{"id":380,"date":"2024-02-02T06:50:38","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T06:50:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/?p=380"},"modified":"2024-02-15T11:40:18","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T11:40:18","slug":"your-competitive-advantage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/?p=380","title":{"rendered":"Your competitive advantage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

People are fickle, but we\u2019re generally rational. When someone makes a choice (hiring, firing, choosing a vendor, buying a soda) they\u2019re using some sort of internal logic and reasoning to support that choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a marketer, you win when they choose you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, why choose you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer to that question is your competitive advantage. What makes it likely that more than a few rational people will consider their options and choose you or your company or your organization?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Truth: It\u2019s rarely a computerized cost\/benefit analysis. Instead, it\u2019s a human choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the factors that matter to me are processed through my worldview and compared against the options I\u2019m aware of, I will choose you when your advantages are greater than the competition, provided I believe that you\u2019re worth the cost of switching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matter to me: Not matter to you or to the next guy, but matter to me. That\u2019s all I care about. (Example: it might mean more to me that my friends use your product than it does that you\u2019re cheaper).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worldview: Based on the way I see the world, the assumptions I make, the truth that I believe in. (Example: If I don\u2019t trust young people as a matter of course, I\u2019m not likely to choose you if you\u2019re young, all other things being close).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Options I\u2019m aware of: If I don\u2019t know about you, you don\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Switching cost: The incumbent gets a huge advantage, especially in high cost\/high risk\/network effect instances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the ways you might build or maintain a competitive advantage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Access to hard-to-replicate Talent\nHard-earned skills\nHigher productivity due to insight or organization allowing you to be cheaper\nLow cost of living for you and your staff allowing you to be cheaper\nProtected or secret technology or trade secrets\nExisting relationships (switching costs working in your favor)\nVirally organized product and organization\nLarge network of users already and a network effect to support you\nFocus on speed\nMonopoly power and the willingness to use it\nUnique story that resonates with the worldview of your target audience\nShelf space due to incumbency\nLarge media budget\nInsight into worldview of prospects\u2013making what they care about\nEmotional intelligence of your salesforce or customer service people\nAccess to capital and willingness to lose money to build share\nConnection to community<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Not on this list, at least not prominently, are “we are #1!”, “we are better!” and “we try harder.” Cheerleading skills are not a competitive advantage in most settings. And, with few exceptions, neither is “we are new.” Also, “we are better and I can prove it,” is rarely a successful argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s what your board wants to know:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s your competitive advantage?\nIs it really, or are you dreaming it up?\nHow long will it last?\nCan your competition copy it?\nDoes it resonate with the part of the market that is looking to buy?\nIs the advantage big enough to overcome the switching cost?<\/code><\/pre>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
People are fickle, but we\u2019re generally rational. When someone makes a choice (hiring, firing, choosing a vendor, buying a soda) they\u2019re using some sort of internal logic and reasoning to support that choice. As a marketer, you win when they … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[153,154,140,157,156,155,146,145],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=380"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":383,"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/380\/revisions\/383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dolphinsgroup.co.ke\/sam-muchai\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}