Defining Who You Are NOT
A peer of ours went on a Viking Cruise Lines trip, and found that one of the ways Viking as a company defines who they ARE is by clearly stating who they are NOT. In an industry where far too many contractors try to be all things to all people, this exercise could certainly prove interesting.
Please tune in as Wayne recounts Viking’s list of who they aren’t and suggests as you dig into your year end strategic planning (WHAT?!? You’re not planning to plan?) that this exercise may help you dial in more acutely who you are as an organization by delineating who you aren’t.
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Hi, everyone. This is Wayne Rivers at FBI, where We Build Better Contractors. We have Boot Camps coming up in '24,
February in Dallas, April in Raleigh. So, contact Charlotte for more information and get your folks enrolled right away.
This week, I want to talk about in defining who you are, consider who you are not. You've heard Dennis and I talk about
Arlin's blog all the time. This comes from Arlin's blog, and he was going on a trip with his bride on Viking Cruise Lines. He
talked about all the ratings and the customer satisfaction and all that stuff. And one of the things that Viking says in their
marketing materials is, "We don't try to be all things to all people." In fact, they've got a list of 12 things that they're not.
Part of how they define themselves is by defining what they're not. And this is a good exercise. I recommend it to you.
All right. What Viking is not.
1. No kids under 18
2. No casinos
3. No nickel-and-diming customers
4. No charge for Wi-Fi. That would be nickel-and-diming, right?
5. No charge for beer and wine at lunch and dinner
6. No umbrella drinks.
7. No photography sales
8. No art auctions.
9. No inside staterooms
10. No smoking
11. No waiting lines.
12. No formal nights, butlers, or white gloves.
So, a list of 12 things that they say they're not. What are you not? Are you one of those contractors that tries to be all
things to all people, or do you have well-defined niches in which you can be the very best? What Dennis would call the
hedgehog principle. Defining what you're not can help you zero in on what you are, right? If it's good for Viking Cruise
Lines, it's probably going to be a good exercise for you and your company. So let me know in the comments what do you
think you're not.
This is Wayne Rivers at FBI, where We Build Better Contractors.
