2. Content:
1. Foreword ……………………………………................................................. 3
2. Who the Hell are Weirdos ……………………………………………... 4
3. To be or not to be a Weirdo ………………………………………….... 7
4. Welcome to the Core of Weirdos …………………………………….. 10
5. How Weirdos build their personal brand ………………………… 13
6. How Weirdos get the attention they deserve ……………………. 18
7. This is just the beginning ………………………...………………………. 22
Share this on:
1
3. FOREWORD
Good day everyone. Wish this day will be another grain in the sand watch that has
successfully passed the tiny gap joining the rest of the sand that make your glorious past. I
have written this white paper not only to make an ordinary day extraordinary (although it is
my daily mission to achieve that with all the strength I have). I have written it because I care. I
care as a marketer because clients are longing for an honest and credible partner that will
address their needs the way they are without keeping the fingers crossed behind. I care as a
human being because many across the world are suffering in the attempts to discover
themselves and to walk an honest path while being surrounded by distractors, illusions and
lack of faith. I care as a person who wants to be taken care of because people who actually
care are less and less, constantly attracted by the gravitational force of the black void full of
false promises that keeps their friends mentors, people they love down. I care because people
refuse to initiate the dawn instead of waiting for it to come.
But at the same time I feel happier today trying to go across the stream, giving the
world something that lies inside me. I hope many will embrace it and create the platform for
the next greater inspiration and words that wait to be written. Remember - Even the heaviest
monsoon starts with a drop.
I would also like to express my gratitude to the excellent author and blogger Seth
Godin, whose thoughts and supreme understanding of marketing kept giving me inspiration
every time a gap appeared.
And thanks to you Jeff Goins, writer and blogger I am regularly following for showing
me how to actually start writing and forget about doubts, auditorium and everything else. He
made it look so easy.
Thank you so much everyone and enjoy your reading
Share this on:
2
4. WHO THE HELL
ARE
WEIRDOS!?
“I think everybody's weird. We should all celebrate our individuality
and not be embarrassed or ashamed of it.”
― Johnny Depp
Share this on:
3
5. You are starting this small white paper with a question? And a good one. You are
already awesome which makes me even more enthusiastic and eager to write something
that I believe will find its proper place in your self concept. Let’s start seeking the answer.
Some time ago on my blog “We against Us” (http://bit.ly/J2exUF ) I wrote a text
titled: “The story of the Masses and the Weirdos”. As I continued to analyze the
consistency of the message I wanted to convey through that post, I noticed that the content
offers an interesting analogy that can be useful for us the marketers and for everyone else
that follows the principle of differentiation as guideline. That post has actually established
the found for the writing this white paper.
In The story of the Masses and the Weirdos, I have described the time in the past
when Masses appeared. Here it is not certainly a place to jump into serious philosophical
debates about what is mediocrity and what are the characteristics of the mediocrity. We all
want to feel and to be treated as unique, different and to be separated a bit from the crowd
which is characterized with pragmatism and status quo. I mentioned that the Masses
historically appeared during the industrial revolution and bit later in the 1930s. Why
exactly at that time? Because the first technological processes at that time which enabled
the birth of the first massive labor intense production processes which engaged vast
amount of workers who according to the principle of production line had to wok
programmed tasks in identical way, through programmed behavior and zero deviation.
Classical examples for that system were the production facilities of the “King” Henry Ford.
In order for that artificial system (I say artificial because any system where a human being
is treated as programmed entity cannot be sustained for long) to continue its secure
existence, the first universities got opened. Why universities? Because their goal was to
educate and produce new layer of workers that will take the place of the old and wasted
ones, to teach them how to produce the same, to behave same, and to buy the same
products that were advertised the same way by the same mass media.
In other words, the system has established its 3 pillars that were supposed to
guarantee its survival:
1. Mass production
2. Mass education
3. Mass media
This system was functioning smoothly until two decades ago. What happened two
decades ago? Weirdos appeared, individuals who instead of working hard to fit into the
Masses, they stepped out of it and embraced their individuality; they started using it as
Share this on:
4
6. weapon against the assimilators. They were out of the 3 pillars and they have
challenged the whole system.
You must be asking yourself already – What is the analogy between this
development and the world of business? You just cannot stop asking good questions do
you? Hold on, here we go!!
In the war of business, the Weirdos are small entrepreneurial entities which seem to
sprout out of the soil, which only require morning dew to survive and start developing.
