In an increasingly competitive marketplace, how can you make your business stand out?
When you’re competing for the job or the promotion, how do you not only differentiate yourself from others but distinguish yourself as the best candidate?
What do you do when you’ve already taken your business from good to great, but great doesn’t cut it?
Creating Distinction
Scott McKain is a global expert in the art of distinction. In an increasingly competitive marketplace, Scott helps companies rise above mediocrity and sameness to achieve record growth. His own career is also distinctive. He’s one of my favorite professional speakers. He is both a member of the Speaker’s Roundtable and the Speakers Hall of Fame. He’s a bestselling author and also a personal friend.
Whether in the boardroom or on the platform, Scott is passionate about helping businesses and individuals create distinction. His latest award-winning book is called Create Distinction. I love what the subtitle adds: What to Do When Great Isn’t Good Enough to Grow Your Business.
Do you ever feel that way? That your business is great, but in the world we are in, great just isn’t good enough? What do you do?
Scott McKain offers what he calls “The Four Cornerstones of Distinction”:
- Clarity
- Creativity
- Communication
- Customer-Experience Focus
CLARITY
The first cornerstone of distinction is clarity. This requires you to define who you are, what you’re about, and, just as importantly, who you are not.
CREATIVITY
Scott explains that the most surprising part of his research into distinction is that creativity follows clarity and not the other way around. This is because you want to be creative, but within the boundaries you developed for clarity. Otherwise, you will wander aimlessly, creating new ideas without any guideposts.
COMMUNICATION
Communication is another cornerstone of distinction. Great companies and leaders consistently communicate. When you tell powerful stories, customers find it compelling and want to do business with you.
CUSTOMER-EXPERIENCE FOCUS
I’ve interviewed many people about creating great customer service situations. From small business owners to customer experience experts and larger company CEO’s, there are different ideas of what makes a customer experience great. Scott explains a customer-centric culture this way: “It is the echelon where the customer’s experience is at the center of every decision the organization makes at all levels of the organization.” Customer experience is beyond customer service. Organizations that do this well communicate the vision, listen to the customer, have an effective feedback system, and continually ask how each action will create a compelling experience.
In this video interview, I talk with Scott about his own story of distinction and his experiences working with companies across the globe.
