How to commoditize yourself fast

By Rajesh Setty on Mon 23 Jun 2008, 11:34 AM – 2 Comments

You want to be an “also ran” in the rat race? If so, no worries – technology will help you do that. Quickly.

There are many ways to do it. Really. I have an example of a Business Development email that I received (unsolicited, of course) a while ago. You can read the entire email filled with cliches and claims that are “very common” from vendors of that category.

First, an unsolicited email rarely does the job for a long-term relationship. I think the better way would be to get an introduction from someone. This would mean lot more work upfront. Hence people resort to the aid of technology and blast emails en-masse and hope that a “small” percentage will respond favorably. In fact, a small percentage of them may respond back – almost validating their original premise. In turn motivating themto continue to do what does not work really.

Anyway, back to the point, please read through the email and you will notice that the sender tries his or her best to be one among the many. He or she has followed all the best practices and the current buzzwords to ensure that he is “compliant” with the crowd – in the process eliminating himself out of the race. What is lacking in the email is simply that he or she has failed to show why the offer is “relevant” to my business and failed to establish a relationship prior to adding me to the list of recipients.

Technology provides a great competitive advantage if used right. It will also prove to be a “competitive disadvantage” if used wrong.

Have a great week ahead.

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Posted in the Business Models, Main Page category.

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