Weirdos to some extent existed also during the governance of the Masses but at that time,
they were doing a crucial mistake. What was their mistake? The biggest one. They were
seeing themselves as mini production version of the large enterprises. They were trying to
imitate them and their products, but in meantime they realized that they are battling a lost
war. Why? Because the Big ones have better marketing, better products, more funds for
research and development, better layers, advisors, bankers, bank accounts etc.
What happened afterwards? The small ones realized this and they became Weirdos.
Why as Weirdos they would represent any threat for the Big ones? Because the Big ones
hate Weirdos, they hate their unacceptable behavior, their rudeness, their individuality,
they hate them being out. They cannot understand why someone would make a product
which is targeted only for few people. This doesn’t fit into the The Law of the Economy of
Scale, into their econometrical market models. For the first time in history, this offers the
Weirdos an amazing opportunity for innovation and revolution, a chance to shift market
paradigms.
Precisely! The small ones have become Weirdos and they started challenging the Big
ones in the middle of their playground, the niches, buyers who have also recognized their
individuality and started asking for something different than the default one that is offered
to everyone. Weirdos started making products for small market groups, which were
neglected so far. They connected to them, they became their good friends, and they gained
their loyalty. Weirdos also ignored mass media, because they simply weren’t working
anymore. The old rigid approach of investing in commercials, generating revenue and using
a part of that revenue to invest in even more commercials seized functioning.
Do you think that in the world of business, behaving like a Weirdo would be
suicidal?
Think again!
Owner of a small tourist agency in the USA called Thomas N. noticed the great
attachment that the owners of Harley Davidson motorcycles have towards their 3000
Share this on:
5
7. cubes heavy monsters. For them Harley Davidson is more than just a big two wheeled
machine, its thunderous sound and provocative look was part of them, part of their
identity, it is a way to show the world their rebellion, energy, power of the uniqueness and
to say: “Do not mess with us.” Thomas N decided to organize a special event exclusively
for Harley D. owners – a luxurious cruising through a famous American cruising company.
What was so special about that event? The special part was the opportunity for the tough
guys to bring their thunderous machines, board them on the cruiser and start their dream
crusade. This means that the only place the world where owners of Harley D. were able to
bring their machines on a relaxing water trip was precisely that cruiser. Fares were sold
within 24 hours and Thomas N has managed to satisfy a need of a segment of users that
was neglected by the Big guys.
Is Thomas N a Weirdo?
You can bet He is.
The time comes when all market nerds will finally have to wake up and pick a side.
Neutrality is no longer an option.
The number of Weirdos, especially on the demand side of the line, keeps growing
and that is good news for all marketers and entrepreneurs. Big guys have capital and layers
of fat but that is precisely what prevents them from being able to bend down and around
and see what is happening around them. That is precisely what Weirdos can use in order to
maneuver and to pass between their legs without being noticed.
Share this on:
6
8. TO BE OR NOT
TO BE A
WEIRDO
Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds
against them.
--Robert Jarvik
Share this on:
7
9. I Believe that you have managed to realize that being a Weirdo is not such a bad
think, especially if you manage to sell your weirdness to the World. I mean, you
don’t have to go to India for a spiritual journey just to understand this. Hey, I am
here to explain you that come on… More and more people are awakening and they want to
feel and be treated as special, so don’t be surprised if someone soon calls you in order to
benefit the Weirdo inside you, that same Weirdo who knows how to produce what that
person wants even if you have never met each other before. That person would love to see
your deviation, instead of seeing a flattery tuxedo guy who even acts his Welcome
expression from his conservative behavioral script.
In the previous chapter I specified that Weirdos do not use mass media featuring TV
as the Top representative. That is because they simply don’t work anymore. The average
consumer is not an average anymore. He has realized his value, his dignity, and he asks:
Who do you think you are to interrupt the TV content with commercials during
the most interesting moments?
Their dignity has grown so much that they even completely ignore those shows,
revolted by the treatment of manipulation and disrespect that receive by those whose
products they buy. They have understood that seemingly interesting TV soaps are being
broadcasted to keep the lower class calm and distracted by the problems of the everyday
life at least a few hours during the day, using that period of vulnerability to impose
something to them against their will. Well, consumers have become Weirdos and they say
NOT ANYMORE!!
What does this mean? This means that prime times don’t work anymore. The
coefficient of effectiveness of the TV campaigns measured as the relation between the sales
revenue and the cost per unit of advertisement is lower and lower. Consumers avoid
Television and they find alternative modes to utilize their time, the most valuable resource
each one of us possesses.
As expected, most businesses have figured this out and they turned towards the
Internet and social media as the latest alternative, to impose themselves and their offer. But
Weirdos don’t do this either. When I said most of the businesses, I exclude Weirdos from
this category. How can this be? Why Weirdos would not embrace and mass utilize social
media which are considered to be the New revolution in the world of marketing today?
