Differentiate Yourself by Using What You Already Have

A lever is something that multiplies your effort without needing extra energy.

Sounds obvious, right?

Even Archimedes said,  “Give me a firm place to stand and a lever and I can move the Earth.”
‍So if a lever can be used to move anything, you should consider the ones you could use to move your business.

Now, think about this… do you even know your product/service strengths? Are you certain about which are the levers you can pull to differentiate yourself from the others? If yes, have you made room in your scope to experiment with them and gain clarity on what works?

Not having a clear understanding of this can leave you lost in the noise. Undifferentiated. Relying on luck to get your next customer. Having a freemium model that can’t get escape velocity or feast and famine cycles that drain your drive to keep going.

There are many things that set your offering apart from the competition. Some are obvious (like those you are already thinking about as you read this), some are more nuanced and niche.

In order to help you identify yours, I’ll share a set of questions that acts as the framework I use both for myself and to help clients find levers to push their business away from their competition.

1. Location
   Can you make a local business explode? Do you have something that can only be accessed in close proximity? Can you serve a local client? Can you use in-person events to empower your business?
2. Expertise
   Is your team highly qualified in a specific topic? Can you provide a deeper, more accurate deliverable than the rest based on your knowledge? Can you showcase your team’s knowledge? Have you written articles or books in a specific topic?
3. Vertical
   Do you have extensive experience working with the same type of client? Have you worked on many projects in the same area of knowledge? Do you have extensive know-how on a business or category? Can you talk the “same language” your customer talks, as if you were an insider?
4. Network
   Do you have access to people of influence? Do you happen to have a really big network? Are you friends with VPs, CEOs, business owners or anyone in a position of power? Have you placed yourself in a position of influence where many people follow you and trust you?
5. Economics
   Can you survive 3 months without any cash flowing in? Do you have the ability to invest in R&D? Can you partner in interesting low-profit projects to boost your expertise? Can you take a strategic risk to position yourself in a new niche by taking some pro bono projects for your portfolio?

It can be as simple as “we’re the ones who’ve done this 22 times in this exact vertical” or “this list of clients is saying we’ve been the best partner they had”.

Construct your narrative leveraging those advantages.

If you want differentiation, don’t invent new strengths. Identify the ones you already have (both in your business, your team members, and yourself) and amplify the heck outta them.

Start small. Pick one lever, write down how you can use it this quarter, and build from there.