Identity, Part 1 of 3: What Identity Is (And Why Yours Is Probably Broken)

Good marketing has exactly three steps (from Jim Rohn): have something good to say, say it well, and say it often — and most contractors fail at all three at once; this video covers the first two.

Identity is words, phrases and images articulated with power, precision and passion that instantly communicate who you are, how you're different, why you're better, and what customers can expect.

The 'wicked angel fajita' from a nameless taco stand shows the power of a genuinely wow-caliber experience — ask whether anything about your company is remarkable enough that people photograph, review or brag about it.

The Holiday Inn Express shower-head signs work through confirmation bias: you can preset customers' beliefs and then supply evidence, so find your 'shower head' and point at it relentlessly — but it must actually be impressive or the hype backfires.

Platitudes ('best quality', 'better service') are advertising puffery nobody believes (a court ruled Papa John's 'better' wasn't literal) and they make your marketing indistinguishable from 10,000 competitors.

The 'curse of knowledge' (from Made to Stick, illustrated by the tap-a-song game) explains why smart contractors keep writing platitudes: you hear full orchestra, the customer hears disconnected taps.

Every real differentiator lives in one of the Five Pillars of Identity — products, workmanship, bedside manner, core values, culture/reputation; homework: find three genuinely true things in each pillar (15 total).