Because again most businesses do that the wrong way.
They think that they can make consumers Re-Tweet their posts or Like them
on Facebook the same way they were able to make them watch their commercials.
Share this on:
8
10. Perhaps this worked in the world of TV advertising for some time, because TV
companies have an owner who decides about the content of the media and consumers
decide whether they will follow that media or not. However this is not the case with the
Internet. Internet is free and global media which does not have an owner and is available
to everyone. Who are you to utilize something that is not yours for imposing yourself and
your offer and to bombard the users with your automatized campaigns? Most of
entrepreneurs who still have not yet embraced the Weirdo inside them, are astonished
when they run into free advertising space on Youtybe, without thinking of the saturation of
this media. Their mindset is the following: “
Internet is free and global so let’s be present everywhere possible and
according to the Law of Probability, someone will run into us. “
No one will run because You are not the only one and because the user does not
care. Presence is equal to zero if it is not reinforced with value proposition, something that
the other side fells that gets because of his/hers communication with you during the first
few second of the interaction. That is the whole time you have, no matter that you may
devoted lots of hardworking hours to enable your online presence. It is your punishment
for being average and for misusing something that is not yours.
Weirdos know all this and they force themselves to think different.
They use the Internet to give more than they ask on short term because they
believe in the power of relationship on long term.
Weirdos are not afraid to send a specialized e-book which would be expensive in
traditional book stores as gift. They are not afraid to educate their clients because they
have nothing to hide from them. Weirdos are not afraid to send a gift for their loyal client’s
or his child’s birthday. They do not doubt to ask their loyal clients for dinner in order to
discuss how their offer can help improve their client’s life. Weirdos pay attention to every
small detail. They remember that the client is interested in fishing and they do not forget to
send newly published help book with advices and recommendation for equipment that will
provide unforgettable fishing experience. They remember the anniversary of their
wedding and they bravely send proper gift with handwritten greeting card expressing their
admiration for being able to maintain their marriage community another year in these
turbulent times, with wishes for even brighter future.
Weirdos are not afraid from closure and relationships. They do not look into the
pocket of the clients. They look into their eyes, trying to read any possible problems and to
do something about them. Closure brings value and value makes money flow without
interruptions.
Share this on:
9
11. WELCOME TO
THE CORE OF
WEIRDOS!
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has
learned in school."
-- Albert Einstein
Share this on:
10
12. S o far I have given my sincere efforts to introduce you with the phenomenon
called Weirdos, to teach you how to recognize the Weirdos that lurks inside
you and to learn to think like one. While discussing this philosophy with my
counterparts and friends, a question kept popping out which definitely must be addressed,
since it might be your question as well.
The question is: Is it required to be PhD in order to be and think as a Weirdo?
Initially, I saw nothing special in this question and in its eventual answer. However,
just a little bit later, I was thinking and I have realized that being a Weirdo is related to
certain state of mind, way of thinking, featured with bravery, and readiness to shift
paradigms, richness of knowledge. Therefore it is natural for these people who know how
to embrace their individuality, who know how to brand themselves and the product they
sell to be featured as highly educated.
The answer is - NO!
What is the problem then?
The problem is that today too many PhDs are sent in the market with enthusiasm,
trust and bravados. Armed heavily with theoretical knowledge associated to latest market,
managerial and marketing concepts, statistical and econometrical models, but no guts. The
problem is that the market will quickly force these PhDs to empty their cup and to get
ready for refilling it with something new. However, this is not a painless process. This
doesn’t happen in the classroom it is not related to time frame and is not being graded. It is
not painless because they are so sure in what they know and think that the world should
also know and accept what they know. This mindset makes the process of refilling
tormenting, frustrating, depressive. Self-facing but also inevitable.
What is the problem – you ask second time...
No one taught them how to have guts... To be ready to lose, to face mistake and
failure. To do all this creatively. To bend when the time is right and to serve more often.
I believe that now you have the answer to the previous question. Characteristics
mentioned above which are part of the mental meal of every Weirdo don’t go hand by hand
with formal education. What is needed is different kind of education that will teach us how
to inflame again when the world freezes the fire inside us, courage to stand firmly and face
first with ourselves and then with the Masses even if the price of that sometimes might be
our own humiliation.
