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Name: Get Different
Rating: 4.3 (271 reviews)
Author: Mike Michalowicz

Mike Michalowicz

Marketing That Can't Be Ignored!

4.3 (271 ratings)

22 mins

Brief summary

Get Different by Mike Michalowicz is a guide for business owners to stand out in crowded markets by using unconventional marketing techniques and creating a unique brand voice. It emphasizes on innovation and differentiation to create a dedicated customer base.

Topics

Marketing Growth Hacking Strategy Branding

Table of Contents

Get Different
Summary of 7 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 7

What’s in it for me? Stand out from your competition, and attract the customers you want.

So, you’ve got an amazing product or service to offer the world. You know there’s a need, and you’re convinced there’s nothing better on the market to fulfill it. The trouble is, no one knows about it – yet.

No matter how great your offering is, it’s easy to go unnoticed in a crowded market. Lack of effective marketing is the reason many businesses struggle to grow. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

In these blinks, you’ll see that getting your market’s attention – and converting that attention into leads – isn’t about following the herd. Instead, these experimental tools generate totally atypical marketing solutions that will set you apart from the competition no matter your budget.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how mailing candles kept a restaurant owner afloat;
why having a nemesis can motivate your marketing efforts; and
how free ice water turned a fledgling supermarket into a tourist destination.

To get noticed by prospects, be different.

Imagine you’re sitting on a plane. It’s about to take off, and there’s a lot going on. Seatbelts clicking. Overhead compartments shutting and opening. The pilot’s voice on the intercom. In spite of all of this commotion, most passengers are probably zoning out or on their phones. After all, this is what happens before every flight.

Now, imagine that a fellow passenger two rows behind you begins whooping loudly and flailing his arms around. There’s no doubt that you – and every passenger on the plane – will turn your attention to him. That’s because the spectacle is not only unexpected, but different. And what’s different, gets noticed.

This is the key message: To get noticed by prospects, be different.

To understand why humans are wired to ignore what’s expected, consider that our hunter-gatherer ancestors depended on their ability to filter out sensory data for survival. Recurring sounds like leaves crunching, for example, were not as important as the unexpected ones: passing deer hooves signaling dinner, or a lion’s approach signaling danger.

The human brain is designed for survival at this level: to grasp opportunities, avoid danger, and ignore the rest. Your mind is excellent at ignoring anything that repeatedly proves to be neither an opportunity nor a threat.

This phenomenon is known as habituation – and it explains why so many marketing crazes are short-lived.

After all, the first goal of all marketing efforts is to get attention; before you can sell the benefits of your product or service, you need an audience. But when businesses use the same marketing tactics over and over again, customers become habituated to them and eventually learn to stop paying attention.

Think of the first time you got a marketing email that addressed you by your first name. The informal address probably made you stop for a second. Other companies addressed you as “Dear customer,” and here was this message hitting you up like a pal.

Now, though, personalized marketing emails are the norm. As soon as you spot an unsolicited “Hey, Name” email from a company, you don’t stop to appreciate the friendliness – you hit delete and get on with your day.

In marketing, going the tried-and-tested route means you’ll blend into the background. To get noticed, you have to make choices that are different from everyone else. But first, you have to know whose attention you’re after.

Before experimenting with your marketing, build a list of target prospects.

Now imagine you’re out fishing in a small backyard pond. As you lower your bait, you hope to catch a marlin. If that sounds absurd, it’s because it is – there’s no way you’re going to catch an ocean fish in a tiny pond.

The same principle applies to your marketing. If you don’t know exactly who you’re targeting with your idea or strategy, you’ll just be wasting your time.

You need a clear goal to market effectively.

Visualize yourself at the foot of an enormous mountain. What could motivate you to climb to the top? Maybe you think it’d be really cool to get up there. But that alone probably wouldn’t be enough to overcome the challenge.

Now, what if your child were at the top of that mountain? And what if, at the same time, a villain were scaling the mountain to get her? That’s a mission that will get you going – a lot more than simple desire!

Let your odds of success determine how much to spend on marketing.

When Linda Weathers reached out to Michalowicz, she was desperate. She’d successfully launched her bookkeeping business but had zero new leads after a whole year of operations. It’s not like she wasn’t trying – she’d spent $50,000 on programs that promised to find her leads, but none of them had delivered.

Michalowicz warned Linda that she was likely being scammed. In fact, he said, getting new leads doesn’t need to cost a cent.

Sustain your prospects’ attention by presenting a clear opportunity.

Michalowicz was driving in New York City when he stopped at a red light and came face-to-face with a man in a cheap Statue of Liberty costume. Everything about him was striking: the green toga, the foam crown, the cigarette dangling out of his sneering mouth. He was also holding a sign advertising tax consults.

Sure, this guy stood out – but the idea of getting tax consults from him seemed absurd. The fact is, getting attention is only effective marketing if you appeal to the people you want as customers – not turn them off.

Point your customers toward action by offering a simple directive.

You know how street performers have a container set out in front of them? When you pass a busker or a mime, it’s pretty obvious what they want you to do with that container: express your appreciation for their work by putting money in it.

Of course, you may not want to tip. But the fact that their request is so simple and specific maximizes the odds that you will. This is the power of a clear directive.

Measure the success of your idea, and continue to experiment if necessary.

Following a Get Different workshop, an accountant named Gabe Piña came up with an idea to gain new leads. He would send ten prospects a copy of his favorite business book and include a Post-it on the first page. On it, he’d write, “I hope this book serves you as much as it has served me,” along with his name and email.

Gabe was successful in gaining attention from his prospects. But while they appreciated the note, his prospects were too busy to read the book. He didn’t get any new leads either.

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What is Get Different about?

Get Different (2021) is a practical guide for entrepreneurs who want to leverage their market strategies and set themselves apart from the competition. Using an established framework, it offers step-by-step guidance on how to turn a marketing experiment into a strategic plan that gets you noticed and generates leads.

Get Different Review

Get Different (2021) by Mike Michalowicz is a book that offers fresh perspectives and practical strategies for standing out in a crowded marketplace. Here's why this book is worth your time:

Through real-world examples and case studies, it provides actionable insights on how to differentiate your business and attract customers.
It presents a step-by-step approach to help you identify your unique value proposition and create a compelling brand that resonates with your target audience.
With its engaging writing style and humorous anecdotes, the book manages to deliver valuable business advice while keeping the reader entertained and eager to learn more.

Who should read Get Different?

Business owners seeking new leads
Marketing professionals and enthusiasts
New entrepreneurs

About the Author

Mike Michalowicz built and sold two million-dollar companies: Olmec Systems and a computer forensic firm. He is now an author and public speaker on business and entrepreneurship. He’s written several other best-selling books, including The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur and Profit First.

Categories with Get Different

Marketing & Sales Entrepreneurship

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