Most companies struggle with defining their competitive advantage claim. What makes them unique; different from their competitors.
They can’t answer the question “Why should I do business with you and NOT your competition?” in a succinct meaningful way.
There are two traps they fall into.
First, they generally speak to the internal capabilities an organization has (what leadership believes are the differentiators) rather than being explicit about how they compare to others in the market. “We provide the highest quality products.”; “Our people are our greatest asset.” They stress technology.
They talk about their size and claim market leadership.
Second, most competitive advantage statements are high level and aspirational
They are not precise and specific enough to communicate how an organization is special among the choices available. “We provide the best value.” “We have been in business for 100 years.” “We offer the lowest prices.” "We have the best people."
The use of helium filled adjectives abounds. Overused and eye-glazing descriptors like: better, best, top, #1, excellent, great, greatest, lowest, most and so on pervade the advertising airwaves.
A competitive claim must declare the difference between your organization and your competitors AND it must be precise enough so that people can “see” the difference.
You can’t see “greatest” for example and you can’t see “most”. They mean different things to different people.
As the solution, create The ONLY Statement as an element of your Strategic Game Plan:
“We are the ONLY ones that…” is its form.
The ONLY Statement must be brief.
ONLY never includes any reference to price.
Claiming a price advantage is a slippery slope as price can be easily copied and it says nothing about value provided.
“The reason it seems that price is all your customers care about is that you haven’t given them anything else to care about. “ – Seth Godin
A couple of ONLY examples.
“We provide the ONLY solution that permanently stops people from depositing biohazard contaminants through manhole covers”— MUG Solutions, Vancouver
“St John Ambulance is the ONLY provider of First Aid, Health & Safety Solutions Anytime, Anywhere”— St John Ambulance, Vancouver
Test your ONLY Statement with your employees and your customers to ensure it addresses something they care about, and you consistently demonstrate 24/7.
The ONLY Statement works. It can be observed. It can be measured. People get it.
Start your ONLY journey today.
Roy Osing (@royosing) is a former President and CMO with over 33 years of leadership experience covering all the major business functions including business strategy, marketing, sales, customer service and people development. He is a blogger, content marketer, educator, coach, adviser and the author of the book series Be Different or Be Dead.