I was stumbling around confused and too
afraid to go home.
I knew if I didn’t
get this right, there would be problems at home!
I was in Publix with
a scribbled list of ingredients for a mango salsa recipe.
I had everything I
needed. Everything that is, but one last item.
I scribbled it in a
hurry and I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Oh, and the wife
said, "Make sure you get it!!!"
Cucumbers? Carrots?
Cotton balls?
None
of those made sense!
Finally, a very helpful
produce guy, Joe, saw I was in distress and came to my rescue.
I showed him my list
and he agreed. Cotton balls would taste terrible.
He then whipped open
his flip phone (this was a few years ago) and made a call.
I sat there
patiently. Well, I was patiently eavesdropping.
He was asking his
wife what they put in their mango salsa.
He smiled and turned
to me and said, “Cilantro. It’s cilantro!”
Joe and I exchanged
an awkward high five, I grabbed my cilantro, and I was on my way.
If you are not familiar
with Publix, then you are deprived.
It is a grocery store
that is well lit, stocked perfectly, and has lots of helpful employees.
Their prices are a
little higher than average, but they are well worth it!
Their
niche is the overall experience.
Conversely, there is
another grocery store around the corner.
It’s Aldi.
And Aldi is no
Publix.
At Aldi, you have to
put a quarter into your cart and return it to get your quarter back, the
shelves are not quite as perfectly stocked, but all three employees are
helpful:).
Aldi has decent
groceries with fewer frills and their prices are lower.
Their
niche is simplicity.
Both are good grocery
stores with two very different niches.
So which are you,
Publix or Aldi?
There is no right or
wrong answer.
Unless you say that
you are a mixture of both.
That is the wrong
answer.
That’s not a niche.
That’s the same thing
everyone says, especially your competitor.
- If you are truly the expert display
it.
- If you really serve a special
market, make sure everyone knows about it.
- If you are the most convenient, fastest,
or most accurate, hang your hat on it.
It’s time to
take a stand.
And taking
a stand will
let you STAND OUT!
Otherwise,
you will fade into obscurity…
