Imagine a retail company running an ad with a picture of one of their jackets and the words, “Don’t Buy This Jacket”. Does that sound like a smart move?
Taking a stand for something is another way that allows you to stand out from the crowd. When you take a stand you further define your business so it attracts people who value what you stand for. Saying you have values is much different than demonstrating you live by those values.
I believe that taking a stand for something rather than against something is a better approach. Rather than take a negative point of view like being anti-war, instead be pro-peace. It harnesses more positive energy toward your cause.
If you want to deal with unemployment, rather than decrease the unemployment rate how about focusing on improving the employment rate. It’s more aspirational. It focuses the energy in a positive direction.
Patagonia the outdoor gear company was responsible for the ad mentioned above. They stand for protecting the environment. Yet as a manufacturer how do they demonstrate that stand to support the environment while using our planet’s resources to create their products?
On Black Friday no less they ran this ad as a way to encourage customers to think about conserving our resources. It also was a strong signal for what they stand for. It allowed them to stand out from the crowd and signal if you believe what we believe you can join us. When you do purchase a coat you can consider buying from a company whose beliefs are a reflection of your own.
Now consider another outdoor company REI. In 2015 they started closing their stores on Black Friday as well as closing their online shipping centers. They’ve been giving all their employees a paid day off encouraging them to spend the day outside.
This is taking a stand. REI is demonstrating their stand by believing, “that it’s in the wild, untamed and natural places that we find our best selves, so our purpose is to awaken a lifelong love of the outdoors, for all.” When they close their stores and encourage their employees to go explore the wild, untamed and natural places they’re demonstrating the stand they have taken.
The idea of taking a stand can seem terrifying. This is exactly why more companies don’t do it. But if you want to stand out and make it easier for the right people to choose you it will become easier if you take a stand.
You don’t have to take out an ad discouraging people from using your services to take a stand. You could take a stand against a specific practice that you don’t feel is serving clients in your industry. You could take a stand to be more client-focused in all your business decisions.
However, you choose to take a stand it will ripple through your business. All your decisions will be impacted by it. In essence, your stand reflects a value you stand for. We do this because we won’t do that.
Yes, when you take a stand you will turn away some people but they aren’t your people. The stand you take will attract some people. The right people for you.
Vanilla ice cream is a good choice if you want to serve something that is okay for most people. But if you want to delight some while turning off others serve pistachio ice cream. But those who like pistachio really like it. Everyone was okay with vanilla but pistachio has some loyal fans.
If you want to work toward developing loyal clients who love what you do, what you stand for and how you help them then take a stand.
At Smitten, we believe that you should feel safe in your decision to work with us. We have heard too many stories from clients about previous bad experiences and we want our clients to have a different experience. To take our stand we guarantee you’ll love what we deliver.
We want our clients to not only know but feel that we have their best interest at heart. That’s the stand we take.
What will you do to take a stand?