“The Big Dog”
Put yourself in a surreal world with me for just a moment.
(Let’s begin with a disclaimer. This is not an advertisement or endorsement of either company named. They are both well known in our area and fit the analogy. As always, there will be a practical business leader application along the way.)
Imagine you are a Country Companies Insurance Agent in a town of about 10,000 households.
There are a couple independent agents in town with you, but no other ‘big brand’ is within driving distance.
There’s a catch, though.
In this imaginary world, insurance is not mandated by mortgage or auto loan companies, and the populous is relatively ignorant of the value of, or need for, your products and services.
In fact, in 9 of 10 conversations you have (maybe even more) the person you are talking to that owns their home and drives two cars has never heard of this ‘insurance’ device you are talking about.
They’ve also never heard of ‘Country Companies’.
So, you mention ‘The Big Dog’ – State Farm (who at that moment is by far the largest P&C insurance provider in the land) – hoping to spark a glimmer of hope, a foundation of understanding you can work with.
Still nothing. Crickets.
This is not going well.
Time to back up the train and start the education process from scratch. You speak of the value of insurance, its power, and the fact that it is a proven method of protection that is common in bigger cities throughout the nation – and even the world.
The hill is steep. It’s a tough sell. But the potential for impact is huge, so you press on hoping that someday the tide will turn, and the market will open up.
Then one day you notice something interesting in your periphery – ‘The Big Dog’ just opened shop across town. State Farm has hung their shingle.
Now what??
If you’re following along to this point, I ask you for an honest reflection.
How would you feel in that moment?
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This very scenario recently played itself out in my world, and I’ll give you my answer to that question after a quick aside for your consideration…
How do you view the competition within your industry and market domain?
Do they irritate you? Inspire you? Challenge you? Annoy you? Scare you? Inhibit you? Prod you? Encourage you?
Where is your greatest competitive line drawn?
The mutual quest for the best employees? Contracts? Customers? Culture? Ad space? Brand reputation? Service level? Supply chain? Pricing structure? Community impact?
When is the last time you considered the benefits of a competitive analysis?
How might you leverage, in a healthy way, a ‘strengths and weaknesses’ comparison with your competition?
Or maybe better stated, is it time for a fresh analysis of your own USP?
Some thoughts for us to consider, anyway. As frequent readers now know, this is a Monday Morning Stretch, not a complete workout. 😉
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Back to our story…
I am a Convene Chair in the heart of Central Illinois.
I facilitate ‘CEO peer advisory teams’ – a time-tested, proven, transformational executive development methodology – with a very specific client focus: Christian business owners, CEOs, Presidents, and executive leaders that seek to honor God in all aspects of their life.
And though Convene is an international brand that has been around for almost 30 years, I have yet to have a conversation with an executive leader that has heard of us.
Scouts honor. If they weren’t referred by a current member that primed the pump a bit, blank stares are the norm.
When that happens, I will go straight to ‘The Big Dog’ – Vistage (who at this moment is by far the largest peer advisory organization in the land) hoping to spark a glimmer of hope, a foundation of understanding I can work with.
More often than not, still nothing. Crickets.
This is not going well.
Time to back up the train and start the education process from scratch. I speak of the value of peer advisory teams, their power, and the fact that it is a proven method of transformational executive development that is common in bigger cities throughout the nation – and even the world.
And, of course, I add in our biggest USP – the fact that we execute this methodology within a biblical worldview.
Business Performance. Eternal Perspective.
The hill is steep. It’s a tough sell. But the potential for impact is huge, so I press on hoping that someday the tide will turn, and the market will open up.
Then one day (last week!) I noticed something interesting in my periphery – ‘The Big Dog’ just opened shop across town. Vistage has hung their shingle right here in Central IL.
My gut response the moment I found out?
Quite frankly, I could not have been more excited!
The word is out. The gig is up. The value and the opportunity are affirmed in The River City and in corn country throughout the region.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Vistage! I sincerely look forward to your success.
Because I honestly believe in the power and beauty of what we (and other P2P teams around us) offer the business leaders here in the heart of Illinois.
Let’s do this.
Thanks for reading today, folks. This one was a little different. I hope you found it of value.
Blessings to you, my friends!
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This Week’s Resource Recommendation:
“Power of Peers: How the Company You Keep Drives Leadership, Growth, and Success”
- Leon Shapiro & Leo Bottary
From Amazon: Birds of a feather flock together. We're all in the same boat. Great minds think alike. While just figures of speech to some, they reflect a simple truth--it's the company we keep that often determines the level of personal growth and professional success we achieve in life.
Business leaders exchange information and ideas. They network to make deals and build partnerships. They work together to optimize best practices, and they reach out to leaders outside their companies to accelerate growth. Simply put, CEOs and business leaders provide value to one another that they can't find anywhere else.
In The Power of Peers, authors Leon Shapiro and Leo Bottary introduce peer advantage, a concept that transcends peer influence. This is what CEOs and business leaders experience when they are more selective, strategic, and structured in the way they engage their peers. Peer advantage gives CEOs the insights to compete and the courage to act.
The Power of Peers features stories of business leaders from a range of industries to illustrate the five essential factors for peer advantage, how it impacts personal growth and why it has proven so effective in helping leaders identify future opportunities and challenges. It's what top, growth-oriented executives have relied upon for decades to be successful in business and in life.
MMS 25-13
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Blessings to you, my friend!
