Competitive Positioning Strategies

Dwight Schrute gave one of the best lessons I've ever seen re: how to defeat a cheaper competitor. Here's what he did + 2 examples I've seen of this working in the B2B wild. In Season 3, Episode 12 of The Office, Jim and Dwight meet with a prospect who wants to buy from their big box competitor, because their prices are lower. At first, Jim does what what most of us do in that situation. He rambles on about discounts and custom work they can do in an attempt to increase the perceived value and be more competitive on price. Meanwhile, Dwight uses the prospect's phone to call the customer service line of their big box competitor. Jim asks - "How important is customer service to you?" Prospect: "Very important." At that moment, the competitor's automated customer service line says, "Your call is very important to us...please hold...". Dwight hangs up and calls their own customer service line. Kelly picks up immediately. Here's why I love this scene. We don't win competitive deals when we try to compete on areas where our competitors clearly outperform us. We win competitive deals when we reframe the customer's decision-making criteria in our favor. Jim and Dwight can't compete with a big box retailer's pricing, without destroying their margin. So, they reframe the prospect's decision-making criteria from price to service. But, best of all, they don't TELL the prospect they're "better" at service. If they had - it wouldn't have worked. They SHOW him. They give the prospect the information he needs to realize it for himself. Now, while most of us can't copy exactly what Jim and Dwight did, we can absolutely make this work in real-life. Step 1 - Identify what makes your solution different (not better). Step 2 - Identify how NOT having that difference impacts your customer's business. Step 3 - Give them a way to do the math on their own to see the implications of it. Examples I've seen in real-life: 1 - Small manufacturer vs. bigger competitor. Bigger meant more layers of approval for change orders. Waiting for change orders = more downtime. Downtime carried a significant cost. Helped the buyer do the math on cost of avoidable downtime. 2- Diagnostic healthcare product that gave more accurate patient results, but was slower. Kept losing b/c buyers valued faster results. Helped the buyer size the costs/implications of inaccurate patient results. TLDR - Reframe the customer's decision criteria in your favor. Help them see the implications of the difference, don't just tell them the difference.

There are only 5 major drivers of competitive advantage in SaaS: 1. Speed of product innovation 2. Network effects 3. Switching costs 4. GTM innovation 5. Brand But if you’re sub $100M ARR, you probably only have one option. Brand. Why? Product innovation is VERY hard to sustain. Look at the major sales tech companies. Every product innovation present in one company is now a feature of every other company. At any given time, based on the quality of the Product or Engineering team, one or the other may be in the lead. Differentiated features become commoditized within months. Network effects are the best competitive advantage but most products don't have them.  Switching costs can create a moat in the enterprise. But getting large enterprises to truly take a bet on scaleups is easier said than done. GTM innovation seems promising, but it invites heavy competition. For example, Apollo did this incredibly well, but AI is shortening the half-life of novel GTM, and your competitors will copy you immediately. All of this puts growth stage SaaS companies in a bind. If product innovation is table stakes, you can’t get to true network effects, switching costs isn't a factor, and GTM Innovation is temporary, what do you do? You invest in Brand. This is unsatisfying to most CEOs because brand is a long-term investment with difficult attribution.  But that’s exactly why it’s DEFENSIBLE. Because it takes time. Because it’s difficult. And because it’s very hard to fake. It’s the reason folks like Adam Robinson and Alina Vandenberghe 🌶️ are leading their companies to such strong performance. You couldn’t fake being either one of them for a second. They are simply themselves. And they invest every day in amplifying both their message and their company message in a way that feels natural and authentic and creates true fans.  Brands leverage the power of trust. And in a world of digital exhaustion, trust is the most precious resource there is. DO NOT STOP INVESTING IN YOUR BRAND We are working at the speed of trust in the modern environment. Trust drives selection and preference which drives win rates and conversions. Brand is your 3 year demand gen investment. If you want to build a sustainable, durable business, people need to trust you’re going to be around. The bar has been raised today. If you are sub $100M in ARR and want to pursue a venture scale opportunity, you will need to invest in sustainable defensible competitive advantages. Product and GTM innovation is table stakes. Your long-term defensibility will come from a sustained investment in your brand.

