My colleagues at ISD Global have always been irked by the fact( and justifiably so) that I remain very open to sharing our ideas and concepts to the world. Their apprehension (not out of sync in any way) is that it will get copied or stolen without our getting any attribution or benefit. My take on that always has been: so be it! Guarded in the fact that our sense of individuality, mindset, execution abilities etc are NOT commoditsable.
In a world that is rapidly getting commoditised, also-rans and me too fill the universe. As humans, right from the hunter-gatherer stages, we always found safety and recluse in being part of a tribe. Doing our best to fit in, comply, adhere, conform.. but we need to recognise is the fact that a society that once used to reward people for fitting in is now seeking and saluting people who stand out.
So, there’s a great way to protect yourself from the umpteeen number of copycats. By making you as an integral part of your offering or service or solution. Inject what is unique about the way you think into what you sell. Decommoditise your product. Make it something that no one else can offer.
Look no further than Zappos.com, the online shoe retailer. On the face of it, the brand is no different from a FootLocker or any other aggregator platform. That said, the big difference that Zappos brings in is CEO Tony Hsieh‘s obsession with customer service into everything he does.
At Zappos, there are NO scripts that call centre executives are expected to parrot like the rest of the customer service world. They can talk to customers for as long as they want. Not just that, Zappos HQ and their call centre are in the same premises(not oceans apart like most of the rest). And all of Zappos employees(even ones not in customer service or fulfillment) are expected to work in the warehouse and answer telephone calls from customers. It is this devotion to customer service that differentiates Zappos from other online shoe retailers.
Pour yourself into your product and everything around your product too: how you sell it, how you support it, how you explain it, and how you deliver it. Competitors can never copy the you in your product.