Mike,

Thank you for this thought-provoking piece. But before I attempt to answer the question, here's a note for Tim: Waxing is becoming popular with the unwashed, so don't be surprised if you find yourself next to a shaven Romeo who has never seen a bike, let alone ridden one.

In my business, we make every effort to stand out by not taking jobs wherein we are not a good fit, and when we do take a job, we guarantee results, with a money back policy standing behind the guarantee. Finally, we are honest to a fault, which costs us more work than it gets us. May sound silly, but we are passionate about those values.

Mike- thanks for not making me sound like a complete nutjob. It's hard, I know, but you did a good job.

Lewis- I admire those ethics, noting "silly" at all.

Difference for the sake of difference doesn't work- you are totally right. Difference has to stem from belief in what you are doing, not trying to sell a well-coiffured uniqueness that comes from a plan, versus passion.

Personally, my "leg shaving" in the real world is that I stay honest and sincere. My blog is my way of doing that, but I also try to do the same thing in everything I do. It isn't easy when I know I could lie my way in to greater sales, but those sales are not sustainable. I try to just develop good relationships where we can all be honest with each other. (I sound like a broken record.)

AND... CK suggested waxing before. I just can't do it. I have a huge pain threshold, but waxing somehow exceeds that threshold. My wife laughed herself into tears the one time I let her wax my legs.

For every endeavor that you undertake there seems to be something that all of the elite do, it could be something small or large, and though it may sound ridiculous to the layperson, the insiders see it as a sign that you are serious about what you are doing and it sets you apart from the pretenders.

From cyclist and swimmers being shaven to reduce drag even though most will never compete at that level, to a manager tracking how many times he says thank you to each of his employees VS the number of disciplinary actions he has to take that year because any good manager knows the pats on the back must exceed the kicks in the behind if you want to have a productive work force.

OK - This has NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO DO WITH MARKETING, but the leg-shaving anecdote reminds me of when I tried not shaving my legs. It was supposed to be a feminist statement - which will pretty much date the event - and I stopped shaving for a couple of weeks.If I'd thought this through I would have figured out what would happen when a fair-haired, not particularly hirsute person stops shaving-which is not much. But I didn't think it through. Instead of the righteous, feminist leg hair I was anticipating, I ended up with a little ruff around my ankle that was reminiscent of the look of the Goon characters in the old Popeye cartoons. Yikes - I grabbed a razor quick. (Sorry for the non-marketing diversion, but there it is....)

If there's a marketing angle at all, it's that I was trying to do something that didn't come naturally and looked pretty darn stupid. So I guess this does have something to do with marketing, after all...

So my question, as someone who's been shaving my legs as long as Jackson has (Hi Tim!), is "what to do beyond shaved legs?"

I remember my high-school cross country coach used to scream something about "you're the only runner with shaved legs on the course, make it count" or something like that... However, now some 15 years later, it's old hat.

So, what do we do beyond shaved legs? What do we do beyond differentiation?

In pursuing what's "beyond shaved legs", I posit that it's whatever everyone in your industry SHOULD be doing, but isn't.

In healthcare, it would be offering simple plans, not several hundred. In coffee shops its about bringing drinks out and having free refills and wi-fi access, beyond just having good coffee...

It's about taking what you have that differentiates you (shaved legs) and pushing all the way on to the next level of what people with that differentiating quality should do, but so often don't.

Maybe something like a the "fellowship of shaved legs" is forming?

Business folks that embrace the difference meaningful aspirations lead them to...and beyond - as Dana suggest!

I recently took my small consulting business and merged it with an ad agency. Because of our odd combination of traditional and non-traditional marketing experience, we developed a leg-shaving philosophy that is exactly what you and Dana mention - beyond.

We talk about going "beyond" a 30 second spot (tie to online experience, make it something people will talk about, make it memorable). We talk about going "beyond" imagination (convert it to creativity - making something happen).

Overall, it is all about going "beyond". Tapping into something that is more than just features, benefits, and price points. Transcending the moment and creating something more.

Ahem, I'll get off my soap box now.

For me, the difference that makes the difference is being true to myself. And that translates into being true to my audience.

I write public policy analysis and business news for microbusinesses. I recently had somebody offer to connect me with her rather large network on Capitol Hill -- but only if I would expand my coverage to include all small businesses.

But, you see, I can't do that. For one thing, everybody in the small world of small business news does that. And it's a disservice to the microbusinesses that make up the overwhelming majority of small businesses but whose operational realities and policy needs are very different from those larger small businesses.

Would I make more money by abandoning micros? Yes, I expect I would. People don't seem to care about micros right now because they are such small, relatively low revenue firms, and because there aren't many people with enough vision to see how the emergence of the microbusiness is causing structural changes in the economy.

