Customers Want a Hedgehog, Not a Fox

Be the hedgehog, not the fox

Your customers want experts to help them with their pain and problems, not a generalist. If your cherished Volkswagen breaks down, do you take it to Joe’s Garage or the mechanic shop specializing in German cars? If your ticker is on the fritz, would you go to the Urgent Care next to the grocery store or the top cardiologist in the country?

The point of this saying is, the hedgehog is an expert at not getting eaten by the fox. But the fox needs a million tricks to eat. As we all know, when we have a big problem, we call on an expert or specialist to help, not a generalist or hobbyist. Your hedgehog concept defines your expertise.

When the stakes are high, specialists and experts are the only answer. So, read more to learn how to develop your hedgehog concept.

Here’s how we do it

Your brand’s hedgehog concept is made of three overlapping parts, forming a Venn diagram similar to what we illustrated above. To develop your own, ask and answer these questions:

Part 1: What are you uncommonly good at?
Part 2: What are you deeply passionate about?
Part 3: What drives your economic engine?

Where these three things intersect is your hedgehog concept. Use this spot as a center point for your brand position and as a guide to help you pivot or grow from your current positioning in a healthy and realistic radius. Not to mention become more lucrative.

This exercise can also help determine the viability of your business. If two of the three are clear, but the 3rd isn’t, your business should reconsider its position.

Lastly, this concept only works if it is genuine and authentic. So keep it real, folks.

Needs some help with defining your market and expertise?