Share this on:
11
13. Because humiliation is only temporary condition which very often we take it far
more seriously than the rest of the world…
… And the pride that comes from the knowledge that we had at least once principle
and did everything we could in order to defend it will never leave us, and will be here with
us during crisis of faith and will feed our own self-concept. If you have the right principles,
they will always help you recognize and defend the right idea, the true vision. This is
because the idea is something that really matters today. Especially when it reaches its viral
state and spread across territories.
Share this on:
12
14. HOW
WEIRDOS
BUILD THEIR
PERSONAL
BRAND
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by, and
that has made all the difference.”
- Robert Frost
Share this on:
13
15. Have you met the Weirdo in you? I believe that you have. Is it worth to be a Weirdo?
If the only negativity that you might attract by being Weirdo are the comments and
prejudices of the Masses, I believe that you can get along with it. I believe that so far you
have noticed that Weirdos are easy for being notices and distinguished, and that is exactly
what troubles the Masses. However Weirdos enjoy it. Why? Because being noticed today
means capital. In the world of business, visibility and presence are benefits for which
companies invest large amount of their budgets. But not all of them succeed. Weirdos
succeed because they are not afraid to be radical, to be foolish and childish once in a while.
They understand the meaning of Steve Jobs’ mantra: “Stay hungry, Stay
foolish”
Somewhere above I have spoken about the importance of being able to embrace the
Weirdo inside you on organizational level and corporate culture level where an
organization will be stimulated to think different and brave, not to send newsletter to its
most loyal clients but instead adopting an approach where the CEO amongst others stands
up from his leather chair and go for lunch or dinner with his most loyal clients in attempt to
discover how his organization can help improve their lives even more. Today we will talk
how the Weirdo inside you can make miracles in the area of improving your personal
brand and brand perception.
Why is the personal brand that important? We are all attached to a certain product
brand and identify ourselves with it. It is the same case with the personal brand. Have you
ever wondered why are you so attracted by some personalities?
Because of their brand. Because they are just themselves and because they express
their individuality on a special way. Unlike product marketing which was mainly focused
on the product or the producer, personal marketing is exclusively and without exceptions
focused on the other side – people. Hence, Weirdos build their personal brand everyday
through activities that arise from the answers of one simple question:
What can I do for you today?
What is the first think that comes out in your mind when you think of a brand
person? Probably something like: “Hey he is so cool, despite all the crowd, he didn’t forget
to approach me and to wish me welcome. “ or “She/He is so nice, just a few days ago we
were working on an article and She/He asked me for an advice and recommendation
whether to include a certain topic in the text.’ Or “He is really great, I really enjoy his
company. He has just returned from his journey in Egypt and he has brought me a
wonderful souvenir.
Share this on:
14
16. Do you notice the pattern? All people whose company and moments we enjoy are
not focused on themselves but on others. That is the secret of building an attractive and
compelling personal brand. Brands do not forget to ask or do something for others; they do
not forget to express respect, to give credit to others, to involve them in their activities.
Simply said, brands give, they create value without asking in return.
How Weirdos do that? Below you can find some short recommendations about what
you can start doing tomorrow (today sounds too American) in order to build your personal
brand:
Give credit to your team members for the collective effort and achievement.
Even if most of the results are achieved because of your talent, do not forget
to mention others who made the result as it is.
Include others in your activity. If you work on PowerPoint presentation
forward it to another colleague and ask him/her to give an opinion and input.
Trust me, the other person will appreciate your initiative.
Do not start your working day without sending at least a few inspirational
SMS messages to persons you seem to forget these days, or even an email
with an interesting article to someone you know is interested about the
subject.
You use additional literature in your work/project/article? If it is web based,
do not forget to enclose a link to that source, a short comment or small Thank
you note. Emphasize and give credit to other’s work and creativity so that
your effort can be emphasized later. Do not spare the kind words of
appreciation.
Do not be afraid to defend a colleague of yours at office if you think that
he/she is being badly treated. It is not all about being sweet in front of the
boss. Some connections last longer, even a lifetime.
Do not be afraid to interrupt the meeting if the discussion is going the wrong
direction, if the blame is being transferred to a colleague that is not present
to defend himself. Interrupt the senior if necessary. Of course do that with
arguments, not with arrogance.
Do not restrain from giving compliments about the person’s good look.
Do not restrain from making joke on your own expense
Share this on:
15
17. Be the first one to write LinkedIn recommendation for a colleague of yours.
Do not save words and creativity while doing so.
Post links, photos, videos on your Facebook friend’s Wall, Like their photos,
do commenting. Today, Facebook attention is appreciated as much as offline
attention.
Create your own brand message, mantra and use it everywhere you can.
