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?
Are you looking to grow your business with a stronger brand?
Bobby Gillespie
With 24 years of creative experience in leadership, planning, and executing performance-based branding and web design strategies, Propr and I help small and medium-sized companies and organizations grow revenue, attract new customers, manage and scale their brands, and improve marketing performance.
I’m also the author of Build Your Brand Like You Give a Shit.
Connect and follow me on LinkedIn.
Schedule a call to learn how we can help you transform your brand for consistent and better performance.
About Propr
Propr is a boutique brand strategy and creative agency. We help companies and organizations grow through high-performing brand strategy, graphic & identity design, messaging & custom WordPress website design & development. Performance and results drive our passion for service. Let’s do great things for your brand together.
Ready to transform your brand for consistent and better performance? Contact us today!