In most fields, the term “unfair advantage” carries a fairly negative ring to it. If an athlete is determined to have an unfair advantage, they are often penalized. There are laws in place to ensure that a member of a company cannot exercise their inside knowledge as an unfair advantage over the stock market.
In business however, there is a positive type of unfair advantage. In fact, every business has one whether they know it or not! Your brand is unique, regardless of whether or not you offer a common, commodity product.
The combination of your story, your location, your team, your ingredients, etc, comprise a very specific set of circumstances that give your customers something no one else can. While it takes some work to figure out exactly how to tell your story, the first step is identifying what those “unfair advantages” are for you and your natural food company.
By taking a thorough look at your product, your process, and your people, you can identify your specific advantage that makes you unique among your competitors. Focus on the ways that only you can deliver benefits to your customers to address their unmet needs by maximizing your efforts in the right places. This will create happy, loyal customers and help you solidify your place within a crowded market!
In This Episode:
- Three ways of looking at your main strengths
- Your product:
- What is it that makes your food product stand out?
- Is it a completely new kind of product, or if it is a commodity product, what about the ingredients or the story makes it uniquely beneficial to your customers?
- Your people:
- Starting with yourself, what about your personal and professional story sets your brand apart from the rest of the market?
- Is there someone in your team who brings a unique benefit to your business, and if so, how can you translate that into a story for your consumers without focusing too much on that one person?
- Your process:
- What about your process, whether on the front end or behind the scenes, allows you to have an “unfair advantage” over your competition?
- Does your location provide a unique advantage or story?
- Examples of unique advantages from various businesses
- A sneak peek at Real Food Brands new Food & Beverage Mastermind coming later this year
Quotes:
“Once you identify and own your unique advantage, you can see a more clear path for your innovation pipeline because you’ve identified your core strengths.” — @RealFoodBrands
“Even if your path isn’t quite clear, there is a story in there somewhere.” — @RealFoodBrands
“Where you choose to locate your business, or grow and raise your product, can be a key point of difference.” — @RealFoodBrands
“You have to put on an outsider’s lens sometimes because it’s hard for us to notice the things that are so great about ourselves.” — @RealFoodBrands
Resources:
