True differentiation in business is rare. We live in an age of equivalency. Businesses need to find ways to stand out. This SlideShare shows the seven ways to leverage what makes you unique and wonder-full in business. Stan Phelps Keynotes & Workshops That Drive Loyalty and Sales http://stanphelpsspeaks.com

1. PINK GOLDFISH
STAN PHELPS
PURPLEGOLDFISH.COM
SEVEN WAYS TO
EMBRACE WEIRDNESS
& AMPLIFY WEAKNESS
TO STAND OUT AND BE
F.L.A.W.S.O.M IN BUSINESS

2. Do you remember
your first pet?

3. Mine was a goldfish.
I was six-years old

4. His name was Oscar

5. #FTW
I won him at
a carnival

6. I thought all
goldfish were
small

7. AVERAGE GOLDFISH
is
3 INCHES
It turns out the

8. The world record holder is
nearly 20 inches

9. How is that possible?

10. To put that in
perspective, that would
be like bumping into
someone who is three
stories tall

11. 5
It turns out their
Growth is Affected by
Five Factors

12. It turns out their Growth is
Affected by Five Factors
…and those same five things
apply to the growth of your
business
5

13. THE SIZE OF THE BOWL1
The bigger the bowl,
the more the goldfish
can grow

14. = MARKETTHE SIZE OF THE BOWL1
In business that’s the market.
The bigger the market, the
more the business can grow

15. # OF OTHER GOLDFISH2 The more goldfish, the
harder it is to grow

16. # OF OTHER GOLDFISH2 = COMPETITION
In business, the other goldfish
are your competition. The
more competitors, the harder
it is to grow

17. QUALITY OF THE WATER3
The more nutrients and/or less cloudiness
in the water, the easier it is to grow

18. QUALITY OF THE WATER3 = ECONOMY
In business it’s the economy. The easier it is to get capital and/
or better consumer confidence, the easier it is to grow

19. FIRST 120 DAYS4
The better the growth
of a goldfish in its first
four months of life, the
more it will grow

20. FIRST 120 DAYS4 = START-UP
The better the growth
of a business in its
first four months of
life, the better chance
it will grow

21. GENETIC MAKEUP5
The better the genes of a goldfish and how it is
separated from the rest, the more it will grow

22. GENETIC MAKEUP5 = DIFFERENTIATION
The more differentiated the business is and how it
stands out in a sea of sameness, the more it can grow

23. 1. MARKET
2. COMPETITION
3. ECONOMY
4. START-UP
5. DIFFERENTIATION
In business, what do you
have control over?

24. 1. MARKET
2. COMPETITION
3. ECONOMY
4. START-UP
5. DIFFERENTIATION
1. MARKET
2. COMPETITION
3. ECONOMY
4. START-UP
5. DIFFERENTIATION
Assuming you’ve been in business for more
than four months, the only thing you have
control over is how you differentiate yourself

25. DIFFERENTIATION IS KEY
“The number of companies who are
truly able to achieve competitive
separation is depressingly small.”
-Youngme Moon, Different

26. There are two keys to
differentiation

27. TWO KEYS
1. EMBRACE WEIRDNESS

28. 1. EMBRACE WEIRDNESS
2. AMPLIFY WEAKNESS
TWO KEYS

29. THE PROBLEM
Everything we’ve
learned about
weakness is wrong

30. What makes us weak in business…
can also make us strong

31. And what makes us weird…

32. And what makes us weird…
is also what makes us wonderful

33. YOU NEED TO STAND OUT
"To succeed in a spectacular fashion you
have to be spectacularly unusual.”
-Mike Burry

34. STAND OUT
“Fitting in is a short term strategy. Standing out
pays off in the long run.”
-Seth Godin

35. TYPES OF PINK GOLDFISH
F LAUNTING
L OPSIDING
A VOIDING
W EAKENING
S EPARATING
O PPOSITIONING
M ICRO-WEIRDING
SEVEN WAYS TO
EMBRACE WEIRDNESS
AND AMPLIFY WEAKNESS

36. FLAUNTING1
“Don’t try to put in what
was left out, try to draw
out what was left in.”
- Marcus Buckingham
F.L.A.W.S.O.M

