / marketing coaching, he provides Small Business Brand Development Workshops throughout Colorado to help entrepreneurs with their brand plan in just a few hours. Call Kevin if you would like him to present a workshop to your Chamber of Commerce, networking group, or association.

KevinKearns.com is also the home of The Branding Bunch, a community of small business owners that want to grow their business the easy way. They are tired of the dogfights with competition over each and every customer. Joining The Bunch unlocks the power of building a powerful brand. Members of The Bunch quickly learn the secrets to building a brand that attracts customers. Meaning, no more head-to-head battles with the competition.

The Branding Bunch newsletter offers brand, sales, and marketing tips for free - visit kevinkearns.com and sign-up.

This article can be searched using: internet advertising, online advertising, advertising specialties, advertising agency

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Blonds Have More Fun!

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