Every business has gravity.
Some businesses, like Wal-Mart, Google or Starbucks, have lots of it.
Others, like the restaurant around the corner or the commoditized printing company, have very little.
When a business has a lot of gravity, customers stay in orbit around it.
When a business has little gravity, customers fly away into Space.
Some businesses have a lot of gravity because they are big; they are everywhere; they do everything. Customers stay within the orbit of these companies because it’s easier than trying to break free. Sometimes, the gravity of these businesses is so huge that they squish any other nearby business. Then they become Black Holes.
So how does a smaller business, that isn’t everywhere and doesn’t do everything, compete when there’s a giant star in the neighborhood? How does it pull customers away from the giant’s obit and into its?
The answer is: It must pump up its own gravity. Create, if you like, an artificial gravity machine.
It must appear large in the hearts and minds of its customers.
I don’t mean it must just act big.
It must be big in a meaningful way. It must:
- Serve the needs and the wants of its customers in a genuine, unselfish, personal manner
- Clearly differentiate itself from its competitors in a way that is meaningful to its customers
- Communicate regularly with its customers in a way that serves its customers, not itself
- Develop a one-on-one relationship with its customers
- Show care and attention, be of service – show some love
When it can’t be big physically, it must be big in some other way. Make connections, one customer at a time.
By pumping up its gravity, a small star can become a superstar.