I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to “moo”.

Field upon gorgeous field of cows lined the road as Seth Godin drove through the French countryside with his family. They marveled at the beauty.

But before long the brown cows started to fade together - nothing stood out.

What would stand out? A purple cow, says Godin.

If you’re running with the pack, you’re just a brown cow. And although you may be a different shade of brown (even the nicest shade of brown), you’re still invisible.

So how do you become purple? It’s about being remarkable.

What Is Remarkable?

Simply put, people gotta remark about you.

Not just any remarks, but remarks that make other people want to have you on their team or try your product.

Being remarkable in a way that matters is about the product, not the marketing. Slick talking will only get you so far. You actually need to be able to put your skills/product where your mouth is.

“The opposite of remarkable is very good.” - Godin

So when you’re “very good” you’re about as far from remarkable as you can get. I believe he says this because it means you haven’t taken the risks that are necessary to get your product noticed.

The Idea Diffusion Curve

Not all remarks are created equal. Some of us just can’t help ourselves from telling everyone else how much we like a product, Godin says, and some of those people have the credibility that makes others listen. He calls those people the “sneezers”.

The market divides as such:

Basically, ideas generally start with the innovators, then the early adopters, and then move their way to the right, to the early and late majority. Although the bulk of the money is to be made with the early and late majority, they generally don’t take to products unless the earlier part of the curve likes the product and endorses it.

And, so you need to become remarkable to the sneezers who are innovators or early adopters.

How To Be Remarkable?

“In almost every market, the boring slot is filled.” - Seth Godin

According to Godin, the route to being remarkable:

You take a risk
You measure how successful you were
And then you take another risk

It may feel risky to take risks, but not taking risks is just a recipe to staying a brown cow. As Godin says, “being safe is risky.”

As an individual, taking a risk may be asking for a stretch project, or pushing yourself to try something new.

What risks do you need to take?

What if YOU’RE the Product?

What’s a Remarkable Lawyer?

More importantly, what’s an invisible lawyer? I’m not sure that his purple cow theory translates 100% to all industries. Certainly a purple cow lawyer will be more successful than a very good lawyer, but a very good lawyer usually ends up successful too.

I suspect it relates to supply and demand in your industry. A “very good” writer or a “very good” actor usually aren’t that famous.

So, depending on your industry and your aspirations, being remarkable may not be a prerequisite to a career you deem successful.

That said, being remarkable will always improve your ability to choose a job you love. So how do we, as individuals become remarkable? Enter Cal Newport.

Newport’s Second Law of Remarkability

In So Good They Can’t Ignore You, Cal Newport discusses practical examples of Godin’s purple cow theories and there are two important things I learned that are relevant here:

As an individual, being remarkable usually means having a remarkable project (or report or case). Remarkable skills alone are irrelevant if they aren’t put into action.
Your project must be launched “in a venue conducive to such remarking.” Creating a book that nobody reads won’t get you anywhere. Winning a case that’s televised nationally? Winning an industry award? These are venues where your excellence gets noticed.

What Does This Mean For You?

There’s a lot in this article to chew on. Are you fine with the status quo? If not, what do you want to do about it?

If you’re focused on becoming more remarkable, what does that mean in your profession? How can you become better? Would it be better to improve in your core skills or in an adjacent skill?
What risk have you been putting off taking?
And how do you do it in a way that compels people to remark?
And where do you need to do it to supports such remarking?

How To Be Remarkable (Purple Cow by Seth Godin)