“People don’t know what they want, because they haven’t seen it yet.
It’s my job to show them something they haven’t seen… not just another version of something already done.”
[Robert Altman]
This quote made me smile.
Being a trend setter is a bit lonely, if exciting. You see things differently, sometimes a few years ahead of the market.
If you manage to experiment and do your ideas, you even find ways to integrate what you learn in your day work. Which is how you get to be a bit different in tone, voice, and personality, on behalf of a brand or business.
And sometimes even valued more because of it. It does take good leadership to step away from what feels "safe" in favor of what is new.
The truth is everyone loves to find out what's next. Yet, people will do it only when everyone else is on board. As if that made it right and appropriate to do because someone else was doing it. Everyone loves a market leader, wishes they could become one.
There is one way to do that -- having the guts to decide to go where nobody else is going. Often without tangible proof, just a hunch and a belief. While you can use all kinds of data to prove a point, you won't know if something new works until you do it.
What if there was a way to see correlations between data points and potential futures? How about gaining access to lots of diverse resources you may not have thought would go together? Plus, information about new initiatives and exclusive opportunities -- all for the cost of a latte each month.
You will have the opportunity to do just that.
***
Starting in June, I will be shifting most of the trend analysis, exclusive information, and unique business resources to the monthly Conversation Agent Premium Newsletter.
This week I hit 1,500 posts at this site. That's a lot of free content, much of it still very relevant and timely (you see me link to material I wrote 4 years ago). I will continue to offer personal news commentary and brief write ups on marketing, business strategy, and technology for free here.
I am also providing another opportunity for people who wish to promote their business, event, service, or simply to thank me for a referral by sponsoring this feed for a week.
This community includes some of the biggest names in business: Tastemakers, evangelists, and early adopters. They're the people defining good business practices; making ideas happen; understanding and building influence, future trends, and technology.
Look for more information on how to get trend analysis, diverse business resources, and exclusive information delivered to your inbox monthly for the price of a latte next week.
[Altman's philosophy and work]
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Being a trend setter is a bit lonely, if exciting. You see things differently, sometimes a few years ahead of the market.
--- I loveed the above! and also, people are so scared about standing out - is it not them who end up doing well? Yes! Loved this post a lot. :)
Posted by: Gabriella - The Stepford wife | May 31, 2011 at 10:21 AM
confidence comes from building something - mastering a skills, working on solving a problem. I find it's hard to muster and get across when the focus is copying, or "positioning" without being able to back it up.
Posted by: Valeria Maltoni | June 02, 2011 at 10:14 AM