(Business cards, email signatures, every type of formal and informal
communication.) Be brave and make it sound challenging and provocative. I
have used my love for the Rock music to create my brand mantra – Business
development executive and Rock ‘n’ Roll innovator. This is the headline of my
email signature and my LinkedIn profile.
Always give. No matter if you gift for birthday, party, or simply if the motive
is “Because I appreciate you”, always try to give something bigger or smaller
to your first circle of people at least. When you go on vacation, fill your
backpack with souvenirs and divide them among your people. They will love
that.
Be prepared to jump from your bed/leader chair at any time for your friends
when they need you. Forget about the time and money. Relationships are
more valuable than everything.
These are just a few small advices that can make recognizable solid brand out of you
if you implement them with consistency and focus until they become habit. Once
established, your brand will work for your wellbeing in every area of your life – business,
private, job search etc. Every time you ask something from someone, you will be in his
priority list. I hope that further on I will be able to share few more insights regarding this
topic. I advise you to give your own views, opinion and advices about what do you do to
establish your personal brand. Comments are welcomed. Just watch out not to overinflate
your personal brand because you might get migraine.
Share this on:
16
18. HOW WEIRDOS
GET THE
ATTENTION
THEY DESERVE
It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat
back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.
--Leonardo da Vinci
Share this on:
17
19. So far, while being in company with a friend or acquaintance, you must have heard
this: “He (whomsoever he is) always talks so little, he is so Weird”.
Yes, he is weird. He is Weirdo. However Talking less doesn’t necessarily means we
are antisocial freaks. Not at all.
It means that we are getting ready for the moment we actually have something
to say.
Why this preparation?
Because today there is one general problem with people. They talk too much. And
the catch is – The more you talk, the less people will listen you. The more noise you make,
the more people will attempt to avoid that noise. As simple as that. In the economy, this is
called the Law of Diminishing returns. That law is described with polynomial curve. The
more you invest, or the more you talk, greater the effect will be until you reach a certain
peak. After that point, the effect is the opposite – the more we invest the lesser will be the
returns, the more we speak the less we will be given serious attention because of the
saturation effect. From that point onwards words turn into noise, and everyone wants to
avoid noise.
What Weirdos do in order to be listened?
1. They make their message relevant
Talk less and be comfortable with your silence. Make your important message
relevant by speaking only when you have something really good to say, something that will
make the auditorium eager for the moment you will open your mouth. Something that will
make everyone stunned and speechless. And do not get distracted by the reactions of
others. The false ones will always have a shot of sarcasm to every word of yours, it is just
who they are. The real ones will not hide their impression (or their true feedback).
2. They establish themselves.
This means one thing – you need to establish your right to talk. Build your
credibility and be patient. As you grow, people will be more and more ready to listen to
what you really have to say. Once you reach there, do not forget one thing. Speak with
enthusiasm and flare, speak with energy and conviction.
Speak with power
Speak as if you were to speak about your life dream, your vision. Even if you speak
about basic things do that with style and allow yourself to loose in your words. People will
Share this on:
18
20. get astounded by your aura. That is because people also communicate on deeper,
subconscious, level, and they can feel the real energy from the fake one. Speak the same
way you would speak when you explain about your dreams and your message will never be
a noise.
3. Do not lose your humanity
There is one very very very serious problem with all of us today. We lose our
humanity. We forget to communicate from our hearts. We do that mechanically. We value
quantity more that quality. We prefer to devote 3 mechanical minutes for each one of the
20 persons we want to reach rather than devoting 30 empathetic minutes to 2 people and
try to understand them from our heart and soul. The problem is that we do not really care.
Instead, we prefer to remain neutral…To rush throughout the World without stopping and
meditating the gifts around us for a minute.
The bad news here is that people are getting tired of mechanical and programmed
communication; they are tired of protocols and large numbers, they are fed up from the
ignorance of this world. If you want to be listened, do not treat your auditorium just as
auditorium. Instead, treat them as individuals as they are. That is why artist and singers are
so adored. They know how to communicate with large masses at a time but with emotions.
That is why politicians visit so many places during their electoral campaigns, do a lot of
handshakes and hug babies. To persuade the masses that they actually care. To establish
their right to talk.
Weirdos know that and they actually care. They get close, and they share the joy and
furthermore the pain, they embrace it as their own. They will attempt not to lose
themselves, but they will remain next to the other side until the very end.
This means:
Make you message relevant
Establish your self
Speak with power
Do not lose your humanity
… And I just can’t wait to see you becoming a Weirdo…
Share this on:
19
21. THIS IS JUST THE
BEGINNING. IN
MEANWHILE…
LET’S CONNECT
Share this on:
20
