I went pumpkin picking yesterday with my family. Sounds exciting, right? But considering  

  • that in the days of COVID, getting together with the family is not as easy as it once was, 
  • that this year my 2 ½ year old grandson can now pick up his own pumpkin,  
  • that this is the first fall for my 3 month old grandson,  
  • that my sister has recently moved back into NJ to be with us, and FINALLY  
  • that as a certified Pumpkin Plan strategist, pumpkins are kinda cool and exciting,  

then YES this was an awesome event! 

I began my search for the sort of pumpkin I especially like – bright orange, nice and fat and round, deep ridges. But although the farm had thousands of pumpkins and gourds, I didn’t see “my” traditional pick. 

So – being a true strategist who recognizes the benefit of defining your Unique Value, and being “Different-Not–Better”, I changed my thinking and scanned for pumpkins with a beautiful shape or color or size. 

Something happened when I shifted my thinking – instead of “no luck, can’t find The One”, all of a sudden, there were gorgeous pumpkins everywhere. In fact I chose 3 instead of one. They didn’t “fit” the description of my traditional pick but I was excited to display them on my front steps.  

Ok, Susana, bring it back to business strategy. You probably know where I’m going with this. Trying to format your business just like everyone else works against you. Being “the same” means you become invisible. You can be easily compared to all the cookie cutter businesses and you are now competing on price.  

When plucking my “new” perfect pumpkins, I didn’t ask about price. I just wanted them because they looked special to me. 

When you are unique, and it’s time to introduce yourself at a networking event, YES it takes a little longer and you fuss a bit more with HOW to describe what you do.  

But – people sit up and listen. All of a sudden they have to listen to understand, and you may even see someone take notes because they want to think about it further. 

If you feel you’re helplessly stuck in cookie cutter mode and want to find a way to stand out, contact me and we’ll do it together.  

Happy Pumpkin Season!