Seth’s Blog had a recent post about “Leading with your Glass Jaw“. His idea was that only the bravest and most secure companies will interact publicly with customers… and the weakest ones will shape up quickly if they start to do it. I think he’s probably right: every company has a weakness (or 2)…a glass jaw if you will. However, I think he missed the boat with his post & headline. I believe, in the age of skepticism and skimp, of reviews and ‘word-of-mouth’ power, we should all be leading with our glass jaw…in truth in our products strengths AND weaknesses.

Too many companies “lie by omission” about their products real value. They hope that people won’t notice the blatant flaws, and that people won’t mind the “idiosyncrasies”.

In reality, companies should be up-front with their customers and in their marketing materials… ADMIT to your weaknesses. Expose the glass jaw. Why? If customers start to hit it… THEY look like the bad guys… after all you were very clear and up-front about your problems/issues.

In fact, done right, your other customers will stand up for you (if they like your “main” value proposition).

Want the best example in the world? Apple.

They admit that their CPUs and GPUs aren’t as modern as PC. They admit that their software is tied to their hardware (closed platform). They admit to “blocking google voice”… and more!

And OH how the people defend them….

Be Apple, tell the truth… up front!

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