In this short video, Mike Michalowicz, author of Profit First, shares a marketing tactic he calls the “deer in headlights” response, aimed especially at bookkeepers but applicable to any service business. He explains that using generic titles like “bookkeeper” or “public speaker” causes prospects to tune out because they already know what those roles entail. Instead, he advises creating a distinctive label—such as “Profit Professional”—that sparks curiosity and forces prospects to pause and ask, “What does that mean?” This reaction, the “deer in headlights,” signals that the prospect isn’t placing the service into a familiar box, opening a window to explain the unique value. Michalowicz emphasizes that being different is more powerful than simply being better, because customers buy differentiation. The core takeaway is to rebrand with a unique professional descriptor that provokes interest and enables a deeper conversation about how the service stands apart.
Chapters
Hi guys, it's Mike Michalowicz here, author of Profit First, and I just came back from a meeting with a bookkeeper and wanted to share something that I tried to teach them. It took a few iterations, but I think they finally got it. I call it the deer in headlights. It's actually the response you want. Now, you don't have to be a bookkeeper, this applies to other businesses, but for God's sake, if you're a bookkeeper, you want the deer in headlights response. This is what it is. When you're talking to a customer and you are telling them, or prospect, and you're telling them what you do, if you tell them the category of the business you're in, if you say you're a bookkeeper, they will zone you out. They will not pay attention because you're going into this generic box of something they already know. If I tell you I'm a public speaker, you'll say, "Oh geez, I know what public speakers do." And maybe you won't roll your eyes at my face, but in your mind you'll say, "I know what a public speaker does," and your mind will instantly tune me out. But if— and same thing, if I say I'm a bookkeeper, well, when you hear the word bookkeeper, your prospects and customers will tune you out. You have to come up with a new label and get that deer-in-the-headlights response. So if you tell them you are a Profit Professional, people are looking and go, "What does that mean?" And they won't tune you out. That's the lesson I want to share. Come up with a different professional label for what you do. No longer say you are a bookkeeper. Tell people that you are a profit professional or some other term that points to what makes you different. And you see, that's the lesson. When you get a response from a prospect going, "Hmm," and giving you a deer in headlights, that means they haven't put you in the box of the generic competition and they're giving you an opportunity to explain how you're different. And never forget this. Being better than the competition is not being better, but being different is far better because customers buy different. Get the deer in the headlights response. It'll serve you very well.
