How on earth do you compete with the iPhone?

Its an interesting metaphor for all of us in business.

Every now and then a product or service comes along that “steals the market”.

Apple may have less than 10% of worldwide laptop sales (and I bet they are not complaining about the number of Macbooks and iMacs flowing out of the stores this month) – but they are gaining a massive share of the mobile phone market with the iPhone capturing upwards of 50% of all mobile phone sales in the USA and similar numbers elsewhere (except – bizarrely – China) according to some commentators.

Walk down your own high street tomorrow and take a look at how many stores have suddenly acquired iPhone 3Gs stocks, following the fall of O2′s monopoly.

When a new product takes the market by storm (read corporate and retail dentistry in 2010 and beyond) – as a smaller independent you are going to have to do something DIFFERENT.

So what will your DIFFERENT be?

Slower or faster?

More comfortable?

A happier and more caring team?

Jazzier surgeries and equipment?

A dentist with a personality?

CNE’s?

A specialisation?

What are you going to do?

What are MySpace, Bebo and Linkedin going to do about Facebook?

What are Yahoo going to do about Google?

Here’s an example of DIFFERENT.

Here is what Verizon and Motorola are doing about iPhone.