I've been doing this for 49 years of constantly adding value. You know, good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster. So the good news is, if you keep doing good news, it'll overwhelm the bad news, even if someone tries to say something about you that's not true. So here I am almost five decades later, still serving people. So what I'm trying to get is, it's not an overnight thing to build a brand, but depending upon the size of the market, it can be. If your brand is in a company, and someone's got to decide who they're going to let go of or who they're going to give a raise to or move up, you have to be a brand in that company that they think of as like, this person is the smartest one, the hardest working, the quickest, the best, the whatever it is that are the qualities needed in that company. And if you do that, you have a huge advantage. If you really do it well, like in my category in the world, I'm being the number one brand in my category on earth. I'm not being ego. It's just, that's what we've built. But there's a reason for it too. If you think about it, if I, a lot of people, when they want to send something overnight, they'll say, will you FedEx this? And they don't care if it's Federal Express, but the people at UPS hate that, right? They go, no, they mean send it overnight, not FedEx it, right? But FedEx was first. They over-delivered. They built this brand. And now it's really hard for people to compete with them because they own the brand. They literally own the category. Or some people say, will you pass me, you know, the Kleenex? The people at Scott Tissue get really angry. They go, Kleenex is not what it is. It's tissue, right? But they own the category. How many follow the power of this? Make some noise if you see the power of this. So if you get the power of this, then your job is to tap into it. So if we're going to tap into it, what are we going to do to tap into it? So let's give you number two. Throw it up for me. Our next step is to start to identify and articulate what's your competitive advantage. If you work for someone else, what do you bring to the table that would make them want to move you up in the company? And by the way, you should work on becoming worth it. You should work on saying, how do I build more of skill sets or abilities? Maybe it's time to study some AI. Maybe it's time to develop some skills on communication, but you've got to come up with what your advantage is. If you have a company, you've got to be able to articulate quickly, why should I do business with you versus someone else? Right? If you can't articulate it, you have no brand. If you can't articulate it, no one else is going to. So most of us are so busy working, we never stop to think about, think about this, people will get on their knees at a 7-11 and reach behind a set of other drinks to get a Coca-Cola, right? In fact, years ago, the biggest mistake in marketing history was when Coca-Cola got competing with Pepsi, this is back in the 1980s, late 80s, early 90s, and the biggest star in the world was Michael Jackson, by far. And they hired him and they made new ads for Pepsi called The New Generation. And they had this cool music and all these young people, people are fully alive. And so now, if you wanted to be a young, cool person, you would drink a Pepsi. Coke was old and kind of outdated. And they were so effective that they then added a second campaign, which was a taste test. And in these blind taste tests, and they did commercials this over and over again, they'd have people drink two different sodas and they'd say, which one do you prefer? And 80% of the time, they said Pepsi. And Pepsi started getting a big market share and Coke freaked out and overreacted. And if you're old enough to remember this, they decided who they think they are. I know what we'll do. We'll just change the formula. We'll come up with new Coke. Anybody alive at the time remember what happened when they came up with new Coke? Anybody remember? Put in the chat box if you remember what happened. What happened when they suddenly came up with this brilliant idea of doing new Coke, something people never had before? Yeah, it bombed, it failed, it melted down. It was a disaster. That's correct. People not only were angry, classic drinkers of Coca-Cola, that was their brand. They went on strike. They blew up some of them with like guns and things like that. They said, we're not buying any more of this crap. And it was kind of like the most recent example that was Bud Light when they put a trans person on and trans, good, bad, or indifferent, I'm not here to make a judgment about it, but it wasn't aligned with their brand, which is like guys playing football, drinking beer, it wasn't really that. And so they had the same blowup. They lost billions of dollars because they were misaligned. Coke did the same thing. So Coke came back within a few weeks and went, excuse us, we're so sorry. We're gonna bring back the original formula and we're gonna call it Classic Coke. People went, damn right, that's what I'm drinking. I'm a Pappy drank that, I drink that, we're all gonna drink that. And they saved the company. And then he kept new Coke and they lost money on it for 18 years before they finally made money on new Coke. So your brand, man, it has power. But you gotta articulate what is your advantage over other people. So I'm gonna ask somebody, someone raise your hand who owns your own business. Let's do it that way. Own your own business. I'm gonna call on you and I want you to tell me, all right, let's go with this young lady here. Yes, ma'am. Let's bring up Kimberly. Give it up for Kimberly. Kimberly, where are you in the world? She's got her volume? Where are you in the world? Spring Lake, Michigan. She's in Michigan, ladies and gentlemen! Give it up for Michigan! Tell me, why should I do business with you versus someone else? What's your business? So I am a veterinarian, and I opened my business in 2023. We are an urgent care, which is a new, a newer concept, I guess, like, you know, it's a little popular on the West Coast and East Coast. So I built my business off of looking at some other urgent cares that were popping up. So yeah, we were very successful in the first year. And I think it really just came down to being available for people who did not have like an established veterinarian that they were taking their pets to. And we, you know, we'll see anybody, and we have a walk-in. They walk in, they kind of sign up on our queue system. But more than that, I think it's like the intentionality behind the business. Like, I went into this because I wanted to make a better life for people in this industry and have a work environment where people liked coming to work and there were, you know, set values and things that could make us, like, proud of what we do and that