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Home > For Free > Articles > issue7vol5
How to Stand Out from the Noisy Crowd
By David Brewster January 2006
It’s midnight on New Year’s Eve. The neighborhood air fills with the sounds of out-of-sync countdowns, out-of-tune renditions of Auld Lang Syne and the occasional pop of a fairly feeble firework. These were other peoples’ noises – we were having a quiet one – and they soon faded. Unlike much of the other noise we have to live with.
We all live with an increasing din of other peoples’ noise. Technology has replaced the clicks and hums which used to accompany the music on our records and cassettes. But they have been replaced by much more ubiquitous noise – both audible and otherwise. Noise we can’t turn off.
Take advertising for example. Gradually, every square inch of our environment is being used as a billboard. In our local supermarket the security sensors no longer stand grey and unnoticed like a rejected schoolboy at his first dance. They now wear a cardboard dress featuring bright Disney prints. And they expect to be noticed.
Notice how the television commentary of a sporting event is now only half a description of the game. The other half is set aside to plug tomorrow night’s blockbuster. And after the game, the presentation isn’t complete without a sponsor’s cap sitting awkwardly atop the victor’s pate.
Beyond advertising, there’s the cacophony of bells, trills and Coldplay songs from flocks of mobile phones. The rustle of all those irrelevant emails we need to hack through to find the relevant few. The tickle of endless pop-up messages which Microsoft deems essential to keeping us in the Windows loop.
And of course there’s the noise of unnecessary choice. Key-operated telephone menus are a common culprit here. If I ring to speak to customer service, I don’t need to know that I could also speak to sales, technical support, the fire department or the managing director’s spouse.
Taken individually, most of these things are probably not significant. But combined, they create a constant buzz in the background of our lives. They contribute to an overall sense of busyness. They make life more complicated than it needs to be.
Which presents your business with an opportunity.
Do the opposite. Be the opposite. In other words, make your business less noisy to deal with. Reduce the noise associated with getting in touch. Reduce the noise associated with placing an order. Reduce the noise associated with fixing a problem.
Your customers won’t know why, but they will feel that yours is a business which is a pleasure to deal with. And they’ll be more likely to come back for more – one new year after another.
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