Louis Grenier kicks off the wacky, profane Stand the F*ck Out by hammering the reader about insights. You say you want a stronger brand, that you’d like your firm to be better positioned against competitors, to be top of mind? Well, the author tells us to forage for insights, defined as “specific pieces of information gleaned directly or indirectly from customers” so as to develop a nuanced understanding of what they want(ed). Grenier offers practical advice, packaged as a breezy textbook complete with how-to exercises. Some of the questions posed – what makes my business unique? how can I attract better leads? why should people care? – may seem rudimentary at first, but the reader is encouraged to tackle them head on. He presses us to ask folks – be they our own customers or someone else’s – who’ve recently invested time, money, and/or effort in solving a relevant problem why they chose the path they did. As for non-buyers, termed herein as either dormant or window shoppers, he says they’re “full of shit.” Okay then.
The key is differentiation but not just for the sake of it. The distinction of your offering must be meaningful to your market segment such that it creates a compelling reason to be chosen over alternative choices. Buyers aim to solve their struggles, so “we want to find the most frustrating, intense problems in order to have the highest chance of getting noticed and picked by the people we seek to serve.” Furthermore, it’s incumbent upon us service providers to work on our unique positioning, leveraging those aforementioned insights in solving overlooked problems better than anyone else. Here is where Grenier shines; he has fun with colorful language and an unusual perspective to get his subjects to explore multiple ways to stand out. Rather than going the hackneyed features & benefits route, the author suggests figuring out what your prospective clients hate the most about your industry “in order to build a narrative that slaps.” To wit: “What annoys your [prospects] sooooo much they can’t help but talk about it with their neighbor Bernard when he’s taking the bins out, even though he has no fucking clue what they’re talking about?” Say what you might, this Frenchman is an original.
The book is peppered with fresh ideas throughout. Grenier suggests paying attention to what others notice about us, saying we should amplify the quirks customers comment on. He goes on to talk about leveraging so-called negative space, branding elements that our competitors overlook and it is here we find our unique edge. He closes with a warning: “Most people’s brains operate in a state of conservation, sticking to known patterns and resisting change.” It is for this reason we need a well-honed wake-up call to jolt prospects from their slumber. There is a good reminder to start small (so as not to scare off those who truly crave help) and he implores that we abandon a one-size-fits-all approach and opt for a choose-your-own-adventure model. Because humans are not comfortable saying no multiple times, you present them with three options: they pay you a one-time fee with DIY instructions, or you charge for coaching to assist them throughout, or you handle everything for a premium payment. As everyone’s favorite sales manager Blake says, go and do likewise, starting with tonight’s sit. Get them to sign on the line which is dotted.
If you have anything to say about this – or book recommendations – kindly post below (rather than emailing me) to spark conversation. Thank you!