[This is not a political post, so please don't send me notes or comments about politics. They will be ignored. :)]
Actual (but perhaps not 100% accurate) conversation that I participated in this weekend at a BBQ with someone I just met. You enter in the middle of a 5-minute conversation about technology...
Guy I just met: I couldn't live with out texting. Makes like so much better.
Me: I've never really texted much since I've always stuck with a basic cell phone, though I did just breakdown this week and get an iPhone. Maybe I'll start texting more now.
Guy: Oh man, I'd love to get an iPhone, except that Apple is--I probably shouldn't start talking politics, I just met you--but Apple is waaay left. In terms of their politics, I mean. Way left.
Me: Well, you know, they're in the Bay Area, so our way left is like their center.
Guy: Still, I don't think I could buy one of their phones because they are so left. But so is Google and I'm not going to stop using Google. [smiles and nudges me.]
[scene.]
Substitute any objection for this gentleman's aversion to "leftist" corporations. Are you Apple or Google in your customer's mind?
How indispensable are you?
Or put more directly: are the tangible benefits of your product so great that people will continue to do business with you even if they disagree with you?
How indispensable are you?
Don't get me wrong. I don't think your values should be out of step with those of your customers. That'd be dumb. I'm just saying that creating a kick-ass, truly remarkable product goes a long way. Start there.
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