Just a Little Better?

Greetings.  I spend a lot of time crawling along in traffic.  It's just a fact of life in places like Washington where there are too many people driving by themselves, finite road capacity, and an imperfect fit between public transportation and all the locations where people live and work.  But solving this big challenge is a topic for another post.  So let me suggest a real plus of being stuck in traffic, and that's the chance to unlock genius in the world around us.  Because hidden in this mass of cars, trucks, and distracted drivers are plenty of interesting ideas and even great insights that can be found and used to enhance business success.

In the last week, I've had the good fortune to drive past several trucks operated by Metropolitan Meat, Seafood and Poultry, a company which must be doing pretty well given the number of vehicles it seems to have on the road.  Or maybe it only has a few trucks on the road and I'm lucky enough to spot them all the time.  Or maybe, having heard of the growing popularity of my blog, they were trying to catch my attention.  But in any event, they really peaked my curiosity by displaying a "tag line" that is not, on the face of it, a powerful formula for winning in most markets.  Though it is an important idea that should spark thinking about your world in the week ahead. 

In case you're not familiar with this company, which prides itself on being "the Mid-Atlantic's leading family-owned and operated center-of-the-plate and specialty food distributor," their tag line is "JUST A LITTLE BETTER."  A very modest idea for a "leading" company.  But what does it actually mean?  Do they sell slightly fresher fish?  Or slightly tastier meat?  Or slightly bigger "jumbo" shrimp?  Or a slightly less "foul" turkey?  Or maybe they offer slightly faster delivery?  Or slightly more responsive customer service?  Or slightly better prices? Or slightly better hours?  Or slightly more convenient billing?  Or some other difference that is just a bit better.  You get the picture.  Because being "just a little better" isn't very compelling at all.  And it's certainly not an incredible motivator to get me off my "just a little more likely to change vendors" bottom.

But if a company in this particular business was a "whole lot better" it might be a different story.  Imagine a company offering:

• The freshest fish on the planet.
• Beef worthy of a king or queen.
• Shrimp as large and tasty as lobster.
• The healthiest and most flavorful turkey money could buy.
• 24/7 delivery.
• A meat, seafood and poultry "hot-line" staffed by experts in food handling, preparation, masterful dining, event planning, and safety.
• World-class training for the new employees of customers.
• Great prices tied to the value provided.
• Hours of operation chosen by their customers.
• Flexible billing options to suit the special requirements of key customers.
• Or, something unusual that makes customers say "Wow!"

Tied to a tag line that said "AMAZINGLY BETTER."  After all, don't we deserve products and services that are the best, or at least a whole lot better than what we currently have?  And, wouldn't it be a lot easier to find and retain great employees by making a commitment to be amazing rather than just a little better?  Surely they deserve the chance to work someplace remarkable–especially after crawling along in traffic.  Not that we don't have to be a bit better on the way to being awesome.  But that's just a starting point.  

For all I know, Metropolitan Meat, Seafood and Poultry is much better than it's competition.  Maybe they just don't want to brag about it.   

We win in business by committing to being remarkable at whatever we choose to do.  Are you and your company or organization "just a little better"?  Maybe it's time for a gut check, and an opportunity to tap your collective genius!

Cheers and have a brilliant week!