A Creative Way to Beat the Competition

During the earlier days of television, the competition to have the best weather reporting was severe.
All of the TV stations were vying to have the latest forecasting technology so that they got the weather right more often.

But not all stations had the same budget for the advanced equipment needed to put them on top.  There was one little station that just couldn’t compete as they didn’t have the money.

So, they got creative.

And they got a parrot.

The new addition to the weather report could say a lot of words and was easy to train to put words together into statements.  Each day before it was time for the weather forecast, the weatherman pulled the forecast from the wire service and taught the parrot to say something about it.  One day, he would say “Sunny and hot!”  Or on other days, he might say, “Carry your umbrella” or “Tie down the hatches” or “Too much rain for me.”

People suddenly started tuning away from the big stations with the latest technology and tuned into the parrot instead.

It didn’t matter if the parrot’s prediction was right or wrong.  They just wanted to see what the parrot would say next.  As word spread, the small station’s ratings began going up until they were rated #1 instead of at the bottom of the list.

Why am I telling you this story?

Because, like most stories, it has a valuable lesson for all of us.  You can put all kinds of money into building a great website, buying ads for your business, or even adding more and more products to your sales inventory, but that may not increase your sales.

Be different.  Be entertaining.  Be a company that is different from all your competitors so that you stand out from the crowd.  If people like your style and what you are doing, you won’t necessarily have to be the best or the most heavily funded to grow your business.

I hear you now!  But that isn’t professional.  I want my company to be considered a professional company.  My answer to that is to look at all the big companies in other industries with fresh eyes.  Look at the ads you see on television.  Look around you.  Professional doesn’t have to be just like everyone else.  Professional doesn’t have to be boring.  A company’s brand can be exciting, interesting, and even entertaining — all while maintaining a professional image.

Creativity made you start your business.  And creativity can make the difference in how much your business grows.

For more information about starting and growing your business, check out Gift Basket Business INSIDER