You have magic at your fingertips. You just can't see it.
If you've been in business for more than three years, you're doing something remarkable. Period. If you weren't, you'd be out of business by now. Most companies fail within the first few years. The fact that you're still standing means you've figured out something that works.
The problem? You're too close to it. What feels normal to you looks extraordinary to your customers. But since you do it every day, you don't think it's special. You don't realize you're wearing ruby slippers.
The Ruby Slipper Problem
Remember the end of The Wizard of Oz? Dorothy spends the whole movie trying to get home. She travels to the Emerald City. She completes impossible tasks. She fights flying monkeys and a wicked witch.
Then Glinda shows up with the truth: "You've always had the power to go back to Kansas." Dorothy just needed to click her heels together. She'd been wearing the magic shoes the entire time.
That's you. That's your business.
You already have what you need. You just don't know how to talk about it.
Your Inside Reality Doesn't Match Your Outside Perception
Here's what happens with most companies: they have a fantastic way of doing business on the inside. Their processes work. Their team knows what to do. They deliver great results for their customers.
But from the outside? Prospects can't tell any of that. Your website says the same things everyone else's says. Your sales pitch sounds like your competitors'. You look identical to the three other options they're considering.
The problem isn't what you do. The problem is how you talk about what you do.
Most companies are fabulous at their work but terrible at storytelling. When you align your inside reality with your outside perception, revenue takes off. But first, you have to see what you're actually doing.
The Construction Company That Didn't Know What They Had
Kate runs a commercial construction company in Los Angeles. Great work. Great testimonials. But she was stuck competing with everyone else on price and timeline. Nothing separated her from the pack.
I asked her what made her different. She gave me the standard answers: "We've been in business 15 years. We're licensed and insured. We have experienced people. We can do any type of commercial construction."
So can everyone else.
Then I dug deeper. I asked about her favorite projects. She loved office build-outs. When a growing company needs to move into a bigger space and design it specifically for how they work.
I asked what her customers complained about most. She said the punch list. You know the drill. The project finishes. Everyone moves in. Then they discover the electrical outlet that doesn't work, the door that won't close right, the toilet that runs constantly.
The construction company has moved on to the next job. Getting them to come back and fix those little things? That's a nightmare. The office manager has to chase them down. And even when they send someone, not everything gets fixed.
Kate hated that too. So she started sending someone out 30 days before the project ended. They'd walk through with the client, identify every single issue, and fix everything before move-in day. When Kate handed over the keys, there was no punch list.
I asked what she called this approach.
"I don't call it anything. It's just something we do."
There it is. The ruby slippers.
Giving It a Name Changes Everything
We called it the Zero Punch List Countdown. Thirty days before project completion, Kate assigns a Punch List Manager. This person shows up wearing a white lab coat embroidered with "Punch List Manager" and walks through the entire space with the client.
They type up the list. Then every five days, they send an update email showing what's been fixed, what's left, and what new items they found. Five days later, another update. Then again at 20 days out, 15 days, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.
Countdown to zero.
How much did this cost Kate? A white lab coat and a small change in when they did something they were already doing.
What happened to her sales? Through the roof.
Office managers loved working with a construction company that cared about the small stuff. They didn't have to chase anyone down. Everything was perfect before they moved in.
And those office managers started telling other office managers about "this construction company who sends out a guy in a lab coat to make sure everything is perfect." Kate's referrals exploded.
For the cost of a lab coat, she became the obvious choice in her market.
The Landscaping Company's Hidden Process
Lion's Landscaping in Baton Rouge had the same problem. When I asked what made them different, they said what everyone says: "15 years in business. Licensed and insured. Experience with all types of landscaping."
Then I asked them to walk me through what happens when a customer calls.
They explained their entire process. Listen to what the customer wants. Send a designer to their house. Optimize the design back at the office. Navigate through installation with an experienced crew. Sustain the landscaping with quarterly follow-ups the first year.
"That's great," I said. "What do you call that process?"
"We don't call it anything. That's just how we work."
More ruby slippers.
We named it the L.I.O.N.S. process. Listen. Imagine. Optimize. Navigate. Sustain. Same thing they'd been doing for 15 years. But now, when prospects call, they hear about a proven five-step system that no other landscaper in town offers.
Which company sounds more appealing? The three landscapers who say "we'll send an estimator and get back to you with a quote"? Or the one with a proprietary five-step process for delivering your dream yard?
The Family Therapist's Four Steps
At a conference, a family therapist asked how her practice could stand out. I asked her to describe how she helps families.
She explained her approach. First, she assesses the situation. Then she engages with each family member. She intervenes with specific strategies. Finally, she helps them sustain the changes over time.
I drew a staircase on the whiteboard. "You have a Stairway to Happiness. Your four-step process to move families from sad to happy."
She'd been doing this for years. She just never thought to name it or tell that story.
Now potential clients can say: "We found this amazing therapist who uses their unique Stairway to Happiness program for families just like ours."
The Clothing Store Owner's Math Trick
A woman who owned a clothing store specialized in helping business professionals look great on a budget. Her customers had a problem: even when they put together great outfits, they felt like they only had a few nice looks. They'd wear the same ensemble too often.
Her solution? She created integrated wardrobes. Pieces that all worked together so you could mix and match.
"For instance," she said, "with just nine pieces of clothing, I can create thirty-six distinct outfits."
That blew my mind. I don't have 36 different outfits and I own way more than nine items.
She'd been doing this for years. She just never thought it was remarkable.
What You Need to Do Right Now
Stop looking outside of your business for answers. You already have them.
Look at your current process. How do you serve customers? What do you do that makes them happy? What little things do you include that others might skip?
Those things feel normal to you. They're not normal. They're your differentiators.
Here's what to ask yourself:
- What do you do that customers thank you for? That's remarkable.
- What complaints do your competitors' customers have that yours don't? That's remarkable.
- What would you miss if you switched to a competitor? That's remarkable.
- What small touches do you include that seem obvious to you? Those are remarkable.
You're not looking for something brand new to create. You're looking for what you already do that deserves a name, a story, and a spotlight.
The Two Tests for Remarkable
Before you run with an idea, make sure it passes two tests:
First, is it unique to your company? Not just different in degree, but different in kind. The punch list manager in a lab coat. The L.I.O.N.S. process. The 36 outfits from 9 pieces. These aren't just "we do it better." They're "we do something nobody else does."
Second, is it interesting enough that someone would tell a friend? Would an office manager tell another office manager about your lab coat guy? Would a homeowner tell their neighbor about your five-step process?
If it passes both tests, you have something remarkable.
You Don't Need More
You don't need to endlessly spend more on marketing. You don't need to hire a bigger agency. You don't need to reinvent your business.
You need to see what you're already doing through your customer's eyes. You need to name it. You need to tell the story.
The power has been there all along. You've been wearing the ruby slippers the whole time. You just needed someone to point them out.
Now click your heels and go tell your story.