Not a lot of businesses are recognizing the power of Change Management as a vehicle for enhancing customer experience efforts. Here's how to unlock the power of change management principles in the context of CX. 🎯 Understanding Customer Needs Before initiating any change, you must have a deep understanding of what your customers really want. Utilize data analytics, behavioral data, operational and financial data, customer interviews, surveys, market dynamics, competitive information, and other signals to assess and understand needs. 🤝 Aligning Objectives Leadership Alignment: Ensure that your leadership is onboard and committed to customer experience improvement. Stakeholder Involvement: Involve the frontline employees who interact with customers daily to contribute to the decision-making process. 🗓️ Planning Identify Key Changes: Prioritize which areas require change based on customer feedback and business metrics. Set Targets: Establish measurable KPIs to gauge the success of the changes you plan to implement. These should be business- and customer-driven metrics. Don't make this a metric like "increase OSAT from X to Y." 📣 Communication Internal Communication: Clearly communicate the why and the how to all internal stakeholders. This should include executives, directly impacted employees, and the broader line of business. Tailor it to the stakeholder. Customer Communication: Be transparent with customers about what changes to expect and how they will benefit. Keep them up to date on progress. 🛠️ Implementation Pilot Testing: Conduct a small-scale test of the changes to assess their effectiveness. Feedback Loop: Gather continuous feedback from customers and employees throughout the implementation process. 📊 Evaluation and Adaptation Assess Impact: Examine metrics regularly to determine whether the changes are having the intended impact. Iterate: Use data-driven insights to make necessary adjustments. 🚀 Sustaining Changes Training: Continuously train your team to adapt to new changes. Feedback Mechanisms: Keep the dialogue open with customers and employees for sustainable improvements. 👩💻 Leveraging Technology 👨💻 Data Analytics: Use analytics to pinpoint improvement areas. Communication Platforms: Use tools like Slack or Teams for internal communication. Automation: Implement bots for routine tasks. CRM Systems: Manage customer relationships digitally to gain insights. 💡 Involve Employees Effectively Employees are the face of your customer service. Include them in planning, provide training opportunities, establish regular feedback forums, and reward those who contribute to customer experience improvements. Have you applied change management principles to enhance the customer experience in your organization? What worked for you? What didn't work for you? #ChangeManagement #CustomerExperience #Leadership #DataAnalytics #EmployeeEngagement #Technology

How to position your startup, in less than 5 words 👇🏽 I just started as head of growth for an AI company last week called Coworker One of my first priorities is to create a clear Market Position. There are a LOT of AI startups out there, so it’s very important to answer these 4 questions for a prospect, quickly: 4 Questions we need to answer: 1. what is it 2. how is it different 3. why is that believable 4. where do you fit into (or replace) my current process and tech stack I believe these are MORE important than benefits (how will this benefit me). Prospects are smart and can figure that out themselves. This is startup positioning. If you can answer these 4 questions for your startup, the sales process becomes much simpler and you have a clear advantage Here’s my approach for coming up with the answer: ⬇️ Step 1: Start with Research. 1. Market map - how are experts defining the market 2. Keyword Analysis - what are people searching for 3. Dark Social - what are people discussing on private slack communities 4. Competitor - what are competitors saying 5. Prospect - listen to sales calls, how are prospects describing the problems and solutions they’ve considered ⬇️ Step 2: Decide category: “spicy mustard” or Special X sauce. “Spicy mustard” means you’re playing in an existing category, but are unique. You already have a place in the condiment aisle. People looking for condiments can easily find you. “Special X sauce” means you’re trying to create a new category. No one is looking for you and the grocer doesn’t know which aisle to put you on. We chose Spicy Mustard. ⬇️ Step 3: Decide positioning style: competitive or contextual. Competitive = positioned *against* something E.g. Stop Zoom meetings, send Loom videos E.g. Stop internal emails, send Slack messages Contextual = better way of something existing E.G. Calendly is an easier way to schedule meetings Figma is an easier way to design in teams We chose contextual. Coworker is an easier way to use AI inside a company, because it’s connected to all your apps ⬇️ Step 4: Put it all together. Write your position statement 100 times till you get it right. — ⬇️ The final answer: We put all this together and chose to position ourselves as: “AI agent for complex work” 1. What is it? an AI agent 2. How is it different? it’s meant for complex work, (aka stuff ChatGPT cannot do) 3. Why is that believable ? it’s powered by OM1 - a deep memory layer that’s connected to all your company’s apps and knowledge 4. where do you fit (or replace) my current tech stack? The AI agent is connected to all your existing apps and can answer, plan and execute tasks across 40+ apps. Also works inside Slack, JIRA and a bunch of other apps you use. — That’s it, that’s how you create a position for your startup. Let me know what you think and if I missed anything

