a single source, nothing corroborates it

Pick the ground where you would win

If a straight feature comparison at the competitor's level goes against you, refuse that comparison and argue one level up, framing everything below as beside the point. Never position on having got there first either, since the customer cannot experience it, and answer that claim from a rival with measurable differences instead.

The method

1. 01

   If you would lose a straight comparison at your competitor's level, refuse the comparison and argue at the level above, framing everything below it as beside the point.

2. 02

   Never position on having been first, because the customer cannot experience it: answer that claim with measurable differences instead.

What it returned

• 40

  A rival told the market it had started the category; WP Engine answered with zero downtime against the rival's 40 minutes the previous month, 30% quicker page delivery, a guarantee to clean up any hack, and more WordPress specialists per thousand customers. The rival stalled at under a thirtieth of WP Engine's size and was absorbed by a larger company.

• Substack would lose any feature fight about websites, so the winning line is that rivals hand you a site while they help you gather a following.

Sources

• When being “first” is not a competitive advantageJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · When being “first” is not a competitive advantage · 2011-12-19
• Using the Needs Stack for competitive strategyJason Cohen · longform.asmartbear.com · Position lower levels as irrelevant · 2023-06-04