Finding your differentiation is incredibly nuanced.
There are 15 different exercises I have cued up when working with an Onlyness Brand System client to find their differentiation.
You never know which one is going to be the one that works.
Because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to differentiation.
It depends on the company, the offer, the customer, and what already exists in the market.
In other words: It ain't easy, boo.
BUT (and this is a big but), ttwo exercises work for most businesses.
Keep reading, and I'll share them with you.
Exercise 1: Onlyness Statement
I wish I could claim this exercise as my own, but it comes from Marty Neumeier, the godfather of modern branding.
(Yes, brand strategists make up a mafia family. Don't mess with us)
Basically, you write a true statement about how you are the only.
Here's the statement:
For [ideal customer label], we are the only [category] that [provides what unique value].
Seems easy enough, but don't be fooled.
I've spent weeks trying to nail this down for clients.
Here's how:
Ideal Customer Label
Think beyond boring descriptions of your ideal customers.
CEOs of $3M+ B2B SaaS companies.
That's not what you're putting here.
Your ideal customers should see themselves in this label. They should resonate with it on a deep level and shout "holy sh*t, that's me!"
Come up with adjectives that describe the state your ideal customers are in before they work with you.
There are to angles you can take:
- Positive: think driven, ambitious, ready to change the world
- Negative: frustrated, overwhelmed, at the end of their rope
Ask yourself (and your ideal customers): what describes them the best?
Category
Think the area in which you'll play in the market.
I ask my clients a simple question to get to the heart of their category:
How do you describe your company in 2-3 words?
Are you a web development firm? A Salesforce consultant? A brand positioning agency? A LinkedIn copywriter? A food processing equipment manufacturer? An IP lawyer?
Don't try to be cute here.
You want your category to be familiar enough that prospects search for it.
So, jump on Google and search for that category.
- Do the results match an industry you want to play in?
- Area your competitors in the results?
- Are there any results to begin with?
Don't make business harder than it has to be. Find a category that already exists.
Unique Value
This is where the exercise gets tough.
Your unique value is something that:
- You do exceptionally well
- Your customers want or need
- Your competitors can't or won't do
Most founders settle for lazy differentiators. Things like personality, quality, caring for customers, being the best.
The goal here is to state something that only you do.
Notice the emphasis.
- Only: no other company in the category you chose can say the same thing. They don't do it and they don't pretend to.
- Do: it's something you do, not something you are. Think processes, operations, deliverables.
The key here is to make that statement true.
You are the only [category] that does [what].
Exercise 2: Offer Map
This exercise I did create myself. (pats myself on the back)
I use it with every single client — Onlyness Brand System, Onlyness Call, and Onlyness Audit clients.
I've never shared this exercise on LinkedIn or in this email.
And I don't plan to share it today.
(tricked ya!)
To learn this exercise, you can either become a client or attend my Uncover Your Differentiation Workshop on April 30.
In that workshop, we'll:
- Explore what differentiation is and isn't
- Give you real examples from businesses like yours (not Liquid Death or Apple)
- Walk you through the exercise
- Give you a Miro Board template you can take and use yourself
The best part? It's only $199.
You'll walk away with the tool I have used to uncover differentiations for over 125 businesses.
Your Greatest Asset
Whatever you choose — DIYing your differentiation, joining the workshop, or hiring #SassyJason to do it for you — your differentiation is your greatest asset.
It's the reason people buy from YOU over your competition.
Uncovering and owning it in your marketing, content, sales, operations, and customer service will make you stand out.
And attract, convert, delight, and keep your ideal customers.
Seems like worthwhile investment if you ask me.
Until next week,
#SassyJason out.
✌🏼