Axiom 35: First & Best

"If you can't be first in a category, set up a new category you can be first in." -The Law of Category from the book, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

"If you ain't first, you're last." -Ricky Bobby

Do you know who was the second person to walk on the moon? The team that came in second in last year's Super Bowl? The second person you kissed? Remembering firsts is easy, remembering seconds is a struggle. 

Society tends to remember the first person to do something new and forget the people that follow in that same path. That's why you should try to be the first at something. It doesn't always guarantee success, but it does help your chances a lot.

First, find your USP (Unique Selling Point). This is the thing that makes you number one in a particular category. If you're not sure what your USP is take a little time to do some self-reflection. Everyone has a USP you just have to figure out consciously what yours is. Once you have identified your USP then create a category and market yourself as a first.

Here are some examples defining your USP and becoming #1:

• John is an independent accountant. There are thousands of accountants in the city John lives in and he struggles to find clients as a general accountant. John also has knowledge of industrial manufacturing and import/export laws. This additional experience is John's USP. John then markets himself as the only industrial manufacturing accountant in his city with an emphasis on import/export accounting.
• Sherry graduated with a film degree. She always wanted to work in Hollywood but the never got a break. Her father owns a dry-cleaning shop and pays Sherry to shoot a commercial for local TV. Next thing you know another shop in the same shopping center sees the commercial and hires Sherry to do a commercial for them also. Now Sherry is known for being the #1 person in her community for filming local TV spots.
• Jack starts a local grocery store in his city. Before he knows it a huge big-box grocery store opens nearby and he starts losing business. Jack decides he can't compete on price, but he can compete on service and gourmet products. This is Jack's USP. Soon he is running ads touting, "less crowds, faster checkout, quality high-end products". Pretty soon the wealthier people in town choose Jack's store over the "heard of cattle" approach the other store takes.   

Once you set your self apart from the crowd and become first at something everything becomes easier. Doors open, people remember you, people want to do business with you, and so on.

If you want to read more on this idea and other great ideas pick up a copy of The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.

An Idiot's Guide to Luxury Watches

Anyone involved in a white-collar line of work should be somewhat familiar with luxury wristwatches. For the few business people that spend money on a nice watch they will no doubt be impressed if you spot it and say something like, "Hey, nice watch! That's a Panerai isn't it?"

The most common luxury watch brands you'll encounter are Rolex, Cartier, Panerai, TAG Heuer, Breitling, and Omega. They all look distinctive and are fairly easy to spot. For those of you interested in buying a nice watch yourself please do your research and buy from a reputable source. Fakes are numerous and you can get burned easily. If you want to save money you're better off buying used from a reputable pawn shop or jeweler than from a fly-by-night internet sight.

There's a great book that comes out yearly called the Wristwatch Annual. It has pictures, prices, and details for all the latest watches on the market. This book is great for anyone looking to train their eyes to easily identify any luxury watch out in the wild or for anyone looking for a thorough buyer's guide.

Axiom 34: Dare to be Great

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."  -Theodore Roosevelt

In 2002 I was finishing up my undergraduate degree here in Texas. My goal at the time was to work in entertainment PR in Los Angeles. I knew it was going to take something special for me to break through the pile of rèsumès and noticed. I had one PR firm in mind in Beverly Hills that I really wanted to work for so I put together a plan to get noticed.

I flew from Dallas to Los Angeles with a briefcase and rented a car. I drove straight to where the  PR firm was on Wilshire Boulevard and walked into their office. I acted like I was with a courier service and I dropped off the briefcase and a letter for the president of the PR firm. I even had the secretary sign a fake delivery log.

What happen next was a thing of beauty. The president read the letter. In it I introduced myself and asked for a chance to work there. At the end of the letter I gave the combination to unlock the briefcase, 777.

Once he opened the briefcase he saw posted inside my rèsumè and a quote from Benjamin Franklin, "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." The rest of the briefcase was filled with fake $100 bills banded with the PR firm's logo.

It made a strong statement and they called to set up an interview. That's were the good part of the story unfortunately ends. Being that the cell phone technology of 2002 sucked compared to today the message was lost. I didn't realize what happened until I got back to Texas and read and email from them saying that they loved the stunt and had called me to set up a meeting. I tried to reschedule but they wouldn't respond. Opportunity lost.

Looking back things turned out for the best. This experience taught me that taking chances can pay off. Don't be afraid to do something big. Sometimes things will still go wrong but in the long run you'll be glad that you took the risk.