The Man, the Myth, the (Crappy) Legend

Today I called my doctor’s office to make an appointment and had the distinct displeasure of being put on hold for close to 10 minutes. As is usually the case, for the entire wait I was subjected to godawful “smooth jazz” that made me want to hang up and switch doctors.

While being aurally assaulted by this tripe, I thought to myself, “Who actually likes this crap, and why is it on nearly every phone system in the US?” The more I thought about it, I started thinking that music like smooth jazz or Muzak are probably chosen less because lots of people like them, and more because they don’t overtly offend people (me excluded, apparently).

Unfortunately, many people run their businesses and personal brands with this latter mindset. We’ve become so afraid of offending anyone and possibly losing their business that we water our personalities down and try to keep things “plain vanilla” so we can be everything for everyone.

With the sheer amount of competition out there, this strategy just doesn’t work anymore. To stand out from the crowd, especially in online venues where people don’t know you personally, you’ve got to stand for something, even if that means offending or losing some of your potential market.

Smart marketers like Naomi Dunford of Ittybiz know this, and by being authentic and taking risks, they’re able to build passionate followings and get raving fans who line up to work with like-minded people. This doesn’t mean being deliberately offensive for shock value, it just means not being afraid to challenge convention or rock the boat.

Because let’s face it- there may be some people out there who actually like smooth jazz a little bit. The fact that Kenny G ever sold an album attests to this fact. But are they as passionately into smooth jazz (or other kinds of hold music) as much as sad teens are into emo, or Scandinavians are into death metal? I really doubt it, because hold music is specifically chosen to not take chances or be risky. That also means it’s totally interchangeable and forgettable. The same can’t be said for music that takes risks and makes its fans feel like they’re part of something special.

If you want your business to avoid being hold music, be willing to say some things that might turn some people off, or make it clear that you’re not the right provider for some customers. It’s OK, really. I’m probably never going to buy a country album, but not having my business doesn’t stop country artists from being ridiculously successful. If you’re willing to be authentic and focus your efforts on your tribe, not the masses, you’ll start building your fan base and making the right people like you a lot quicker than if you’re just out to not offend anybody.