Crafting a Distinctive Strategy for a Competitive Advantage

What does it look and feel like to be a commodity in your sector?

• Price pressure

• High churn rate

• Narrow margins

• Customer apathy

• Volume dependency

• Innovation stagnation

• Competitive obsession

👆These are signals of no strategy and no differentiation.

But before we chase a solution, let me ask: Does your organization deserve better?

Are you riding the rails of easy-enough revenue or are you fanatical about providing value?

If you answered the latter, let’s dig in…

Your unique, compelling, sustainable advantage.

The answer to breaking out of commodity-land is hidden inside of your organization. It may be:

• A unique way of viewing the market

• A special way you deliver your product/service

• A passion about doing things a certain way

Whatever it is, your differentiated value already exists. But it’s hidden under “best practices,” obsession with the competition, and fear. The trick is to find that nugget of unique value that feels easy and natural to your organization … and then expand and emphasize it.

So how do we find yours?

The roadmap to differentiation.

Start exploring inside…

• Interview employees

• Revisit or refresh your SWOT analysis

• Hold long conversations with the founder and leadership

Then, explore outside…

• Survey past customers

• Interview new customers (unstructured, get off the rails, dig deep)

• Analyze your competition (learn how you’re different, not the same)

Somewhere in all those details is the tiny spark of what makes your organization different in a way that is meaningful and valuable to your customers.

And that’s where the magic lies.

Integrating differentiation.

Now that you've identified what sets you apart, the next crucial step is to weave this differentiation into the very fabric of your organization.

Many organizations jump the gun and start with outward expressions of this differentiated value.

A rebrand. New visual identity. Marketing. Advertising.

But not so fast.

If it took an “inside out” approach to discover your differentiated value, why would you take an “outside in” approach to integrating your business around that value?

So while I appreciate eagerness and action, but there’s a healthier, more holistic way to begin…

• Solidify a strategy with your leadership team

• Socialize the strategy with key leaders

• Test in key areas

• Listen for customer feedback

• Integrate fully into your product/service

• Build into employee onboarding and performance metrics

• Integrate into positioning and messaging

• Apply to marketing channels

• Then continue to expand, emphasize, and integrate

• Over and over.

From commodity to necessity.

Breaking free from the commodity trap is neither quick nor easy. It requires introspection, strategic alignment, and ongoing commitment. But the rewards—a sustainable competitive advantage and a meaningful connection with your customers—are well worth the effort.

Are you ready to move from being a commodity to becoming a necessity?