I had an interesting dream last night. I was at a party with friends - there were probably 30 people in the room. I was working the crowd, trying to be liked by everyone in the room, being overly cautious and conscious of everything I said - never saying or doing anything the least bit offensive, controversial or drawing negative attention and vibes whatsoever. You could've called me "Mr. Fifty Shades of Grey" on every conceivable subject. No one disliked me in the least. The problem was no one found me interesting either.

In your business, is your marketing strategy "fifty shades of grey?" Do you try so hard to be everything to everyone that you fail to compel prospects to align with you? When your prospects look at your company, do they see a duck - something that walks, flies, swims, and runs�...none of which are done world-class?

Review your strategy, positioning, identity, and message. Look for solid and well defined benefits and differentiation, wrap some tangible and recognized-by-your-customer reason to believe around your offer and get a little more black-and-white in your approach to your market. Don't worry about the 6 out of 10 prospects that don't get excited about your position, focus on the 4 out of 10 that do. The prospects that align themselves with you are more likely to be loyal customers.