How to tell a differentiated story in a crowded market?

I can so relate, I often find I am working in crowded market. In a crowded market, differentiation means reframing the conversation entirely and owning an axis the competition isn't even aware of. Stop Fighting on the Existing Axis: If all your competitors are battling over "Speed," stop trying to be "Faster Speed." Pivot your narrative to a new dimension, like "Trust," "Ease of Use," or "Flexibility." Your story reframes the buyer's criteria. Highlight the Unseen Trade-Off: Every solution has a ...Read More

Made to Stick by the Chip Heath and Dan Heath is one of my favorite books. It explores what makes a story stand out and introduces a framework for idea “stickiness” in the Six Principles (SUCCESs Framework)   1.      Simple – Strip ideas down to their core essence without oversimplifying. 2.      Unexpected – Grab attention by breaking patterns and surprising the audience. 3.      Concrete – Use clear, tangible examples instead of abstract concepts. 4.      Credible – Provide authority or eviden ...Read More

Be super specific about the problems you solve for specific customers in specific ways rather than using generic value statements. The key to differentiation is specificity. I'm a big fan of the "barbecue test" - if someone at a barbecue asks what you do and you respond with vague statements like "I transform things and turn them into insights," their eyes will glaze over immediately. Instead, explain your work in concrete terms that people outside your industry can understand. The most successf ...Read More

Everyone is selling the same outcomes, so your differentiation must come from the specific ways you deliver those outcomes. I've experienced this firsthand moving between companies in different industries. At Okta (identity and access management) and later at Braze (marketing technology), I was surprised to discover they used exactly the same value pillars - driving better productivity, reducing risk, increasing revenue. This is common because these are the outcomes boards and executives care ab ...Read More

In a world where AI is generating similar value-focused content, differentiation comes from being specific about how you deliver value, not just claiming the same outcomes as everyone else. AI is creating more content than ever, and most of it centers around the same value statements and outcomes because that's what we've been trained to do as product marketers. The challenge is that everyone is talking about being better, faster, stronger - promising efficiency, productivity, revenue growth, or ...Read More