“与众不同”须谨慎
New entrepreneurs frequently hear the advice to "be unique" in their marketing. The basic idea is a valuable one -- to get attention in a crowded marketplace, you must stand out in some way. Distinguishing your product or service from the competition can make your marketing more effective. Crafting a novel marketing message can attract the notice of more potential customers.
新的企业家经常听到别人建议他们在市场上要与众不同。基本思想是值得肯定的，在拥挤的商场上引起别人的注意，你必须在某些方面特异独行。将你的产品和服务与竞争对手区分开来的话，可以让你的市场营销更有效。如果你创建了一个新颖的市场营销广告的话，你就可以吸引更多潜在客户的注意。
There's no question that an element of uniqueness in your marketing can make your business more memorable, competitive, and special to your target audience. These are all reasons why being different can be good. But how different should you be?
毫无疑问，如果在你的市场营销中有独特的元素的话，对你的目标客户来说，你的产品就更令人难忘，有竞争力，更加特别。这些都是与众不同的好处。但是你应该怎么样与众不同呢？
A student in one of my classes had noticed there were no display ads for management consultants in his local Yellow Pages. "What a great opportunity," he thought, "to make my business stand out to prospective clients." He spent over $200 per month on a large ad for a full year. The result was not a single phone call, unless you count the ones from vendors trying to sell him photocopiers and phone systems.
在我带的班级中有个学生注意到在他当地的黄页中没有管理顾问的广告。“这是一个多么好的机会。”他想到。“可以让我的生意在潜在客户中间脱颖而出。”在接下来一年的时间里，他每个月支付200美元，在黄页上刊登了一个求职广告。但结果却是除了那些想向他推销影印机和电话系统的供应商外，没一个人给他打电话。
He had neglected to ask his consulting colleagues WHY none of them had ads in the Yellow Pages. It seemed like a good idea to him, and no one else was doing it, so he pulled out his checkbook. What never occurred to him -- and what any experienced colleague could have told him -- was that companies don't choose management consultants from ads in the phone book.
他没有想过去问一下那些咨询顾问的同事为什么他们没有在黄页上打广告。对他来说看起来是个好主意，也没有其他人这样做，所以他就毫不犹豫的掏钱打广告了。有一个他没有经历过的，而任何经历过的同事都可以告诉他的事实，那就是公司不会从电话本广告中招聘管理顾问。
Sometimes you can be too unique for your own good. There's a lot in sales and marketing that is tried and true. If you decide to forge a completely new trail, you may be attempting an experiment that many others in your field have already tried with no success.
有时候为了自己的利益，你可以与众不同。在销售和营销中有很多这样的真实例子。如果你决定走一条全新的路线，你就要做好思想准备，这也可能是其他人尝试过但失败的路线。
It's not always just your marketing techniques that are a little too different. The same problem can afflict the product or service you are marketing.
不仅仅是你的营销方法与众不同。同样的方法也会影响你的产品和服务。
I met a fellow while networking who had a "unique process" for helping companies resolve conflicts between employee groups. When I asked him to explain his process, he said I would have to experience it to understand it. I inquired how it compared to solutions like mediation or team building, and he told me it was a totally different approach that defied comparison.
我在网络上遇到一个人，他用独特的方法来帮助公司解决和员工的冲突。当我让他向我解释他的处理方法时，他说我只有亲身经历过才能理解。我询问他的方法与调解和团队建设比起来怎么样，他告诉我说自己都不屑于和那些比较。