by N D Brown
Success comes after risk, but before risk comes audacity.
Churchill said, “The first quality that is needed is audacity.” His audacity led him to defeat and victory. We remember the victories.
Karl von Clausewitz, whose brilliant book “ON WAR” should be on every executive’s reading list said, “Never forget that no military leader has ever become great without audacity.”
When asked who he thought the best generals were Napoleon answered, “The victors.”
Lots of testosterone military stuff here but simply put: Want to be a victor? Start with audacity.
You already did.
It took a lot of audacity just to start your small business. So never stop doing the audacious.
What’s audacious? When you are surprising, different, challenging. When you zig while the rest zag.
You may have read how Texas Governor Rick Perry recently went to California to solicit business for Texas. Using what might be described as pocket change, the Governor bought a radio schedule in select California cities. The commercials touted the benefits of moving business to Texas. But it wasn’t the advertising’s message that was important; it was the audacity of even airing a miniscule advertising campaign.
Governor Perry had the audacity to visit a competitive state and exclaim that running a business in Texas could be much easier, better, more profitable than running one in California. He, or his team, was audacious enough to think spending a small amount would have big results.
The campaign was a whisper, probably costing a few thousand dollars, but the press coverage it received was worth millions.
Media around the nation reported on the audacious radio campaign from the state of Texas. And just about every news story itemized the benefits of doing business in Texas.
Bingo! This was an audacious move that more than paid for itself.
Always remember the press loves the audacious. And also remember you have to tell the press you are being audacious! A perfect job for social media, a few surprising notes can become a rousing march.
In 1984 Apple computer was a blip on the radar screen of personal computing. It was about to launch Macintosh, which was well in front of the industry’s leading edge. The Apple promotional budget was, much like Governor Perry’s radio schedule, a grain of sand on an enormous beach.
Steve Jobs, and thus Apple, believed in audacious. Working with Chait Day, an advertising agency noted for its push-the-envelope work, Apple made an enormous gamble. They took all their money and produced a very expensive television commercial and scheduled it to run one time in the Super Bowl. (Sorry I can’t resist – they put all their apples into one bowl. Groan!)
Unlike Texas’ small radio schedule that reached a few thousand listeners – maybe, around 50 percent of the nation was watching when the Macintosh commercial ran. While that commercial in the Super Bowl turned a large corner for Apple brand, it is not the real story.
Apple made sure every news medium was aware Apple had gambled the entire promotional budget on one commercial running one time. Unheard of!
The result: The commercial was aired over and over again on national and local media. In fact, 30 years later the commercial is still being aired to demonstrate the power of audacious.
One of our clients sold women’s intimate apparel. During a time when women’s fashion resembled men’s corporate suits, intimate apparel made a turn to being a fashion statement. On the outside a woman looked like a corner office executive but underneath she could be her own fashion statement. Fashion sold best on TV, but TV stations refused to show females in underwear. Manufacturers resorted to showing their product on women in black leotards or other tricks to get around the rule.
We suggested the client be audacious enough to break the rule.
By extending the clients family value reputation, we developed an idea that stayed well within the bounds of good taste. The stations agreed and our client’s share of intimate apparel sales went through the roof. We did the unexpected and while the industry zagged we zigged.
Maybe you have heard this story, or one just like it. It’s true.
A little known company manufactured a complicated submersible pump. Performance was key. A pump failure could cost enormous amounts in total plant shut down to make repairs. This company’s pump tested well above demands made for all competitive pumps and was cheaper to manufacture. Conventional wisdom suggested it be priced lower than competitors.
Unexpectedly sales lagged far below projections. The CEO’s sales staff complained it was still too expensive because it was new. Without a brand reputation customers were afraid to purchase, install and run the risk of failure. To paraphrase Gene Kranz mission controller of Apollo 13, “Failure was not an option.”
The CEO made the audacious move. She increased price above the leading competitor. It worked. The higher price let purchasers believe that if it cost that much more the performance testing must be correct and it must be better.
Audacity does work.
And when you get ready to zig, remember it takes courage to take the risk.
It takes confidence to know you can handle the outcome of any risk.
And being audacious is one of the biggest risks of all.
But the pay offs … If your small business does things the way your competitors do them, then why are you in business?
Step over the line and make an audacious decision today. Go ahead. Zig.
____________________________________________________________
N D Brown is a Principal of brownchild ltd inc 3754 Sunset \Houston TX 77005
You can reach him at 713 807 9000 or cell 713 822 8370 don.brown@brownchild.com
www.brownchild.com
