The foreword to 'Pink Goldfish 2.0' emphasizes the importance of differentiation in business to stimulate word of mouth and create memorable customer experiences. Competency alone does not generate conversations; businesses must stand out to encourage customers to share their stories. The book addresses common obstacles to differentiation and provides practical examples to inspire organizations to embrace their uniqueness.

1. “Today, word of mouth is the most
effective and least expensive way
to gain new customers…
FOREWORD
PINK GOLDFISH 2.0
BY JAY BAER
#the1299
Photo Credits: Pixabay, Pexels,
Unsplash, and Gratisography

2. This was also true five years ago.
It has always been true.
It was true when the first
caveman sold a better-than-
expected arrowhead to another
caveman.
It will always be true.
THE FOREWORD TO
PINK GOLDFISH 2.0
BY JAY BAER CONTINUES

3. Yet, very, very, VERY few businesses make
any meaningful attempt to boost word of
mouth. Instead, it’s just taken for granted.
It is nearly always assumed that if the
organization just does a good job, and
executes well, customers will naturally notice
that excellence, and tell others about it.
This is what most company leaders think.

4. But each of those leaders is
expecting customers to behave how
they themselves do not. Because the
fact is that all human beings ignore
what is average, and discuss what is
different.
Competency doesn’t create
conversation. It never has, and it
never will.

5. Competency keeps customers
from defecting. But it doesn’t
create new customers. Why?
B e c a u s e w e E X P E C T
competency. That’s what
we’re paying for, after all.

6. And we don’t make a point of telling our friends
about that time we got exactly what we expected.
This is why there are so few 3-star reviews:
“Paid for a sandwich. Got a sandwich. 3 stars.”
If there is no story to tell, we simply don’t tell it.

7. I have had six accountants in my
professional career. All of them competent,
as far as I can tell. Yet, I have quite literally
never told a story about any of them, to
anyone. What would be the gist of that tale?
“You won’t believe it! I got my tax return
back, and all of the numbers added up!”

8. To turn your current customers into volunteer marketers on your
behalf, you need more than competency: you need something
different, and distinct, and memorable.
If you want more stories told about you,
you need to be worthy of a story.

9. Pink Goldfish 2.0
is your instruction
manual for unlocking
and implementing
your uniqueness,
which becomes the
plot line for those
stories.

10. I have spent nearly 30 years as a
marketing and customer
experience advisor to major brands,
and have written or co-written six
books in the category. I have had
the pleasure of knowing Stan
Phelps and David Rendall for many
of those years. I love their work
throughout the Goldfish series, but
Pink Goldfish is closest to my heart.

11. Why?
Because after consulting with more than 700
organizations, I have found it to be exceedingly
difficult to find lasting success in business
without meaningful differentiation. If you’re
disproportionately good at marketing, that will
help. If you’re better than average at customer
service, that will help. If you have - at least
temporarily - a product that is actually superior,
that will help. If you have exceedingly devoted
employees, that will help.

12. But none of these is enough to create
significant, sustained success.
You have to stand out in a way that is
noticeable enough to create a tsunami
of stories about that differentiator.
In short: if you’re not a Pink Goldfish,
eventually you’ll become a sick
goldfish.

13. Being different is critical, yet few
organizations choose to actually be different.
For my book about word
of mouth, I studied why
organizations fail to
embrace different, and
found there are three
main hurdles:
Why?

14. 1. Leaders don’t understand why differentiation is needed
2. Leaders don’t understand how to differentiate, or in what way
3. Leaders don’t have the courage to differentiate
(if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it)

15. What I love most about
Pink Goldfish 2.0 is that it
addresses all three of these
obstacles. This book makes a
sturdy case for why different
matters. This book - with its
sublime FLAWSOME system -
shows you precisely all the
ways different can work. And
this book illustrates why
different should be embraced,
not shunned.

16. Further, it’s common in marketing and
customer experience books to be
presented with some case studies and
examples that are a bit too tidy: they
are shoehorned and gerrymandered
to perfectly fit the narrative, but leave
the reader not sure how to apply the
principles in their own situation.
This is not that book.

17. Indeed, the number of stories, and ideas, and inspirational detective work
contained in these pages is extraordinary. You will find a cornucopia of
examples in this book that make you think, “you know, if we put a twist on
that, it could work for us.” If you don’t, you’re just being obstinate.

18. I know you will enjoy Pink Goldfish 2.0. It’s an engaging and
exciting read. It’s the kind of book you tell your boss about when
you’re half-way through. And if you’re the boss, it’s the kind of
book you call a team meeting about when you’re half-way through.

19. But don’t start yet. Be prepared first. You will be propelled by the
ideas and the humor and the overall accessibility of this work. You
will not want to stop, so make sure you’re not trying to start reading
this book in a 15-minute gap between your next appointment.

20. First, clear your calendar.
Then, clear your mind.
Now you’re ready for the Pink Goldfish.
Enjoy!
Jay Baer
Founder of Convince & Convert
Co-author of Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide
to Creating Customers with Word of Mouth

21. Big thanks to
Jay for writing
an amazing
Foreword.
-Stan & David