| This is an important lesson about business strategy, | | | | frustrated. See, after three months, the boy had |
| so pay close attention to it. I had a few consulting | | | | only learned one move. |
| calls this week and the topic of positioning came up | | | | He pleaded with his Sensei to teach him more |
| on more than one occasion. In business, "positioning" | | | | moves, but the Sensei held firm that this was the |
| is everything. It creates your differential (why | | | | only move he would ever need to know. To prove |
| someone should work with YOU over your | | | | this, he entered the boy into a tournament, and he |
| competition), it gives you a reason why you exist, | | | | quickly advanced to the finals. However, his opponent |
| and it also, when used effectively... creates scarcity, | | | | in this final match was much bigger, and far more |
| solidifies your place in the market, and allows you to | | | | experienced, and the odds seemed to be stacked |
| charge higher prices than anyone else. | | | | against this one-armed little boy. |
| The secret to positioning is to simply make | | | | Yet, after a long match, his opponent began losing |
| whatever's different about you, your strength. But | | | | concentration. The boy sensed this, and quickly took |
| sometimes it's hard to see this difference when | | | | advantage of it. He pinned his opponent and scored a |
| you're looking at your own business. So today I want | | | | highly unlikely win. In the car on the way home from |
| to share a story with you that gives you another | | | | the tournament, the boy asked his Sensei, "Sensei, |
| perspective. The story, whose author is unknown, is | | | | how was it possible I was able to win with only one |
| called... | | | | move?" |
| "One Trick Pony" | | | | The Sensei replied, smiling, "You have mastered one |
| There was a 10-year old little boy, who's left arm had | | | | of the most difficult moves in all of judo. And the |
| sadly been amputated -- the result of a tragic | | | | ONLY defense against this move, is for your |
| automobile accident. The little boy decided he wanted | | | | opponent to grab your left arm." If you're smart, and |
| to learn judo, and so he began studying under an old | | | | if you work at your business strategy... sometimes |
| Sensei. His Sensei was a patient but demanding | | | | even your biggest weakness... can become... your |
| teacher, a well-respected Chinese judo expert. And | | | | greatest strength. |
| even though the boy learned quickly, he was | | | | |