When we start an activity, we must keep in mind the final objective of the project. This applies to any area of activity. But normally, if the evolution is big enough, sooner or later we will have to choose whether we want the product in our area of business/activity to be excellent (unique/different) or ordinary (good).
Do we intend to be the best in our market niche, or simply to be one more marketer selling as much as possible?
In our world of two wheels, I remember the pleasure it gave me, at the end of the working day, on the way home, to sometimes stop at the dealership where I used to buy motorcycles and drink a coffee while chatting. I saw the news, discussed the details and the linking/loyalty was deepened.
I learned a lot from those professionals, including supporting the choice of both the type of motorcycle and the most appropriate model for the type of use it would be used for. Over the years, we became friends. Meanwhile, I moved to another city and ended up finding a dealership that also attempts for excellence, where you can have a good conversation and exchange ideas.
The fact that brands are standardizing dealers greatly overvalues each one’s investment, not in the layout as they are all almost the same, but in what I understand to be the differentiating factor of excellence and customer loyalty: human resources.
There is a lot on offer, but care, proximity and honesty are differentiating factors. It is in the details that excellence is achieved.
In relation to events, in our country we had an event that was unique in Europe, some would say, unique in the world. Take a 24-hour route on a motorbike, navigating the road book in teams of two motorbikes. I did it four times. Unforgettable experiences! At first, like everyone else, there was doubt as to whether I would be able to handle the challenge. In the following years it was about enjoying with groups of friends, in other teams.
But over the years, massification came and completely changed the assumptions of a singular event, at least in European motorcycling. The excellence of the organization chose to give an enormous dimension to the event, reducing risks with the changes introduced, namely not driving at night, to the detriment of what differentiated it and made it unique.
The largest European motorcycling gathering, Faro, has always been an example of cooperation between the most diverse entities, but when resources are finite, offers cannot be infinite, otherwise they risk collapsing. It’s getting bigger and bigger, but…
In mainland Portugal and on the Islands (Madeira and Azores) we have countless unique things, in the most diverse areas, and it’s not just the sun and the beach! To continue this way, we must preserve and present them with the detail and care they deserve, striving for excellence and exclusivity.
Everyone has the right to enjoy it, but massification can make a clean slate of what is Unique and Different and may even cease to exist. The balance may not be easy.
But what time has told us is that things based on the principles of excellence tend to last longer over time.
Enjoy your ride.
