Stand out like a sequoia

Stand out in a different setting where people don’t already encounter lots of businesses like yours. On a trip near Yosemite in 2011, a sushi bar got me thinking about trade shows and new ways to meet customers.

The video is from 2011. The examples and experiences are historical.

Stand out in a different setting from your competitors

I passed a sushi bar in one of the small towns before the national park and started laughing at first. Who wants sushi here? But afterwards, I thought perhaps that was exactly why it was a good idea.

If you’ve eaten burgers several days in a row, something else can be refreshing. I didn’t know the sushi bar’s results, but I could easily imagine it had found an opportunity.

A web agency at a tradespeople’s fair

On Amino, I’d read about a man with a web agency who’d had great success selling websites at a tradespeople’s fair. People came to look at completely different products, but could still need what he offered.

I’ve also tried exhibiting at trade shows other than the ones you’d immediately associate with our business. At a motor show, we got around 6,000 people to subscribe to a newsletter.

Try meeting customers somewhere else

When you’ve spent all day looking at cars or trade equipment, suddenly encountering something different can be pleasant. I found people could be more open when we appeared in a different context.

So consider whether your business could exhibit or be present somewhere people are thinking about something else, but may still be interested in what you do. It’s an opportunity to explore, not a guarantee of a particular result.

Also read about finding a niche for your business.

Stand out in a different setting: From sequoias to sushi

I’m standing in Yosemite National Park in California, showing a sequoia. Those trees are enormous. In the video, I talk about their size, about trees that can live for around three thousand years and reach up to a hundred metres tall. I’m particularly impressed by their girth.

You feel very small standing beside them. And I start wondering whether we could build businesses just as solid and towering as those trees.

On the way to Yosemite, we’ve driven through small villages where, among other things, you can get something to eat. One has a sushi bar. At first, I start laughing.

A sushi bar here? Who the hell wants sushi out in cowboy country? But then I think some more. Perhaps it’s actually a really good idea. I don’t know the restaurant’s figures, but I could easily imagine it’s found an opportunity.

Websites among drain traps and trade equipment

I’ve been following a thread on Amino. A man with a web agency says he’s been at a plumbing fair or another tradespeople’s fair. I don’t remember the exact type in the video.

He sets up there selling web solutions. And he’s sold like crazy, as I recount his experience. That’s interesting. He doesn’t just go somewhere everyone else is also selling websites. He meets customers in the middle of something completely different.

It reminds me of something we’ve done several times with Jubii. We didn’t only go to computer shows and events you’d immediately associate with our business. We also went to motor shows and other kinds of fairs. I discuss my other experiences of building businesses in Iværksætter til jeg dør.

I remember a motor show where we stood talking to people and got them to subscribe to one of our newsletters. We got six thousand people to sign up. At a motor show. For a newsletter about something completely different.

Something different can be refreshing

How can you sell sushi in that setting? How can you get newsletter subscribers at a motor show or sell websites at a tradespeople’s fair?

My thought is that people spend all day looking at cars. At some point, it’s refreshing to find something else.

If you’ve eaten burgers for a whole week on your trip near Yosemite, made s’mores and all the other things, why wouldn’t you fancy sushi? Precisely because it’s different, it can be interesting.

And if you’re a tradesperson who’s been looking at drain traps and equipment all day, perhaps you can take a break and walk over to the people selling websites. Have a look, talk to them and spend a little time on something else.

It seems to me that people’s guard can be lower in that situation. It certainly worked really well for us with Jubii.

Try a context where customers don’t expect you

So take a look at your own business. Is there an opportunity to exhibit or do something in a setting where people’s minds are actually on something completely different?

You might be surprised by the response. I was with Jubii. And the man on Amino also described his good experience at the tradespeople’s fair.

I wouldn’t be surprised either if that slightly odd sushi restaurant before the national park is actually doing well. That’s my guess and the image that sets the thoughts going.

At the end, I give the camera a little time to show the amazing trees. Then I wish you a good summer. Perhaps you’ll hear more from me, or perhaps I’ll keep the next two weeks’ holiday to myself without saying a word. I only speak when I feel inspired.

Best wishes, Martin