Why should anyone switch to you?
with Rishad Tobaccowala · Hosted by Alex Chich
The big ideaA buyer picks you over a competitor when two things are true: you're different, and they believe you. Rishad calls it trusted differentiation. The difference gives a reason to switch. The belief removes the fear of switching. Both can be built from the same materials — the product, the story, the founder, years of delivering, small things that show you care.
Your customer already buys something. A better product alone doesn't move them: a new detergent can prove it washes better than Tide and still lose — what if it blows up the washing machine? The difference gives a reason. The trust removes the fear. The difference can come from the product, the story, the emotion, the founder — Chanel and Coach both make good bags, but they don't mean the same thing. And trust is built through small things: a mistake fixed well, great service, one caring phone call.
Rishad spent almost 40 years at Publicis Groupe and retired as its Global Strategist and Chief Growth Officer. He's one of about 300 people elected to the Advertising Hall of Fame in 75 years. TIME named him one of five Marketing Innovators. Every Sunday he writes The Future Does Not Fit in the Containers of the Past — 309 straight weeks, 32,000 readers, no ads. His latest book is Rethinking Work.
He and Alex get practical: where a difference can come from, small things that build trust (the Comcast call), how AI recommends brands (Kirkland vs Oscar Mayer), trust when you only exist online, and why you should choose your boss as carefully as your company.
Selected Links From the Episode
- "Small Things" — Rishad's essay
- Rethinking Work — Rishad's book
- Rishad Tobaccowala — LinkedIn
In This Episode
- → Why should anyone switch to you: a reason plus trust
- →Where a difference can come from: product, story, emotion, founder
- →Trust is built through small things: the Comcast call
- →AI makes trust more valuable, not less
- →How AI recommends brands: Kirkland vs Oscar Mayer
- →Ask yourself why you buy — then do that for your customers
- →Money is the scoreboard; the customer is the ball
- →Choose your boss as carefully as your company
People Mentioned
Rishad Tobaccowala
Alex Chich
Host
