In a previous blog I suggested that real change comes when we venture into unknown territory. Of course new activity needs persistence to see our efforts blossom as we would like. The skill comes on deciding when to drop a failing project and when to keep going.
In this post I would like to emphasise the value of being different but not too different. When altering your business activity to stimulate more sales you should only alter one thing at a time, to see if it that thing makes a difference.
Let me give you an example. If you are selling shoes, who is your customer. Are they persuaded by style, comfort, packaging, brand, celebrity endorsement, ease of purchase colour, size, range of choice, TV marketing, online marketing, demographics, age or culture. Out of these your ideal customer will emerge.
If you try to focus on even a quarter of these at once you will almost definitely fail. Start by changing one group to market to. When something is hugely different from what has gone before people are uncomfortable with it and will resist purchasing your product.
When, on the other hand your product is slightly different , people can see the advantage in the change and can compare you with what else in on the market and that is where they will purchase. Occasionally something very different emerges and becomes a phenomenon but this is rare and will hit the headlines. Most peoples success will develop from tiny changes to existing markets.
Peter.