91 - Becoming Distinct w/ Ed Howie

Welcome back to the Scale Your Small Business Podcast with your host, Jillian Flodstrom. On the show, this week is Ed Howie. Over the past 30 years, Ed has up with amazing brands like Chick-fil-A, 7-Eleven, KFC, H-E-B Supermarket, Kroger, and Massage Heights to help them find their uniqueness.   If people don't recognize how you're different, why would they want to give you attention? The words “common” and “commodity” are very similar. You're definitely not a commodity. They are common and the market controls the value. By being distinct, you are able to influence the value you bring to the market. Then, the market looks to reimburse you for that.    It’s easy to lose sight of the overall enterprise. Remember, your uniqueness is what is going to help you stand out from the rest of the crowd. You have to have a good, solid product or service, and is has to be consistent, but so does your branding.    For Ed, profits are an indicator of stewardship, which is how you create more than what you started with. Leaders want to create something of value that is distinct and unique. If you cannot operationalize your brand, you’ll struggle. It doesn't matter how charming Tony the Tiger is. If the cornflakes suck, who cares how clever the brand is.    Ed’s all about “wooo” Winning Others Over and Over. His belief is that every customer can be won over. We are constantly assessing the ‘wooo’ and ‘pooo’ levels of every interaction. Great brands wooo. It starts with truly understanding what your customers want and then delivering on that over and over again. Once you can not only systemize perfection but systemize what to do when you fall short of that, you’ll be able to provide what your customers want. Set standards and keep to them. Good brands are well-orchestrated, operationalized, and optimized. Bad brands do one of them poorly.    LINKS   https://edhowie.com/   Key Takeaways If people don't recognize how you're different, why would they want to give you attention?  You have to have a good, solid product or service, and is has to be consistent, but so does your branding.  Good brands are well-orchestrated, operationalized, and optimized. Bad brands do one of them poorly.