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Challenge Your Industry

Leaders who question conventional wisdom gain competitive advantages that standard-setting competitors cannot replicate

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By Jesse Cole ·
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Leaders who question conventional wisdom gain competitive advantages that standard-setting competitors cannot replicate

In today's competitive landscape, simply meeting industry standards is insufficient for long-term success. Businesses must strive to exceed these benchmarks by creating unique and memorable customer experiences, as demonstrated by companies like Netflix and Shoreline Construction.

Netflix transformed the movie rental industry by challenging conventional practices. Instead of requiring customers to visit stores and deal with potential late fees, Netflix introduced a mail-based DVD rental service, followed by a shift to streaming content. This approach not only met customer needs more effectively but also set new industry standards, proving that innovation in service delivery can lead to significant market leadership.

Innovation in service delivery can lead to significant market leadership.

Similarly, Shoreline Construction redefined the home-building experience by focusing on exceptional personalized customer service. By treating the home purchase process as an opportunity for celebration, Shoreline provided clients with gifts, regular updates, and personalized touches, such as special events at key stages of construction. This strategy transformed customers into brand advocates and significantly reduced the need for traditional marketing.

Both Netflix and Shoreline Construction illustrate that the key to success lies not just in meeting standards but in consistently exceeding them through innovative customer experiences. Whether through product delivery or customer engagement, businesses that dare to innovate set new benchmarks and achieve enduring success. This approach is vital in any industry for creating a distinctive competitive edge and fostering lasting customer loyalty.

The key to success lies not just in meeting standards but in consistently exceeding them through innovative customer experiences.
Video TranscriptExpand ↓

If you're just trying to reach the industry standard, you're in trouble. Anything that's just standard is not remarkable. You have to take the next step up. And we advise challenging the rules of your industry. If you want to be the industry standard twenty years ago, in the rental movie business, you had a regular retail shop just like Blockbuster. People would drive to your store. They would pick up the movies if you had them in time, and then they would return them potentially late and get a late fee. That was the industry standard. And then Netflix challenged the rules of the industry and said, you know what? We don't have to make it where our customers drive out of their way to hopefully get a movie. Let's bring it to them. And they continue to challenge the rules of the industry. Instead of just sending out DVDs, now they do all their content streaming. I think if you wanna be a business that endures in the future, you need to challenge the rules and the standards of your industry constantly. And that's what we're trying to do here because the reality is baseball attendance is declining dramatically. The industry standard was just to put on the game and hope people would show up. And before, that's the way it was. But now there's so many other opportunities for people to do different things. So we are challenging the way people should watch a game, the way people should experience a game. And I think you should challenge the way people experience your product. Many people are skeptical. They say this only works, for you because you're in the baseball business. You're in an entertainment business. But here's the truth. It can work for any business, and I've seen it, and I've seen it firsthand. Shoreline construction. A home builder can do it. Anybody can do it. And I watch them completely transform their business and create an experience where they don't have to market it all. They don't have to promote it all. They have raving fans all over talking about this home builder experience. Imagine that. And it started by them reimagining their experience. I was giving a a keynote to their group, and I watched the owner in the back taking notes like crazy. And at the end, I said, oh, wow. Thanks for taking notes. He goes, this is gonna change our business. And I never knew what was gonna happen until three months later, I get a phone call, and it's from a business coach who says, I want you to come to our session. Chris Dalzella from Shoreline Construction is gonna share what they did as a home builder. And this is what happened. Immediately after the session, hearing about this Fans First experience, he went to his team and he challenged them. He said, guys, we gotta create a better experience. We can't be like every other home builder. We can't be the standard that our industry is used to because our industry standard isn't that good. You buy a house, you sign a contract, you write a check, and you wait, you wait, you wait, you wait, and you get the house. That was the typical experience. Shoreline Construction got their entire team behind this idea of creating a remarkable experience and not just being like every other home builder. And so they mapped it out. When people buy, they get an iPad. They get a Yeti cooler. They get a gift package. With that iPad, there's a celebration video, and they're introducing their whole team. And then along the process, they will send their clients their favorite coffee, their favorite food, their favorite snacks. How do they find out? They just send a simple survey in the beginning of the process. Then they'll actually send videos. Hey. We're laying down the concrete right now. They'll actually follow the process because they looked at what are those friction points that their clients have that people don't know what's happening with their house. And then this is where they really win. And just from that simple idea palooza, the simple idea of creating a fans first experience, they make the delivery of the home moment really special. They get an entire red carpet laid out. They have a ribbon cutting. They have a champagne toast. They've had professional sign spinners out greeting them, And they got to know their clients on an amazing relationship basis. And they heard one of their clients was coming in for their anniversary dinner. And she said, do you have any recommendations? And he said, Yeah, yeah. We'll give you some recommendations, and we'll pick you up at the airport. So the woman and her husband came in for their anniversary. They picked them up in a limo, and they brought them to their house that was barely framed. It just had the frame, no roof, no ceiling. And as they arrived at their house, they set up a private dining table. They had their favorite music playing, and they served them one of their favorite dinners. And they had a special anniversary dinner in their not even framed house. The woman started crying. She went on to social media. She started telling everyone about that experience simply because they listened carefully and responded creatively. And it was because they created a culture that was based on ideas on creating remarkable experiences. Shoreline Construction seems like any other company, a home builder on the outside, but they focused on creating fans. And now they have more fans than they could ever imagine. You're getting a home. What an amazing purchase. Why don't you make it special? What if your business treated every time someone bought from you like they're buying a home from you? That big. What delivery moments would you create? What celebration moments would you create? And now, they've created an experience that is so remarkable that they are known throughout the entire area as the home builder that you have to go with.

About the author

Jesse Cole
Jesse ColeOwner of Savannah Bananas, Creator of Banana Ball, Author of Fans First & Find Your Yellow Tux

Jesse Cole is the founder of Fans First Entertainment, known for owning the Savannah Bananas. The Bananas have 1M+ fans, have sold out every game since inception, and been featured on major media outlets. Jesse is also an author and speaker, advocating for standing out and prioritizing customers and employees.

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