Get Different
Marketing That Can't Be Ignored!
Book Edition Details
Summary
Hidden amidst the relentless noise of today's marketplace lies a secret—a secret that can transform your business from a whisper to a roar. In "Get Different," Mike Michalowicz, celebrated for his no-nonsense approach in "Profit First" and "Clockwork," shatters the myth that being better is the key to success. Instead, he unveils the art of being different. Armed with his signature humor and candor, Michalowicz guides you through a groundbreaking framework that pivots on three essential questions: How can you stand apart, magnetize your ideal audience, and steer them toward action? This isn't just a book; it's a lifeline for every entrepreneur grappling with invisibility in an oversaturated market. With insights as actionable as they are transformative, "Get Different" offers the antidote to the defining business challenge of our era—making your brand not just seen, but unforgettable.
Introduction
In a world where businesses scream for attention, most remain invisible. Every day, brilliant entrepreneurs with exceptional products and services watch their dreams gather dust while inferior alternatives thrive. The problem isn't quality—it's visibility. Traditional marketing has become white noise in an overcrowded marketplace where prospects make split-second decisions about what deserves their attention. The harsh reality is that better doesn't win; different does. Your responsibility as a business owner extends beyond creating something valuable—you must ensure the right people discover it. This isn't about becoming a marketing genius overnight; it's about understanding that your prospects' brains are wired to notice what stands out and ignore what blends in. The solution lies in mastering those crucial milliseconds when someone first encounters your marketing. When you learn to be genuinely different in ways that attract your ideal customers and direct them to take action, you transform from invisible to irresistible.
The DAD Marketing Framework
The foundation of breakthrough marketing rests on understanding how the human brain processes information in milliseconds. Your prospects aren't deliberately ignoring you—their brains are evolutionarily programmed to filter out familiar patterns and focus only on what appears different or unexpected. This prehistoric survival mechanism still governs modern buying decisions, creating both your greatest challenge and most powerful opportunity. Gabriel Piña discovered this truth when his accounting business teetered on the edge of bankruptcy. Despite his expertise serving cigar shop owners, he remained virtually unknown in Wyoming after relocating from California. Traditional marketing methods—email campaigns, industry reports, networking events—yielded nothing but mounting bills and growing desperation. His breakthrough came when he shifted from trying to look professional like every other accountant to doing something genuinely different. Instead of sending typical sales materials, Gabriel mailed actual business books to prospects with sticky notes highlighting key insights and a personal message offering free implementation help. This unexpected approach immediately distinguished him from competitors who relied on standard brochures and cold calls. The sticky notes made busy owners more likely to engage with the content, while his genuine offer to help without strings attached built instant trust. Within weeks, Gabriel's phone started ringing with qualified leads who appreciated both his expertise and his refreshingly honest approach. The DAD framework emerged from analyzing why Gabriel's experiment succeeded while traditional methods failed. First, Differentiate by doing something your industry doesn't do—stand out in ways that stop the mental scroll. Second, Attract by ensuring your different approach appeals to your ideal customers rather than repelling them—create curiosity while building confidence. Third, Direct by giving one clear, reasonable next step that moves prospects toward working with you—eliminate confusion and friction. This sequence must happen in order because attention without attraction wastes opportunities, while attraction without direction generates interest but no results.
Differentiate, Attract, Direct
The millisecond your marketing appears before a prospect determines everything that follows. In that blink-fast moment, their brain decides whether to pay attention or tune out completely. Understanding this decision point transforms how you approach every marketing touchpoint, from email subject lines to social media posts to face-to-face introductions. Jesse Cole faced this reality when he and his wife Emily took over a failing baseball team in Savannah, Georgia. The previous team had drawn sparse crowds to a beautiful historic stadium because they marketed exactly like every other minor league franchise—emphasizing baseball tradition, player statistics, and competitive spirit. Local residents consistently told Jesse they found baseball boring, too long, and irrelevant to their lives. Rather than trying to convert baseball fans, Jesse realized he needed to attract families seeking entertainment. The breakthrough came during a team naming contest. While conventional options like "Sailors" or "Captains" reflected Savannah's maritime heritage, one submission stood out for its complete disconnect from baseball tradition—the Bananas. The name had no logical connection to the sport or city, which made it impossible to ignore. Media outlets immediately covered the unconventional choice, generating more attention in one day than the previous team had received in entire seasons. This naming decision perfectly illustrates the DAD framework in action. The unexpected name differentiated the team from every sports franchise in America, attracting families who wanted fun rather than serious competition while directing them to learn more about this refreshingly different entertainment option. Jesse built on this foundation by introducing dancing players, a senior citizen dance troupe, and other theatrical elements that reinforced their commitment to entertainment over athletic purity. The result was selling out every game while building a global brand that demonstrates how being authentically different creates sustainable competitive advantages. The key insight is that different doesn't require radical transformation—it demands authentic amplification of what already makes you unique while having the courage to abandon industry conventions that keep everyone invisible.