37. FLAUNT (verb) to parade without shame

38. CASE STUDY: RETAILFLAUNTING
Julian Cromer founded Cromer’s in 1935 at the State Farmers Market. When part of the market was put
under sheds, Cromer decided he would switch to selling only peanuts, to the dismay of his wife

39. CASE STUDY: CROMER’S PEANUTS
A nearby vendor also sold peanuts and at one point attempted to stunt Cromer’s business with some negative
advertising. He would call out all day long, “Don’t buy Cromer’s peanuts; they’re no good. Mine are the best”

40. CASE STUDY: CROMER’S PEANUTS
Cromer ended up embracing the competitor’s pitch as a slogan. He took a piece of cardboard, wrote “worst in town”
and put it in the bin of peanuts. The phrase stuck and Cromer’s eventually grew to become a thriving business.

41. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
UNDERSTANDING
THE
FLAUNTING
MATRIX

42. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
UNDERSTANDING
THE
FLAUNTING
MATRIX
THE Y AXIS MEASURES THE AMOUNT
OF WEIRDNESS AND WEAKNESS
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”

43. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
UNDERSTANDING
THE
FLAUNTING
MATRIX
THE X AXIS MEASURES YOUR
FLAUNTING. YOU CAN FLAUNT
THAT YOU DO “LESS” OR YOU CAN
FLAUNT THAT YOU DO “MORE”
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”

44. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
UNDERSTANDING
THE
FLAUNTING
MATRIX
THE GOAL IS TO BE IN THE PINK
ZONE. FLAUNT THAT YOU DO “LESS”
OF WHAT’S NORMAL OR FLAUNTING
THAT YOU DO “MORE” OF WHAT
MAKES YOU WEIRD OR WEAK
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
FLAUNTING

45. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
UNDERSTANDING
THE FOUR
QUADRANTS
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
1 2
4 3

46. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
CONFORM
UNDERSTANDING
THE QUADRANTS
EVERY COW IS UNIQUE, THEIR SPOTS
ARE LIKE FINGERPRINTS. THEY ARE
BLISSFULLY UNAWARE AND WALK
THE ESTABLISHED COW PATH
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”

47. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
STRUTCONFORM
PEACOCKS AND THEIR FEATHERS ARE
ALSO UNIQUE. UNLIKE COWS THEY
OWN IT. PEACOCKS PURPOSEFULLY
STRUT, FLAUNT, AND SWELL TO STAND
OUT AMONGST THE FLOCK
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
UNDERSTANDING
THE QUADRANTS

48. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG MATCH
STRUTCONFORM
ZEBRAS ARE BLACK WITH WHITE STRIPES.
THEIR STRIPING IS DETERMINED BY GENETICS.
EVEN THOUGH ZEBRAS ARE UNIQUE, THE
STRIPES BLEND IN AND THEY ARE HARD TO
TELL APART AMONGST THE HERD
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
UNDERSTANDING
THE QUADRANTS

49. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONGSUBTRACT
MATCH
STRUTCONFORM
POLAR BEARS AREN’T WHITE.
THEIR FUR IS TRANSLUCENT. THE
HOLLOW HAIRS ABSORB AND TAKE
AWAY ALL THE COLORS IN THE
SPECTRUM SO THEY APPEAR WHITE
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
UNDERSTANDING
THE QUADRANTS

50. LOPSIDING2
“True differentiation is rarely
a function of well-roundedness;
it is typically a function of
lopsidedness.”
- Youngme Moon, Different
F.L.A.W.S.O.M

51. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
LOPSIDINGEMBRACING YOUR
WEIRDNESS/WEAKNESS AND
ACCENTUATING THEM
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”

52. CASE STUDY: COUGH SYRUPLOPSIDING
Cough syrup tastes like medicine. Most companies try to mask it with a variety of flavors

53. CASE STUDY: BUCKLEY’S
Buckley’s cough syrup is nasty and they are proud of it. They aren’t trying to hide it

54. CASE STUDY: BUCKLEY’S
Buckley’s made the bad taste the focus of their advertising campaign
by comparing it to trash bag leakage and sweaty gym socks

55. CASE STUDY: BUCKLEY’S
It takes courage to call attention to existing weaknesses, but takes even more
courage to make those weaknesses worse, to exaggerate them.

