Are you pissing off the right people?

C'mon, look at this face. Who do you think I'm pissing off?

"Who are you pissing off?" That's the question that's sticking in my mind since hearing the keynote presentation a marketing consultant gave this weekend at a meeting I attended on Saturday.

Let me be frank. It's hard for me to consider this question. It really is. I don't like to piss people off, though I've certainly been on the recipient end, as I'm sure most of us have. And I know I've pissed people off before, but not necessarily on purpose. Still, when this guy asked that question of a group of us Arizona speakers, it certainly got our attention.

Seeing as I'm in a transitory state of mind, rethinking my business model and what I have to offer the world, I'm thinking I now have to consider the uncomfortable question. I have no choice. Not only am I curious about who I should be pissing off, if I'm not already, but I'm wondering exactly how I might do that effectively. Go figure! I'm also wondering if this might be something you want to consider for your business. It could be a little liberating.

You see, according to David Newman, the question has everything to do with how well you know your business, right down to knowing not only what service you're offering and why but also who will be your very best market to receive that service and how will you reach them. He said when you take a stand on what topic you're going to pitch or sell to others, you should be pissing somebody off.

You can't be "middle of the road," he said, "that's roadkill." Your business won't go anywhere if you remain in a neutral position. In other words, you want to own your expertise. The niche that follows will not only be yours and yours alone, but it will also be more valuable.

And that's going to piss someone off. 

He asked us to pair up and discuss the idea with a partner. Once we did that, he asked us to share what we learned. A writing consultant said she pissed off authors who think they know it all. They really don't want to be edited. Yet, it's clear their copy needs improvement. Oh, the arrogance! Another marketing consultant in the room said he pisses off general marketers by having a niche market that nets him more work and more money than they earn. Well, why wouldn't they be upset?! As for me, I had a hard time deciding who I pissed off purposefully and what it might mean for my business if I did come up with a list. After all, the writers I hang out with make a point of trying not to burn bridges. We don't want to piss people off. Newman's idea veers off from that philosophy, doesn't it?

Then again, I don't want to be middle of the road but am not sure which way to turn right now. It's equally as uncomfortable. But I know I won't get too far without solid footing. Taking a stand, of course, sounds like a very good idea. While pissing people off seems a little, well, off. I'm not so sure about that.  

One thing I am sure of...I'll be thinking about it this week as I continue assessing the next steps in my career. Who am I pissing off? The more I think about it, the more I think this is actually going to be a fun experiment. It'll be like getting in touch with my "inner child," the little girl who marked up the basement walls in crayon when I was five years old. After I was forced to clean that mess up, the wall looked better than ever. Now, that's an interesting prospect.

What about you? Who are you pissing off these days?  


Stay tuned for more detail about pissing people off and why it might be good for your career. David Newman has agreed to chat with me further about this later in the week. I'll either post the transcripts or the audio. This should be interesting...