Great leaders often do very surprising things. Things that appear, at first blush, counter-intuitive.

From Henry Ford to Steve Jobs, there are countless tales of company leaders making moves many predicted were destine to fail. But from the Model-T and the V-8 engine, to iTunes and the iPhone, risky moves have paid big dividends.
In recent a keynote address at the International Council of Shopping Centers annual ReCON event, Bobbi Brown, founder and CCO of MEGA-SELLING cosmetics company Bobbie Brown, made some surprising and counter-intuitive statements about marketing.
VERY surprising statements coming from a cosmetics industry titan – a marketing driven business notorious for valuing branding and positioning above all else.

Bobbi – Not Bobby

Just to clarify before we go too far… This is NOT the “My Prerogative” swaggering, former abusive husband of the late Whitney Huston, Bobby Brown. No, that’s an ENTIRELY different Bobby.
Rather this Bobbi (with an “i” not a “y”) is nice Jewish girl originally hailing from Chicago.
Instead of singing and dancing her way to fame, this Bobbi graduated from Boston’s Emerson College, became a makeup artist, and eventually went on to oh, you know, found one the world’s leading cosmetic companies, not to mention published a mere eight books.
Now that we’re all on the same page, back to the issue at hand… Brown’s statements translate into three valuable marketing lessons. So let’s dig in for a closer look…

Focus on VALUE

“It is not about what the trends are. It is about the product, and not the marketing.”
-Bobbi Brown

This quote is a dig at the cosmetics industry’s long-time marketing approach… Companies fall over themselves to snare celebrity endorsements. Or companies are flat out found around celebrities.
Brown’s first product was a lipstick. And she launched her company with a simple idea… “I wanted something where I didn’t look like I was wearing my mother’s lipstick.” A concept lots of women, especially young women, can relate too.
Brown’s customer-focused approach reveals the industry at large is an “Emperor with no clothes.” In other words, it’s not about which celeb is wearing your cosmetics – that approach buys media coverage, but not loyalty. It’s about the benefit the product provides. Benefits buy you paying customers for LIFE.
You Are Your Minimum Viable Product
I made a similar supposition in recent post (under the above title)… Much like cosmetics, professional services are HEAVILY commodified.
In order to stand out, it’s tempting to focus on the bells and whistles you add to your service offerings – the “Happy Meal” as marketing consultant Ed Gandia terms it – rather than the value YOU provide.
Remember: Your value isn’t just the service you provide. It’s your unique experience, personality and the working relationship you foster. As Gandia says “clients often choose you, and continue to work with you, not because you’re the ’best,’ but because you’re attentive to their needs and easy to work with.”

Be AUTHENTIC

“In this noisy environment, it is important to be authentic.”
-Bobbi Brown

As her quote illustrates, Bobbi succeeded by focusing on value rather than image. Instead of hiding behind a media-manufactured celebrity persona, Bobbi is herself. And that authenticity SELLS.
In Your Business…
Don’t hide behind boring industry-speak. Or latch on to the latest trends just because everyone else is.
Instead, lead with your authentic personality.
Two Quick Case Studies
Case #1 – The Serious Business of Lawyering
The law is serious. And lawyering a serious business. But lawyers and law firms often make the mistake of focusing on seriousness to the exclusion of all else.
This creates a mega-marketing problem: Every other lawyer and law firm is speaking in the same serious tone, which makes it impossible to stand out in an extremely crowded field.
The solution? Lead with personality. Nothing does more to distinguish your business than authentic personality.
Case Study #2: Women’s Entrepreneurial Market
These days in the online space, there are lots of women selling products, courses and training programs. It’s an entrepreneurial market that’s completely exploded.
The product and service offerings target a broad market. But the industry as a whole has adopted the same CHEERY, IN-YOUR-FACE language, full of cutesy phrases and expressions.
The language sets an upbeat, positive tone that’s definitely engaging. But when the ENTIRE market speaks in the same vernacular, the effect is INCREASINGLY diminished.
The solution? Adopt language and a tone that differs from your industry’s norm. Nothing stands out more than “going against the grain.”

Maximum INPUT = Maximum OUTPUT

“What you put into something is what you get out of it.”
-Bobbi Brown

It’s not easy to launch, grow and maintain a major cosmetics company. Particularly going against the industry’s image driven, celebrity endorsement happy model.
Never-the-less Bobbie made it happen. And decades of hard work, dating back to 1991, are at the core of her success.
The application to your business seems pretty obvious, right? Success demands 110%.
But when it comes to marketing, the application might not be so obvious. The reality is success in marketing demands the same 110% investment.
Unfortunately, far too many businesses treat marketing as an after-thought. A “necessary evil,” so to speak, exercised begrudgingly. And then they wonder why their business isn’t growing or even gaining any traction?
But like anything else, marketing depend on the effort you invest.

What Lessons Have You Learned From Great Leaders?

Lessons from great leaders have provided lots of fodder for this blog lately. Twitter co-founder Evan Williams starred in a recent post. And now cosmetics maven Bobbi Brown takes center-stage.
Of course this begs the question, what lessons have you learned from great leaders? Visit my Google+ and share a few golden nuggets you’ve gathered in the annals of your professional experience.