IDEA VIRUS

today i have been reading seth godin's book 'IDEA VIRUS' Please get this book and read it. it's a great book.
IF you have an idea to share to the world read this book

PASSION

One major characteristic of stars (musicians, footballers, athletes, swimmers) is that they have a strong passion and love for what they do. That passion drives them to demand excellence and high standard from themselves. Passion speaks of strong love and obsession for a thing. It is a HEART THING, NOT A HEAD THING. Are you passionate about your company, are you excited about your work. Show me a star and I’ll show you a passionate person. If you are not passionate about your work, life is too short why don’t you look for something else that fits well with your passion? Passion cannot be taught. In the USA, most heart attacks take place on Monday morning, this is because a lot of people are not doing what they love to do.
You should have passion for the mission and vision of your company, so that you don’t see your work as work, rather you see it as a CAUSE, worthy of your time, talent and energy.

THE LAW OF VALUE

THE LAW OF VALUE:
Henry Ford told us years ago that, “Wealth when sought after directly will never be achieved…it only comes as a by-product of providing useful service.”

the law of value is based on the premise that, for you to get what you want, you’ve got to give people what they want. This is called the exchange of value for value.
Wealth or material blessing is a reflection of how much value we have created in other people’s lives. The reward for value is money. Successful people think about, how to improve the lives of other people.
To create wealth therefore, you've got to think about other peoples: interest, needs, hurts, wants, etc and how to creatively solve them for a fee.

TIPS AND PICS FROM MY BRANDING SEMINAR

· KNOW YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
The first step to building a brand is to look within yourself: decode, discover or unearth your area of strength otherwise known as your competitive advantage. It basically means the thing(s) that you can do so very well. Or put differently it is discover what distinguishes you from other people doing the same thing with you.

For example in business, your competitive advantage could be that you’re after sales service is awesome. That difference can be your upper hand in the game, and also be the reason you give to customers for patronage. Or in an organization your competitive advantage could be your negotiation ability.
Your competitive advantage is your point of distinction and difference. A lot of times it is our difference from others that the world rewards.
I have a simple equation for that, CLEAR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE + VALUE TO CUSTOMERS = SUCCESSFUL BRANDING.

HOW TO DECODE YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE
1. What words do people use to describe you or your business after an encounter? Do people say things like: great service, quick delivery, warm reception, great communication, clean environment and etc. when you hear a particular word or family of words consistently that is an indication of your competitive advantage.
2. What upsets you about your company or industry in others words what’s your burden. One man set up a successful chain of hotels in America with a huge bias for customer service because he was upset with the quality of service he was getting.
3. Your training, skill, and passion can also help you decode your competitive advantage.
4. Your competitive advantage is the difference you intend to make in your organization and industry based on your uniqueness.
· FUNDAMENTAL DEFINITION
This is the central business why you’re working beyond making a profit. It is the core or spiritual dimension of your brand. It speaks of your vision, values, mission, and goals.
It is the fuel that drives your brand to perform in exceptional ways. Your fundamental definition is what you base all your decisions and actions on. Actions that will enhance any vision you embark upon, but will disrupt any action that is inimical to your vision. For example the fundamental definition of Microsoft is to put a computer on every desk in the world. This overriding passion has enabled them to come up with great products and services.
A vision is a mental picture of a preferred future. Vision speaks of a tomorrow that is better and beyond your current reality. All successful brands start with a vision about how they want their future outcome to be.
Living next to vision is values. Values basically means the attitudinal patterns that the brand will need to exhibit consistently if they are going to actualize their vision. The following are values that you can select from and imbibe into building brand you; uplift, unique, sports, constantly improving, detail oriented, congruent, discerning, net worker, exhilaration, love, ingenuity, family, direct, fun, transformational, passionate, professionalism, quick service, result-oriented, dependability, stylish, knowledgeable, current, excellent, capable, health conscious, informing, humorous, honest, holy, peaceful, visionary, energized, glamorous, integrity, inspiring, educating, elegant, entertaining, expert, and more.
The following are the core values of a company I know of.
Openness
We are always genuine and prepared for challenges
Care
We take time to understand and have an empathic approach
Integrity
Our relationships are based on trust
Enthusiasm
We are passionate about our business and always imbue a sense of fun
Quality
We aspire to be the best. We achieve high standards and create new ones
Learning
We share knowledge freely and actively encourage feedback
Performance
We are self-motivated and achievement focused
Imagine everyone living and breathing these values in an organization? That, my friend, will be a winning organization.