I just listened to a stream of Seth Godin at Mima Summit. And of course he has a great speech about being remarkable. Seth wants you to cultivate and lead a tribe. He gives you a great overview of how other companies have done it.
He went over the usual suspects including Zappos, TOMS Shoes and his favorite, LittleMissMatched Socks. (I would like to point out while Seth says they have grown tremendously without any advertising, his mere mention of them is worth dozens of TV ads).
When you listen to Seth talk, be expect to be inspired. He’s the type of speaker to move you to action. But don’t count on him telling you how to do it. His stories start off with a remarkable company whose customers talk about them to others. And that’s where Seth’s hand-waving begins. Seth’s stories end with the company’s message spreads and its tribe grows from user to user, but he always glosses over how that really happens.
In truth, being remarkable isn’t enough. There’s a lot of work to be done beyond being remarkable, and I suspect the real end to Seth’s stories aren’t so neat and tidy, and involve a lot more nitty gritty.
I believe the devil’s in the details, which is why it is so hard to get it right. And Seth’s not going to tell you how to get those details right, you’re going to have to figure it out on your own. And that’s exactly how it should be.
He doesn’t know your product, your customers, or your situation. There’s no blanket advice that will work all the time, and for goodness sake don’t trust the salesman with the silver bullet. If you’re looking for a “how to be successful” that’s beyond motivating, just get back to work. That’s the only way to get there.