56. “Every limit is a beginning as
well as an ending.”
- George Eliot
AVOIDING3
F.L.A.W.S.O.M

57. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
LOPSIDING
AVOIDINGTAKING AWAY WHAT IS
EXPECTED OR ELIMINATING
CHOICES ALL TOGETHER
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”

58. CASE STUDY: ARTISTAVOIDING
Art requires a steady hand and creativity

59. CASE STUDY: PHIL HANSEN
When Phil Hansen was in art school, he developed a shake and this was the straightest line he could draw

60. CASE STUDY: PHIL HANSEN
WE NEED TO FIRST
BE LIMITED IN
ORDER TO BECOME
LIMITLESS
He decided to embrace the shake. It was the first time he encountered the
idea that embracing a limitation could actually drive creativity

61. CASE STUDY: SALONSAVOIDING
Most salons offer wash, cut, dry and color treatments

62. CASE STUDY: BLO DRY BAR
Blo has built a brand out of 'amplifying' the fact that it doesn't offer traditional hair services

63. WEAKENING4
“I don't know the key to success, but the key
to failure is trying to please everybody.”
- Ed Sheeran
F.L.A.W.S.O.M

64. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
LOPSIDING
WEAKENINGDOING “MORE” OF WHAT MAKES
YOU UNIQUE AND DIFFERENT
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
AVOIDING

65. CASE STUDY: RESTAURANTWEAKENING
Courteous and responsive service is part of a good hospitality experience

66. CASE STUDY: RESTAURANT
All restaurants struggle with the occasional rude waiter

67. CASE STUDY: DICK’S LAST RESORT
Dick’s could have tried to fix this industry-wide weakness. Instead they turned the weakness into
their greatest strength. They are known to have the most obnoxious waitstaff in the world

68. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
LOPSIDING
WEAKENING
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
AVOIDING
WEAKENINGDOING LESS THAN WHAT’S
CONSIDERED NORMAL

69. CASE STUDY: FITNESS CLUBWEAKENING
Fitness clubs are in the business of selling memberships to all prospects

70. CASE STUDY: PLANET FITNESS
Planet Fitness is not for everyone. They want a judgement free zone

71. CASE STUDY: PLANET FITNESS
It’s not a place for meathead bodybuilders who “lift things up and put them down”

72. SEPARATING5
”Deviance will always generate
external pressures to conform… If
you perform beyond the norms, the
systems will adjust and try to make
you normal.”
-Robert Quinn, Deep Change
F.L.A.W.S.O.M

73. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
LOPSIDING
WEAKENING
SEPARATING
AVOIDING
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
WEAKENING DEVIATINGFROM
THENORM

74. CASE STUDY: SOCKSSEPARATING
Socks come in pairs and can be annoying when you lose one

75. CASE STUDY: LITTLE MISSMATCHED SOCKS
Little Missmatched – a sock company that sells socks that do not match

76. CASE STUDY: LITTLE MISSMATCHED SOCKS
They sell three mismatched socks to a pack. Mixing patterns and colors to let you be YOU!

77. CASE STUDY: RETAILSEPARATING
Black Friday is an iconic day in retail. Door busting sales and long days abound

78. CASE STUDY: REI
For the last three years, REI, the nation’s largest consumer co-op
and specialty outdoor retailer closed its doors on Black Friday

79. OPPOSITIONING6
"Be fearful when others are
greedy, and be greedy when
others are fearful.”
-Warren Buffett
F.L.A.W.S.O.M

80. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
WEAKENING
SEPARATING
AVOIDING
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN
TO DO THE OPPOSITE
LOPSIDING
SEPARATING
OPPOSITIONING
WEAKENING

81. CASE STUDY: QSROPPOSITIONING
One of the weaknesses of fast food is that its unhealthy. A decade ago, nearly every QSR
was busy trying to moderate the weakness by offering water, salads, and fruit.