we could work together in a team fashion. Sometimes that's not always the case in the vet world. So yeah, I think we just bring a lot of, we help people out and we let them know that, you know, we're going to meet them where they are at and with what they can do for their family member, really, because that's what, that's how people look at their pets. They are very important. And so it's a matter of just saying, hey, we can do this, we can offer you this, and if we can't, then we will send you to the people who can help you out. That's wonderful. Well, first of all, how many were convinced to go there based on her presentation? Okay, if you look around, but let me ask you a different question. How many of you like Kimberly and feel she's totally sincere? So Kimberly, I get who you are, and I love who you are, but you barely answered my question. And the question people have is, why should I do business with you versus someone else? Now, someone who's patient would listen to your whole description, which I'm happy to do, but not everybody is. And so what's happened is you started to have it, and the quick answer was, we're here for you and your pet 24 seven, 365, and we have the finest care you can imagine with pure compassion, or something like that. How many would be convinced by that? Raise your hand if that would convince you to go. So if you look around the room, we took it from 10% to like 75%. So I'm not saying that has to be rough off the top of my head, and I would still say it with more emotion and caring, but what happens is, all the other reasons you're doing, it won't convince somebody else to do. That's why you're doing it. This is a mistake that most of us make as entrepreneurs, and I've made it myself, so this is not a correction for you, it's just feedback. Most of us create a product or service that we want. Like you want an environment like that. By the way, I respect that immensely. But what you have to stay focused on is you have to fall in love with your customer and only think, what do they want and what can I tell them in the shortest period of time because people's attention span today is it big or small, everybody? Which one? Big or small? Give me a little signal here. That's right, very small. So you won't get the chance usually to tell all that. They're gonna make a decision in a few seconds. So your 24/7 was your biggest advantage, right? You, by the way, she did something brilliant. You should give her a hand for this. She modeled something she saw working somewhere else and brought it to her community. Give her a hand for that, it's fantastic. But there will be a time, Kim, or Kimberly, I don't know what you prefer, Kim or Kimberly. Kim's fine, yeah. Kim, there will be a time, Kim, where there'll be many other urgent centers then and your competition will change. So you have...
Absolutely — this is another goldmine of insight from Tony Robbins, this time on branding, positioning, and competitive advantage. Let’s break it down and then see how to apply it to your life or business.
1. Summary — Key Principles
A. Brand = Reputation Over Time
Your “brand” is what people think of you when you’re not in the room.
Good news spreads fast; bad news spreads faster, but consistently delivering value over time overwhelms negativity.
Example: Tony himself spent decades building his credibility — not overnight.
B. Owning a Category Creates Dominance
When you “own a category,” people default to you.
Examples:
FedEx = overnight delivery
Kleenex = tissues
Early leaders in a niche can dominate perception — even if competitors exist.
C. Competitive Advantage Must Be Clear & Articulated
You need to answer quickly:
“Why should I choose you over someone else?”
It’s not enough to have a great product or service; you must communicate your unique advantage clearly, simply, and emotionally.
Long, complex explanations often fail. People make decisions in seconds.
D. Align Brand with Market Expectations
Mistakes happen when a brand does something inconsistent:
Coke’s “New Coke” failed because it violated customer expectation.
Bud Light’s misalignment cost billions.
Your brand’s identity must resonate with what your audience expects — then you can innovate without alienating them.
E. Focus on the Customer, Not Yourself
Entrepreneurs often love their product or mission, but the market only cares about what’s in it for them.
Short, clear messaging about value to the customer is key — e.g., Kim’s “24/7 urgent care” distilled into one compelling line.
F. Continuous Improvement & Market Awareness
Innovation is important, but anticipate competition.
Today’s advantage may not be tomorrow’s.
Build skills, expand capabilities, and stay aware of market shifts to maintain dominance.
2. How to Apply This to Your Life / Work
Here’s how you can translate these principles into concrete action, based on your context (career, business, personal brand):
Step A: Identify Your Brand
Ask yourself:
What do I want people to instantly think when they hear my name?
Example: “Hamsasya = someone who solves problems clearly, with integrity, and gets results fast.”
Your brand is the mental shortcut people have for you.
Step B: Articulate Your Competitive Advantage
Make a one-sentence “why choose me” statement.
Keep it simple and customer-focused:
“I help [person/company] achieve [result] faster, easier, and more reliably than anyone else.”
Practice saying it aloud, with confidence, in less than 10 seconds.
Think of it like an incantation for your brand — repetition + certainty = perception shift.
Step C: Deliver Consistently
Build trust by consistently over-delivering value.
Even small acts over time accumulate into a reputation powerhouse.
Track results quietly — long-term accumulation beats short-term hype.
Step D: Align With Expectations
Understand your audience.
Don’t innovate so radically that it confuses your market.
Incremental improvements aligned with expectations = loyalty + credibility.
Example: Kim’s urgent care worked because it matched what people needed — convenience, compassion — not just what she wanted to build.
Step E: Monitor & Evolve
Keep an eye on competitors and customer preferences.
Continuously add skills (like Tony mentioned — AI, communication, leadership).
Your brand is living, not static.
Step F: Shortcut to Influence
Use clear, memorable examples — people remember stories, not statistics.
Tie your advantage to something tangible.
Think FedEx, Kleenex, or Kim’s 24/7 urgent care.
💡 Your Life/Application Takeaway:
You don’t need to be the loudest or the flashiest. You need to:
Define your identity and advantage clearly
Deliver consistently over time
Communicate it in a way your audience immediately understands
When you do this, decades of value-building compound, and your reputation does the heavy lifting for you.
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