If your competitor can say it, it’s not differentiation.

So many companies say the same things as their competitors.

“We have the best quality [insert your product or service here].”
“We’re a true partner, not just another vendor.”
“We really understand your business.”

If everyone is saying the same thing, nobody is really saying anything. And when everything sounds the same, customers default to the only differentiator left…

Price.

That is how businesses become a commodity to many customers and prospects. It’s not because the work is commoditized, because it isn’t. It’s the way we talk about it that makes it sound interchangeable. If your value proposition sounds like everyone else’s, why wouldn’t the customer choose the low-cost provider?

The problem with most organizations that say they are different? They’re really not.

“Quality” isn’t differentiation; it’s table stakes.
“Partnership” isn’t differentiation; it’s a word that everyone uses.
“Industry expertise” isn’t differentiation; it’s the expectation.

The test for true differentiation? A tangible difference that can be communicated.

Could a competitor say the exact same thing that your firm says and have it be equally true? If yes, then it’s not differentiation. It’s just a description. “We care about quality” fails the test. Every company can (and does) say that.

Look at your website, your sales collateral, and consider your conversations with prospects. How much of it could be copied word-for-word by a competitor? That’s the true test of whether your message is failing to differentiate.

Every business wants to escape the commodity trap, but not every business is willing to say (and be) something different enough to stand out.

I challenge your firm to be the one that is specific instead of generic. That provides proof instead of promises. That has a point of view instead of platitudes.

That’s what separates companies that command premium rates from those that compete on price.