Move past the hype

I’m happy to say that during the last two months, I have gotten back into hiking. Almost every weekend, a couple of friends and I get together and hit one of the many trails in San Diego County.

We found one trail that we really like. It takes you from Lake Poway up Mount Woodson to “potato chip rock.” This rock looks like a large potato chip that could break off at any second. It is the big draw for a lot of the hikers who make the almost 9-mile hike (which is often made in the heat).

The first few times we climbed the trail, we got to potato chip rock, moved just a little beyond it to get away from the crowd, took a rest break, and went back down the mountain. We had noticed that the trail continued past potato chip rock. However, since most people stopped at the rock, we assumed the trail just went to the cell towers and antennas that sit on the top of the mountain and that there was nothing else to see.

Extra effort can bring unexpected results

Last week, we decided to hike towards the antennas just to satisfy our curiosity. What we found were amazing views from all sides of the mountain. Sure, the boulders weren’t shaped like potato chips, but they offered more shade, less crowds, and better views.

Just traveling a little farther on the trail yielded us so much more than the novelty of a cool-shaped rock.

Look beyond the stops everyone else makes

Does your website offer the same (or very similar) information, tools, and layouts as everyone else? Are you stopping where most people are stopping because that’s the norm? What opportunities are you missing?

Your challenge this week is to determine what makes you stand out from your competition – what makes a customer choose you over another service provider or product. Once you determine this, check your website and make sure it truly reflects your uniqueness. (Start with your home page, then create a plan to update the rest of your website.)

Don’t get caught up in what everyone else is doing. Take those few extra steps and be amazed by the results.