The temptation to copy what works.

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Building your business is a process not an event.
It will always involve change.  Many factors drive that change– new opportunities, bigger ideas, even a competitor’s threat to a your core business. Most change that occurs within an organization (or yourself for that matter) is usually driven by external influences (fear), and rarely is initiated through forethought (inspiration).

If your entrepreneurial business involves many competitors, much of what you currently provide may be perceived by clients as less differentiated, in abundant supply, and consequently, less valuable. Naturally it’s tempting to respond to this by changing something.  It’s only logical to assume that maybe you can duplicate success by copying the attributes, features or capabilities of what’s working for others.  The sobering truth is this tactic will not sustain real growth in your business, or add more value to your clients.  In the long-run, you’ll only contribute to the sameness and doom your business to the slush pile.

We adapt by copying others.

Social observer and author, Mark Earls demonstrates the simple fact that humans have largely evolved by copying others. For thousands of years, humans have adapted through a  “do what works” mentality. In fact, Earls points out “copying is our species’ number one learning and adaptive strategy.” The temptation to copy what works is…well– very tempting.  Here’s why:

It’s easier and less risky to copy what works than to invent more value.

Humans have always sought the safety and security of the known, and avoided the risk of the unknown. When it comes to most businesses, the majority of change is really just copied from what came before, or from what’s influencing the the status quo.  The gravity of the urgent (get more clients, cash flow) seems stronger than creating greater value (inventing new stuff that serves people).

Seemingly, the more success that you may copy, the more your business becomes the same– the result is your diminishing power and influence in the buying cycle with your prospective clients. Let that not be your business!

Your business must stand for something.

I’ve said this before; your business must matter to people, but not to everybody. There is no competitive advantage in doing what others do, or have done before. The idea that you promise your clients a “total solution” is just another way of saying your business doesn’t stand for anything. Get your business (what matters to you) to be what matters to your clients (serves their growth and success).

Don’t confuse value creation with copying success.

The key to your business growth (bigger fees, better clients) is to focus your business development strategies on attracting and serving only those clients who demonstrate they value what you provide, engage with you, and in doing so, share their good fortune in working with you to others. Copy that formula and you can change the world.

Authors Note: This post is an edited version of a post I created for the Influence by Design blog. In that article, the focus was on building identity strategies that are highly differentiated from the clutter in our current marketplace. Marketers are always copying the success of others as a proven method to sell more stuff. In the long run, most marketing just adds to the clutter.