Is "good enough" really your competition? Or are you better than that? In a crowded market, it's easy to compete against products or solutions that are just "good enough." But what happens when your offering is truly superior? How do you ensure it's seen as a class above the rest? 👉 Here's how you can reposition yourself and highlight your unique value ↴ Elevate Your Story ↴ → Craft a narrative that emphasizes your journey, innovation, and commitment to excellence. → Highlight your passion for solving customer pain points more effectively than anyone else. Showcase Tangible Benefits ↴ → Use case studies and testimonials to demonstrate real-world successes. → Provide clear, quantifiable benefits that set you apart from the "good enough" alternatives. Leverage Thought Leadership ↴ → Share your expertise through blogs, webinars, and speaking engagements. → Position yourself as a trusted advisor and industry leader. Create a Premium Experience ↴ → Offer exceptional customer service that goes beyond expectations. → Focus on creating a seamless and delightful user experience. Communicate Your Unique Value Proposition ↴ → Clearly articulate what makes you different and better. → Use compelling messaging that resonates with your target audience's needs and desires. 👉 Remember, it's not just about being better;  it's about being perceived as irreplaceable. ✅ 🏆 When you position yourself as a differentiated solution, you don't just compete – you lead. 

Almost a week ago , I shared the week#1 transformation for a SaaS founder in which we turned their vague product pitch into something sharp and magnetic. But once you have the message, the next question is: ‘Who’s it actually for and why would they choose you over others?’ In week#2 of their transformation journey we focused on sharpening their positioning.  The founder’s SaaS tool could technically help any online business.   And THAT was the problem. It was too broad. They were trying to market to everyone which had it connecting with no one. Here’s what we changed: ✅ We mapped out their best-fit customers ⟮not just users - the buyers⟯. ✅ We analyzed their competitors’ messaging and found the white space. ✅ We repositioned the product around a clear niche: 7-figure e-com brands drowning in support tickets. Updated Positioning: "Built for growing e-commerce teams who need to scale support - without growing headcount." Now their message isn’t just clear, it’s relevant, to the right people, at the right time. #StartupMarketing #PositioningMatters #FounderTips

The most significant difference between professionals who attract premium opportunities and those who struggle with mediocre offers lies in how they position their value proposition.   Most professionals default to functional descriptions that blend into the competitive landscape, while those commanding top opportunities position themselves as solutions to specific business challenges.   Problem-Centric Positioning: Rather than listing responsibilities, successful professionals identify and articulate the specific business problems they've solved and the measurable impact of those solutions.   Outcome-Focused Communication: Instead of describing processes, they emphasize results - revenue generated, costs reduced, efficiency improved, or risks mitigated.   Industry Pain Point Alignment: They research and speak directly to the challenges their target employers face, positioning their experience as directly relevant solutions.   Quantified Value Demonstration: Every major accomplishment includes specific metrics that translate their work into business language decision-makers understand.   This positioning shift fundamentally changes how organizations perceive your candidacy - transforming you from another qualified applicant into a potential solution to their pressing business needs.   Companies invest premium compensation in professionals who solve expensive problems, not in those who simply perform standard functions well.   The opportunities that align with your career goals and compensation expectations typically require this solution-oriented positioning to break through competitive noise.   How have you successfully repositioned your professional value to attract better opportunities?   Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju   #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #personalbranding #valueproposition #professionalbranding #careerstrategist

