Each time i pick up a new book to read, there is this rush of excitement that envelops me... especially when it is a genre i'm really really interested in like business related books.
So today, I will be bring to you all an amazing book I just finished reading, the book is titled "Purple Cow by Seth Godin" Anyone who knows Seth Godin knows that he's not just an author, he's a prolific author who has revolutionized the way people think when it comes to marketing and entrepreneurship.
The one thing I really like about Seth Godin is how he challenges you to think outside the box as far as marketing is concerned. He's all about being bold, breaking the mold, coming up with new ways of doing things and not always sticking to the outdated business rules so that people can notice... which is basically what marketing is all about... getting noticed.
Another thing i like about Seth Godin's books is the way be breaks down complex concepts into simple and actionable insights that makes it easy to understand and implement. This is really powerful because in business, knowledge without action or implementation means nothing.
The Purple cow by Seth Godin is a book i cherish so much, i really like the book a lot because it is packed with a lot of great insight and concepts that are extremely valuable for business owners like myself.
The book focuses on one core idea which is to "Be Remarkable or Be Invisible" and breaks it down into 6 key concepts...
The Purple Cow Metaphor: He gives an analogy that clearly explains the concept of standing out. imagine you are driving by and you see a heard of brown cows... you might just look at them once and move on because it is something you are used to seeing... now imaging if you see a purple cow in that same field, you'll most likely stop to take a proper look at it right?... because you've probably never seen a purple cow in your life before... That's basically what the concept is all about... being different, being remarkable to attract attention.
With that, you can see how it translates to business... it means that as a business owner, it is important to always strive to be different and stand out instead of doing what everyone else it doing and blending in. To truly stand out and get noticed and attract customers, you have to be different from your competitors.
My favorite takeaways from the book
Good enough is not enough: This book teaches to be remarkable or be ignored. It teaches that just being good enough is not enough to stand out and be successful in today's world. Back in the days, all that is needed is just to be good enough... but in this present times, just being good enough is no no longer enough, you have to be remarkable to stand out and get noticed. This is very important for business owners who think that creating a good product is enough to attract customers, but the reality is that it isnt so anymore... businesses have to create products that is so good that people cant help but tell their friends and others about how awesome the product is.
Being safe is risky: This lesson is really powerful because it teaches people to always try to do things outside their comfort zone and push the boundaries. In business, by playing it safe, you risk blending into the crowd and not standing out... however, if you want to stand out, you have to be bold and different.
Stop trying to please everyone: In business, if you try to please everyone, you'll eventually please no one... This is a lesson i find extremely valuable because it teaches to only appeal to people who really care about what you’re doing... This is basically the idea of focusing on a particular target audience.