82. CASE STUDY: HARDEE’S
Hardee’s moved in the opposite direction. It took courage to make those weaknesses worse
and then to exaggerate them. That is what Hardee’s did and it saved their company

83. CASE STUDY: HARDEE’S
They said, “our food is fat and nasty and will make you fat and nasty.” And it worked

84. CASE STUDY: HARDEE’S
They took fatty foods and made them fattier. They took nasty food and made it nastier

85. CASE STUDY: FLOWERSOPPOSITIONING
All flower delivery companies sell the same thing. Fresh flowers and nicely decorated bouquets

86. CASE STUDY: DIRTY ROTTEN FLOWERS
Bad breakup? Good sense of humor? Have enemies but you're not quite ready to hire a hitman?

87. CASE STUDY: DIRTY ROTTEN FLOWERS
BOUQUET:
I LOVE YOU, NOT
$30
Dirty Rotten Flowers sends bouquets of dead, rotting flowers to your not-loved ones

88. MICRO-WEIRDING7
F.L.A.W.S.O.M
“It's part of your job as a
marketer to find the truths in a
company, and you let them
shine through in whatever
weird way it might be.”
- Alex Bogusky

89. WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
OPPOSITIONING
LOPSIDING
WEAKENING
AVOIDING
SEPARATING
SEPARATING
W
W
MICRO
WEIRDING
“MORE” FLAUNTINGFLAUNT “LESS”
LITTLE THINGS TO ENHANCE
YOUR UNIQUENESS IN
CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
WEAKENING

90. CASE STUDY: MAGIC CASTLE HOTELMICRO-WEIRDING
“Amazing! Excellent service from the moment you walk through the doors. Perfect location if you are staying in hollywood. I was there visiting from
Chicago to run the Hollywood 1/2 Marathon. The location was less than 5 minutes walking distance!! Very family friendly! There are free snacks and a
cool red phone next to the pool that when picked up, calls the service desk to bring you a popcicle. I will definitely be back.” - Trip Advisor Review

91. CASE STUDY: BEN & JERRY’SMICRO-WEIRDING
"We opened in May of 1978, and things went well during the spring and summer. Then the winter came around. At minus 20 degrees, not many
people wanted to lick ice cream cones. We decided to come up with this promotion called P.O.P.C.D.B.Z.W.E. (Penny Off Per
Celsius Degree Below Zero Winter Extravaganza)—“The colder it gets, the more you save!” - Ben Cohen, Founder

92. FOUR A’S
CREATING PINK GOLDFISH

93. AWARENESSWeaknesses are important
clues to strengths. Become
aware of what makes you
unique and different
1

94. ACCEPTANCEAccept our weirdness/weakness as
an organization. Then develop an
appreciation of those things as gifts
2

95. ALIGNMENTMake sure that your
weirdness/weakness
aligns with what your
customers value
3

96. AMPLIFICATIONTurn your weirdness/
weakness up to 11 and
avoid following the herd
4

97. F LAUNTING
L OPSIDING
A VOIDING
W EAKENING
S EPARATING
O PPOSITIONING
M ICRO-WEIRDING
WEIRD | WEAK
NORMAL | STRONG
SEPARATING
“MORE” FLAUNTING“LESS” FLAUNTING
LOPSIDING
WEAKENING
AVOIDING
OPPOSITIONING
WORSENING
SUBTRACT MATCH
CONFORM STRUT
SEPARATING
W
W
READY TO BE
F.L.A.W.S.O.M?

98. FINAL THOUGHT
Don’t try to stand out from the crowd

99. FINAL THOUGHT
“Don’t try to stand out from the crowd.
Avoid crowds altogether.”
- Hugh MacLeod, Gaping Void

101. Purple Goldfish is about
little things that improve
customer experience and
drive word of mouth
2012
2014
2013
2016
Green Goldfish is about
little things that improve
employee engagement
and reinforce culture
Golden Goldfish is about
your “vital few”… little
things for your top 20% of
customers and employees
Blue Goldfish is about
technology, data, and
analytics… little things to
drive profits and prophets
Red Goldfish is about
leveraging passion +
purpose in business to
drive loyalty and sales
2017
Pink Goldfish is the sixth color
in the Goldfish Series of Books

102. Author:
Stan Phelps
stan@purplegoldfish.com
+1.919.360.4702

103. dave@drendall.com
+1.919.222.6295
Author:
Dave Rendall

104. KEYNOTES AND WORKSHOPS
+1.919.360.4702
stan@purplegoldfish.com
Little Things Can Make the Biggest Difference