Turn Your Disadvantages Into Advantages
Your perceived weaknesses often contain your greatest marketing opportunities. The aspects of your business you're tempted to hide or apologize for frequently become the very things that make you irresistibly different to the right customers. This counterintuitive principle transforms obstacles into advantages when you learn to reframe limitations as features. Matt Shoup built a successful house painting company by delivering quality work and maintaining high customer satisfaction ratings. However, he harbored a secret that haunted him for five years—his crew had once accidentally painted a nine-month-old baby. The incident occurred when a paint sprayer malfunctioned, covering not just the intended door but everything nearby, including a homeowner holding her infant daughter. While no one was injured and Matt's company handled the situation professionally, he swore his team to secrecy, fearing the story would destroy their reputation. Everything changed during a sales meeting with a skeptical prospect who demanded to hear about real mistakes, not the sanitized success stories in Matt's marketing materials. Desperate to close the deal, Matt reluctantly shared the painted baby incident, explaining exactly how his company had responded with immediate cleanup, replacement of damaged items, and genuine care for the affected family. Rather than running away, the prospect signed the contract because Matt's transparency about his worst mistake demonstrated how he would handle any future problems. This revelation transformed Matt's entire marketing approach. He began including the painted baby story in his sales presentations and marketing materials, shocking advertising professionals who predicted career suicide. Instead, his honesty generated unprecedented attention from prospects tired of perfect-sounding competitors. Customers appreciated his authenticity and felt confident that his company would take responsibility if anything went wrong. His willingness to own his mistakes actually increased trust while differentiating him from every other painting contractor in the market. Start identifying what you consider weaknesses in your business—limited resources, unconventional background, past mistakes, or industry inexperience. These perceived disadvantages often represent your most powerful differentiation opportunities when positioned correctly for the right audience.
Test Fast, Scale Smart
Marketing success comes from rapid experimentation rather than perfect planning. The businesses that consistently win attention understand that most ideas fail, but the ones that succeed more than compensate for every experiment that doesn't work. Your goal isn't to avoid failure—it's to fail quickly and cheaply while discovering the approaches that generate results worth scaling. Ernestina Perez faced this challenge when her therapy practice needed fifteen new clients to reach capacity. As a Latina therapist specializing in her community's mental health needs, she knew her ideal clients existed but struggled to reach them through traditional methods like Psychology Today listings or professional directories. Her breakthrough came during a group brainstorming session where participants suggested unconventional approaches she'd never considered. The winning idea emerged from combining her professional expertise with popular culture in an unexpected way. Ernestina created a video reviewing relationship conflicts on the reality TV show "90 Day Fiancé," offering therapeutic insights about the cultural misunderstandings and communication breakdowns featured in each episode. While this approach terrified her initially—therapists typically maintain serious, professional boundaries—she recognized that her target clients consumed this type of content and needed to see her addressing their actual concerns. The results exceeded every expectation. Her "90 Day Fiancé" review video generated nearly twenty-five hundred views in one week, compared to fewer than six hundred views for her traditional professional video over an entire year. More importantly, the different approach converted viewers into clients. Within three weeks, thirty-one people had contacted her practice, and she booked twenty-three new clients—eight more than her original goal. The experiment's success came from testing quickly with minimal investment while creating content that genuinely served her community's needs. Implement this approach by choosing one simple marketing experiment you can execute within twenty-four hours. Don't wait for perfect conditions or comprehensive planning—test your different idea immediately to gather real data about what works. Document your results honestly, then iterate based on what you learn rather than what you hoped would happen.
Summary
Your business success depends entirely on your willingness to be noticed in a world that rewards conformity with invisibility. The entrepreneurs who thrive understand that better products and services mean nothing if the right people never discover them. As this framework reveals, marketing isn't about manipulation or trickery—it's about taking responsibility for ensuring your value reaches those who need it most. Remember that "different is not better, different is better," because standing out is the prerequisite for everything else that matters in business. Your prospects make decisions in milliseconds based on what captures their attention, attracts their interest, and directs them toward clear next steps. The courage to be authentically different in your marketing creates the foundation for sustainable growth while serving your community in ways your competitors never will. Start today by identifying one conventional approach in your industry and replacing it with something genuinely different that reflects who you truly are. Your ideal customers are waiting to discover you—but first, you must give them a reason to notice.
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By Mike Michalowicz