Bad customer experience (CX) is costly. But worse than the cost is the damage it can do to your business. We’ve all seen the fallout from poor customer interactions—lost sales, negative reviews, and damaged reputations. That’s why it’s crucial to prioritize and enhance CX. Here are key strategies to implement: ➡ Map the Customer Journey: Each click and interaction shapes their perception. Create detailed personas to uncover needs, behaviors, and pain points. ➡ Process Inventory: Identify inefficiencies, like delayed shipping, by mapping the customer journey and tracing issues back to their roots. ➡ Ethnographic Research: Study customers in their natural settings to gain insights data alone can't capture. Align strategies with genuine customer expectations. ➡ Cultivate a Customer-Centric Culture: Follow Tesla’s lead—ensure every employee is driven to enhance CX, fostering continuous feedback and adaptation. ➡ Leverage Data: Use a 360-degree view of each customer to predict needs, personalize interactions, and exceed expectations. Don’t cut corners when it comes to improving CX. Focus on these strategies to drive loyalty and revenue. It’s worth it.

If you’re trying to position your startup BUT aren’t willing to pick specific competitive alternatives to compete with… You’re going to end up competing with everything. 😱 And when you compete with everything, explaining your differentiation is near impossible — because your product holds different value relative to the other products you’re getting compared to. This concept is crucial to understand for products that have many use cases. (ie. Airtable) ——— What’s Airtable’s differentiation against a no-code automation tool? → It can handle all the automation tasks but gives you more control over managing the data. What’s Airtable’s differentiation against a spreadsheet? → It does everything a spreadsheet does but also reliably stores data like a relational database. What’s Airtable’s differentiation against a project management tool? → It does everything a project management tool does but gives you the ability to customize the workflows without code completely. 👉 Their differentiation is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT when referenced against a unique alternative. And Airtable has dozens of other tools it could compete with (CRMs, project management software, collaboration tools, etc.) ❌ Airtable can’t possibly explain its unique value against all of these tools at once — especially when they were an early-stage startup with limited resources. They had to be selective on which tools to compete with. (and so does your early-stage startup) They chose spreadsheets & databases. “We’re part spreadsheet, part database.” “We’re a database, but you don’t need to be a developer to use it.” “We’re like a spreadsheet, but with a lot of added functionality.” These two reference points acted as shorthand for Airtable, drastically reducing the time for someone to understand what the product is, what they might use it for, and the value it could provide. Nowadays, Airtable’s positioning has matured into a multi-pronged set of positionings that speaks to the unique value against all of these alternative tools. (though they primarily position as a no-code application builder) ——— The takeaway for early-stage startups… You get to decide where and who you’ll compete with. Founders and marketers should make these decisions to highlight their unique differentiation. If you never decide, you’ll effectively remove your ability to differentiate. #positioning #b2bmarketing #productmarketing

𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝘀: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 🔵 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘀. 🔵 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘶𝘱, 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘵. The biggest brands don’t just sell stuff — they stand for something bigger. They shape conversations, change perspectives, and spark real-world change. So, how do you craft a story that doesn’t just connect but ignites a movement? 𝟭. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵: 𝗜𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲. Not just making money, but a cause worth fighting for. Look at Patagonia. They don’t just sell outdoor gear. They’re fighting for the environment. Your brand’s “big why” should connect to a universal problem people really care about. 𝟮. 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹. People don’t buy from companies. They buy from the people behind those companies. Share your stories — the struggles, the wins, the moments that shaped your mission. When Yvon Chouinard launched Patagonia, it wasn’t about clothes. It was about protecting the planet he loved to explore. 𝟯. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁. Words aren’t enough. Actions matter more. Align your practices, partnerships, and initiatives with your mission. Show people you’re committed — not just talk. 𝟰. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻, 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. A movement isn’t a monologue. It’s a conversation. How can they get involved? What actions can they take today? Create spaces for dialogue, participation, and advocacy. 𝟱. 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱. Use visuals, real customer stories, and data that inspires. Make your message shareable — because inspired people share things that matter. 𝟲. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁. Movements don’t happen overnight. They’re like a snowball rolling downhill — gaining speed and size. If you stay true to your message and keep pushing forward, your movement will grow. Trust takes time, but it’s the only way real change sticks. My final thought? Brands that create real impact don’t just sell products — they shift mindsets and spark action. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a start-up or a giant. Your brand can lead the next big movement. Are you ready to make it happen? Because the world’s waiting for your story.