Give your business development the X Factor!

I am really loving the TV show X Factor this year and not just because they have some amazingly talented acts – there are 6 acts that I believe are potentially world class.

This week’s show was not only entertaining but packed full of wisdom that if applied to any business will make finding and keeping profitable customers so much easier.

The major lesson was about being different. There are a few acts that are clearly different and have their own unique style. Rather than just singing the song the same as anyone else would, they are stamping their own personal style onto it and creating magic. In a competition with so much talent, having a great voice just is no longer good enough.

Simon Cowell has been giving Ruth Lorenzo (she is the girl from Spain) a hard time because she is not making the most of her key point of difference which is her latin looks and Spanishness. Although she has an amazing voice she does not stand out from the crowd. Her only hope, according to Simon, is to be different from the rest. The lesson is that being samey means that you have far more competition and whether people decide to go with you or someone else can be very fickle.

Diana Vickers is an excellent example of someone that not only has talent but a uniqueness. Simon Cowell said last week that you will either like her or hate her……in business trying to be all things to all people and the same as everyone else is the road to disaster….or at very least having to work so much harder in selling yourself against your competition.

The older guy Daniel, who in my opinion is not in the same class as my favourites, gives hope to all in business. He is being himself and singing from the heart and surprisingly he is still in the competition despite being panned by Louie Walsh and Simon Cowell. Simon said it all when he remarked that there must be a lot of older women voting for him and he said ‘Good luck to you’ in a very genuine and sincere way.

For me the show was a great reminder that talent alone is not enough to ensure business success. its being willing to stand out from the crowd and carve out a niche for ourselves which is actually a lower risk option…..and as a bonus…it makes sales and marketing so much easier too!!!