What Is Our True Competitive Advantage — and How Do We Tell the Market?

A lot of business owners believe they don’t have a real competitive advantage. They see their competitors, which seem to have more or less the same things they have themselves; similar websites and services and certifications. So they assume the difference must come down to price, or speed, or maybe scale.

But that’s wrong, of course, and the faulty assumption can cost them literal years. A business can lose a lot by never learning to recognize or articulate the advantages they already have.

I want to suggest a way of reframing this: 

Your competitive advantage is what people feel more certain about after interacting with you.

Customers aren’t shopping for “the best” as much as they’re shopping for various kinds of relief: relief from confusion, relief from risk, or relief even from the fear of calling the wrong service provider.

Consequently, perception of your business decides a sale much more often than the features you’re offering. 

We knew a contractor in the Midwest who thought their competitive advantage was in having a fast response time and working for good prices. This reflected on their website and in their ads. 

But when they listened to their customers, they had praise that had nothing to do with this. The customers said things like the company service providers were good at explaining their service in a way the customer could understand, or that they didn’t feel rushed. At least one thanked them for making the “right decision” instead of the quickest one.

The real advantage turned out to be how calm the experience of working with them was—not their speed. 

You want calmness when you’re stressed about a problem that needs fixing, so it makes more sense than you’d first think.

Customers don’t typically compare you to competitors. They compare you to their feelings of uncertainty.

And whoever can alleviate a customer’s doubt fastest wins. That’s why two companies can offer the same service at the same price, but only one will be consistently chosen. It’s just that it feels safer to trust.

So how do you uncover your true competitive advantage?

Look for it in patterns in your business. Patterns like when you get the same kind of compliment repeatedly without prompting, or patterns in the stories customers tell when they recommend you, or patterns in the moments when tension leaves the room or the business conversation.

Moments like these show you the identity of your business. They tell you what customers believe about you, often more clearly than you believe it yourself, and once you can see this it becomes surprisingly simple to communicate it to your public. You can say it plainly and consistently, and without trying to impress anyone. 

Clarity like that is pretty important.

Too many companies make the mistake of rotating their messaging topics; they try to sound different every quarter. But to get the public to really trust you, you have to repeat the same message, and do it in a way that feels honest.

People aren’t looking for surprises. Why would they be? You just need to reassure them. Over, and over, and over. They’re not seeing your messaging nearly as often as you’re thinking about it.

Your competitive advantage will be in this reassurance. Once customers know who you are, they begin to tell your story for you, and when that starts to happen you won’t even be competing with the other businesses—customers will just pick you based on their instincts. Customers remember what feels like the safest choice.

To dive deeper into your competitive advantage and how to amplify that to your customers, feel free to book time on my calendar. I’m here to serve.