'Speed brings safety' is 'Geschwindigkeit bringt Sicherheit' in German. A variation of Issue 77's theme: 'If you slow down, you go down' but that was about maintaining your momentum while remaining modest.
But what if speed isn't what you wanna be modest about, especially as a brand? I stumbled upon Sticky Branding's 2014 post about Almag Aluminum. They positioned themselves based upon their speed, I liked the breakdown:
- Speed is an attitude – What’s a crisis for one company is an opportunity for another. Almag has the attitude that the faster they can react, the better they are.
- Speed is a niche – A big part of Almag’s market is commoditized and driven by price. But by understanding what their customers really want creates an opportunity to specialize, and serve a niche that is less price sensitive.
- Speed requires strategic choices – The right attitude will only take your brand so far. To create a sustainable competitive advantage that differentiates your brand requires strategic choices.
"So when you take your fixed costs, and allocate them over the hours you are working, we are generally working fewer hours than most people in our industry. Just cause we want that time available so that if somebody needs something quickly we can turn it on, and we have the capacity and space to do that,”
- Speed is a brand promise – Focusing on a niche is a commitment. Almag positioned their brand as the emergency department for their industry. It’s a bold claim, but they back it up with the attitude, systems and capabilities to deliver on it.
The post ended with a great conclusion & questions questions: Differentiating your brand in a competitive market requires similar choices. Who do you serve? How are you differentiating your brand from the competition? What can you do better than anyone else?
As always, thank you for reading!
with appreciation,
Jon
❤️ this? Please tweet it, share on LinkedIn or post on FB. Merci!
p.s. Thank you to everyone that snagged a cap already! A week is left on the pre-order!
p.p.s. check out the new feedback option below. Lemme know!
Cycling
Speedvagen European Stoke Trip!
Speedvagen is coming to Europe for scoping locations & get people stoked for a Fit Tour later this year. Hit reply if you live in one of these cities & would like to know more:
30 | Tuscany / riding Novo Eroica? (we're looking for a photog)
May 4-6 | London
May 6-8 | Copenhagen
9 | Girona
Binnenbandjes.nl
My friend Mark is a local here in Amsterdam that, like me, often finds one foot in the tech scene & the other on the pedal of his bike.
He spoke at the very first Sales Hacker events here in Amsterdam in Oct 2014! He also just launched binnenbandjes.nl : )
The idea: bulk pricing on binnenbandjes (innertubes) even on non-bulk orders. NL only for now. Like them on FB & follow in Insta!
Donhou x Kibosh | Donhou Bicycles
Tom Donhou of Donhou Bicycles has teamed up with Kibosh Racing, a South West UK based race team with attitude, to create a stunning steel race bike with a paint job that pays homage to motor racing’s golden era.
– David Arthur of road.cc on the new Donhou x Kibosh collabo
Congrats guys! The bikes look amazing! Good luck this season!
Startups
How and Why Brands Use Influencer-Generated Content
Most companies pay influencers to create marketing content to better reach target audiences. Brands also repurpose influencer content for their own channels and marketing. Nothing ground breaking here but interesting to read : )
Amsterdam’s Wercker acquired by Oracle for undisclosed amount
Dutch startup Wercker, who makes tools for testing and deploying code, has been acquired by Oracle.
Congrats to Micha & the team! I almost worked here back in 2014 & have followed them ever since. I wonder whats next? : )
Gerard Vroomen "Relentless Simplicity"
I got the the heads up on this 2 year old talk by Cervelo & OPEN Cycle founder, Gerard Vroomen, this week from Marc Gasch. Certainly worth a watch!
Sales
Price negotiations: How to respond when a competing vendor underbids you
A prospect tells you a competing vendor offered them a lower price. You'll never believe what happens next! ; )
Memorable quote from Steli: "the growth of any SaaS business relies on enabling the success of others." 👌
Next Sales Hacker is Next Week!
This edition will be at Springest's new office, has a roster of impressive speakers & quickly filling RSVP list. See you next week!
4 Technological Tips to Make Your Digital Sales Team More Productive - AlleyWatch
4 Technology Tips to help your Digital Sales Team Improve productivity. Surprise, #2 is speed:
Make sure you’re responding to customers ASAP. 78 percent of sales went to the companies that responded first
This Simple Sales Habit Will Give You an Unbeatable Edge in Business ; )
Radness
Volume 06 - FAR RIDE MAGAZINE
Far Ride Volume 6 takes you on cycling journeys from all over the world.
They discuss the joy of cycling challenges such as the Mongolian Bike Challenge, the Japanese Odyssey and the Podia Roadventures and more.
Get your issue here & watch the above short on the Japanese Odyssey here.