Cherchez le Creneau: A Game-Changer for Personal Growth

Discover the power of this unique French marketing concept and learn how to apply it to your personal and professional brand.

Life is an unending journey of growth and self-discovery. As we navigate this winding path, we continuously search for ways to expand our horizons, both personally and professionally. Have you ever considered looking to marketing strategies for inspiration? The Cherchez le Creneau strategy, a French marketing concept, might be the unexpected approach you need.

I first learned of this phrase while reading the book Positioning by Al Reis and Jack Trout over a decade and a half ago. In it, Reis and Trout use the creneau concept to help explain the best approach to marketing a product or service. They say, “Do what the French call, Cherchez le Creneau.”  

Cherchez le Creneau, or “Look for the Hole,” suggests a different perspective from the conventional approach of relentless competition and unending expansion. Instead, it encourages us to identify unmet needs and unoccupied spaces in our life and career, and then take action to fill those gaps. So, instead of searching to reinvent yourself with a totally new concept, find out what’s missing in the market and look to match your skill set with what’s missing, or fill the hole with your talents and what you can offer.

Discovering Your Unique Space

Just as businesses compete for positioning in the market, we, too, can apply this concept to ourselves in our professional journeys. You may be aiming to compete with the giants in your field, but also remember that every industry leader began their journey by identifying a gap, or an unmet need, a “creneau”, and then took the steps to fill the gap in the marketplace with their product or service. Without the creneau, the business may have never succeeded.

Start by assessing your skills, passions, and values. What unique combination do you bring to the table? Identify where your strengths align with a need in the market, and you've found your creneau.

Personal Growth Through Self-Positioning

But the Cherchez le Creneau approach goes beyond professional growth. At its core, it's about self-positioning - understanding how we fit into the grand scheme of our lives and how we perceive ourselves.

Instead of focusing on creating something new or different about what and who we are, we should reconfigure what's already within us - our talents, skills, passions, and most importantly our purpose. By reconfiguring these connections and reframing our perspectives, we can see ourselves in a new light, leading to personal growth.

The Power of Simplification

In an oversaturated world, the idea of “less is more” is more important than ever. This applies to our personal growth journey as well. Instead of trying to master multiple skills at once, focus on developing one at a time and more importantly, the one skill that is needed in the market. This will help you make a lasting impact on your growth while also carving out your own place in the market.

Moving Forward

The Cherchez le Creneau approach may challenge the “bigger and better” framework ingrained into many of us, but it offers an alternative route to growth. By identifying our unique spaces, focusing on what's already within us, simplifying our journey, and embracing the unexpected, we can redefine our personal and professional growth.

As you start applying the Cherchez le Creneau concept to your life, remember the essence of this positioning strategy is sacrifice. You must be willing to let go of some things to establish your unique position. Whether it's letting go of certain goals, habits, or even relationships, sacrifice is often the catalyst that propels us to significant growth.

Remember, life is not about being the biggest or the best, it's about finding our unique position and using it as a bridge to our success. I hope this helps!

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