Focus Point Matters
I intended to focus the camera on the mini excavator; however, it ended up focusing on the drain ditch. (apenas em inglês)
Rui Lapa
3/4/20243 min ler
Often, I get really excited about photographing equipment and forget to pay attention to my pinpoint-focus square within the viewfinder or LCD screen. I intended to focus the camera on the mini excavator (header picture); however, it ended up focusing on the drain ditch.
This small storm drain, one of a few on this jobsite, redirects water away from a new building complex. The focus point difference is only so slight, but if you zoom in, you can see that the machine is fuzzy. Why care? Where you focus makes all the difference, whether in life, in business, or with your brand.
Do you become distracted by the next tool?
Or the next amazing SaaS promising to change the world?
Or the next under-40 up-and-coming?
Or the next business partnership that will get you into new markets?
Without intending to insinuate that paying attention to your surroundings is negative, it has the potential to distract you from your unique and valued positioning (UVP) if you allow it.
How do you stay focused on your core purpose?
I find a simple approach known as “Jobs-to-be-done” to be a great method. Here are a few examples:
Example #1: Farm equipment manufacturer
Job to be done: Till the field: Why? → plant and grow some food → regularly supply food without interruption to large supermarkets
Example #2: Construction equipment manufacturer
Job to be done: Build a drain ditch: Why? → protect the building complex → avoid unnecessary rework by using modern machine integrated grading technology.
Example #3: Polytechnic school
Job to be done: install heat ducting: Why? → build a house, learn a technical trade → become highly employable
What are the jobs-to-be-done in branding?
Who and why? Brand strategy
What? Brand identity
How? Marketing execution, go-to-market
Who cares? Differentiate in the market, earn ideal customers, and distance your UVP from the only-price-delivery decision-making criteria
Lack of focus example: Everything to everyone
I once worked with a company that said yes to many “great fit” partnerships and ended up with so many different product lines, upwards of 80+, that it distracted them from their core, resulting in weakened morale, profits, and retention, leading to an inevitable acquisition and eventual cleansing. I recall a discussion with one of the senior leaders, who insisted that no benefit could come from having a focused core brand strategy and identity as it distracted from providing solutions to the whole market.
Focus example: Consolidating to one support provider
As a comparison, I also worked with an industrial company that focused on being an equipment brand-agnostic semi- and full-autonomous machine control technology provider for mobile construction equipment. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the market in this region is very segmented, with many competitors focusing on exclusivity and proprietary technologies. Adjusting the focus point on the customer’s jobs to be done and recognising the customer’s situation of having a diverse multi-OEM equipment fleet led to an approach supporting all brands of equipment with 100% technically functional and open platform approaches.
Reducing the time spent with different proprietary technology providers, integrating all metrics into one cohesive and insightful system, increasing the production capacity of the whole fleet, and relying on one trusted support partner allowed the customer to re-focus on their core jobs—building and installing roads, basements, general infrastructure, utility infrastructure, lease pads, wind turbine sites, and more. This strategy allowed the industrial supplier to filter out non-strategic partners, select new partners, and, over several years, significantly increase their ideal customer base, profit, and advocacy.
A strong brand strategy, along with a few strong strategic business filters, will help you decipher when you say:
No, to the next thing
Maybe, to adding an opportunity to your business development pipeline
Yes, to a shift in your one (1) top priority
In general, I advocate for one top priority; however, if there are a few, ensure at least one of your strategic business filters revolves around having resources to completely pilot or commit to any new endeavours.
Often, I get really excited about photographing equipment and forget to pay attention to my pinpoint-focus square within the viewfinder or LCD screen. I intended to focus the camera on the mini excavator (header picture); however, it ended up focusing on the drain ditch.
This small storm drain, one of a few on this jobsite, redirects water away from a new building complex. The focus point difference is only so slight, but if you zoom in, you can see that the machine is fuzzy. Why care? Where you focus makes all the difference, whether in life, in business, or with your brand.
Do you become distracted by the next tool?
Or the next amazing SaaS promising to change the world?
Or the next under-40 up-and-coming?
Or the next business partnership that will get you into new markets?
Without intending to insinuate that paying attention to your surroundings is negative, it has the potential to distract you from your unique and valued positioning (UVP) if you allow it.
How do you stay focused on your core purpose?
I find a simple approach known as “Jobs-to-be-done” to be a great method. Here are a few examples:
Example #1: Farm equipment manufacturer
Job to be done: Till the field: Why? → plant and grow some food → regularly supply food without interruption to large supermarkets
Example #2: Construction equipment manufacturer
Job to be done: Build a drain ditch: Why? → protect the building complex → avoid unnecessary rework by using modern machine integrated grading technology.
Example #3: Polytechnic school
Job to be done: install heat ducting: Why? → build a house, learn a technical trade → become highly employable
What are the jobs-to-be-done in branding?
Who and why? Brand strategy
What? Brand identity
How? Marketing execution, go-to-market
Who cares? Differentiate in the market, earn ideal customers, and distance your UVP from the only-price-delivery decision-making criteria
Lack of focus example: Everything to everyone
I once worked with a company that said yes to many “great fit” partnerships and ended up with so many different product lines, upwards of 80+, that it distracted them from their core, resulting in weakened morale, profits, and retention, leading to an inevitable acquisition and eventual cleansing. I recall a discussion with one of the senior leaders, who insisted that no benefit could come from having a focused core brand strategy and identity as it distracted from providing solutions to the whole market.
Focus example: Consolidating to one support provider
As a comparison, I also worked with an industrial company that focused on being an equipment brand-agnostic semi- and full-autonomous machine control technology provider for mobile construction equipment. Though it may seem counterintuitive, the market in this region is very segmented, with many competitors focusing on exclusivity and proprietary technologies. Adjusting the focus point on the customer’s jobs to be done and recognising the customer’s situation of having a diverse multi-OEM equipment fleet led to an approach supporting all brands of equipment with 100% technically functional and open platform approaches.
Reducing the time spent with different proprietary technology providers, integrating all metrics into one cohesive and insightful system, increasing the production capacity of the whole fleet, and relying on one trusted support partner allowed the customer to re-focus on their core jobs—building and installing roads, basements, general infrastructure, utility infrastructure, lease pads, wind turbine sites, and more. This strategy allowed the industrial supplier to filter out non-strategic partners, select new partners, and, over several years, significantly increase their ideal customer base, profit, and advocacy.
A strong brand strategy, along with a few strong strategic business filters, will help you decipher when you say:
No, to the next thing
Maybe, to adding an opportunity to your business development pipeline
Yes, to a shift in your one (1) top priority
In general, I advocate for one top priority; however, if there are a few, ensure at least one of your strategic business filters revolves around having resources to completely pilot or commit to any new endeavours.