These little businesses need a voice and I'm going to be that voice. I'd rather educate the relevant folks than kowtowing to their preconceptions for the sake of making more money.

Them's my "shaved legs."

(Okay, somebody else's turn onthe soap box!)

Dawn- That's perfect! Good for you and better yet, good for the micro businesses you represent and fight for. They are decidedly better off because of you.

I second Tim's support of your decision Dawn!

This is one of the reasons that I teach "brand ownership" to my clients. It is not market research that is likely to create your difference. It is your creative vision for your business and the aspiration inside you.

Too many have forgotten that business is like a blank page or canvas. It is meant to start with you and what you see as your way...and that means risking approval or even success.

Yes I get the co-creation aspects of brand building and believe in the conversation and how it informs the formation of brand. But someone has to strike the first note and for me it is the business owner.

Thanks for making room for me Dustin on the soapbox.

Who's next???

Amazing as ever, Mike. And motivational to boot.

I once was having lunch with a dear friend who is a performance coach for athletes. He has worked wonders that make headlines and never cease to inspire me.

So one day I asked him about a recreational sport I play. I was pushing him to give me some advice.

He looked me straight in the eyes and asked me "what are you willing to do that no one else is?"

I sensed in this question that he had given me more than a tidbit, but rather the key to his approach.

I have tossed this question around so many times but never considered applying it to my business. Until your article.

If a man shaves his legs then 99% of the population is going to view this as a sign that he is GAY.

Ok, you can say all day that straight guys shave their legs as well... Yea right.

You and I both know darn well that if a man has smooth legs then 99% of the population is going to think it's "weird" and that he's some kind of sicko sex freak. WHY?? Because it's just the way people think.

Now, they are not going to come up to you on the street and say "hey why did you shave your legs buddy?" but they are going to THINK it and look at you differently. If you went to a company picknick and everyone is wearing shorts and your the only guy with silky smooth legs you are going to get some strange looks from the other guys and probably your boss. They ARE going to notice and it's going to impact you in a negative way. The problem is compounded if your a SINGLE guy because then everyone is going to start assuming your GAY.

Fool yourself into thinking it's no big deal if you like and the world is changing but we're not that yet. Perhaps in another 5 years people will get over their GAY hangups.

Tom H. - who cares? & replace "Because it's just the way people think" with "Because it's just the way my underdeveloped brain thinks" & you'll be accurate. Sex, sex, sex....can't get your mind off of it, huh?

Cheers!

I do shave my legs sporadically (and everything else, including my head) for a number of reasons. But 99% of the people whose opinions I might care about already know I'm straight and an athlete. And I don't really care if anyone does think I'm gay (But tom H. is right - I am a sex freak.)

doesnt cycling flatten your penis?

This sounds like a weirder version of "dress for the job you want, not the one you have." I'm not in marketing, but I would hazard a suggestion that you design your advertisement like it will be featured during the superbowl instead of as a pop-up on adultswim.com.

Important note about athlete shaving: swimmers shave to reduce water resistance. But cyclists do not shave to reduce wind resistance; they do it to reduce the effects of crashing on pavement and simply because it is part of cycling culture to be smooth, like your lycra, your bike, and your pedaling.

Holy mackerel! You are all so incredibly self-absorbed. Not a single one of you has ever gained one microsecond of speed racing anything by shaving your legs. No, most men don't shave their legs. Yes, I've shaved parts of my body, too. And, yes, I think it is a massively tedious and tiring chore and am in awe of women doing it daily, but I don't even think about doing it any longer. In a man, I consider it self-absorbed, vain, and rather stupid.

To: Jibber McGribby

Indeed, it does. A proven fact, that is. Both flattens and twists it.

I shave my legs and everything else below my hips... OH and my armpits too! I am not "vain" or "gay" either. It all started in my younger days on the track. It wasn't for speed or to reduce drag, it was because no one wants an afro of hair puffing out at the bottom of their speed suit.

Though my track days are virtually over, I still maintain the shaved look on a weekly basis. Again, not because I am "vain" or "gay," but because it makes me feel cleaner and more confident. Not to mention, I don't shave to express an outward image to those around me nor do I care about their thoughts on the matter. I've been harassed since day one by people who don't know me about my shave legs, mostly coming from wannabe alpha males.

As long as it makes me feel cleaner and more confident, I will continue to shave... So for all those who are bothered by this little factoid I say enjoy your bacterially invested, sweaty, sticky, smelly disgusting body hair. Feel free to make fun of me, it won't change anything and will just make you look narrow minded and absurd. Personal preferences are personal preferences afterall and shouldn't be scrutinized unless causing outward harm. I suppose the only harm cause by my shaving habits are that my smooth as looks better than your afro ass.