Growth & Strategy Conversations
“We give good quality and service” is true of almost everyone. What do customers say about you?
Most owners describe their advantage in words every competitor could also use. This session starts from the customer instead: why they came, why they stayed, why others left. From that, owners work out what is genuinely distinctive, how long it is likely to last, and what to do to strengthen it.
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An advantage is something customers notice, value and cannot easily get elsewhere.
Owners often name qualities they are proud of, such as honesty, hard work or quality. Those matter, but customers often choose for different reasons: it was nearby, the credit terms were easy, the one person who understood their problem worked there. Without knowing the real reason, an owner may defend the wrong thing and neglect the right one.
The first job, then, is to ask. The second is to judge honestly whether what you find is strong enough to build a business on. The third is to put effort where it counts. The session follows those three steps with exercises that can be done the same week.
What the session covers
33 topics across 7 areas. Seven parts, from asking customers to choosing what to build.
What Competitive Advantage MeansA plain definition.4
- Something that makes customers pick you over alternatives
- Why it must be something customers value, not only something you value
- The difference between a strength and an advantage
- Why an advantage exists only in comparison with a particular rival
Asking Customers WhyThe most useful hour you will spend this month.5
- Whom to ask: new, regular and lapsed customers
- Open questions that do not lead the answer
- Asking what they would do if you were not there
- Asking about the last time you let them down
- Recording what was said, not what you hoped
People are often kinder in person than on paper. Ask for specifics, not a score.
Common Sources of AdvantageWhere small businesses often find theirs.7
- Cost: a genuine lower cost, not just a lower price
- Speed or reliability
- Specialist knowledge in a narrow field
- Customisation and flexibility
- Reputation and trust built over years
- Location or access that others lack
- Relationships with suppliers, or with a community
Testing the AdvantageThree honest questions.4
Most owners find some advantages pass one test and fail the others. That is useful, as it shows where to focus.
- Do customers truly value it, enough to choose or pay more?
- Would a rival find it hard or slow to copy?
- Will it still matter in three years?
- What would a determined competitor do to undermine it?
Building It on PurposeDo more of what works.5
- Choosing one or two advantages to strengthen
- What you would have to do every week to deepen them
- What you would have to stop doing
- Who in the business owns each one
- How you will tell if it is working
Saying It ClearlyIf you cannot say it, nobody else will.4
- A two-sentence statement of what you offer and to whom
- Using the customers’ own words rather than yours
- Making sure staff say the same thing
- Keeping claims truthful and provable
Keeping It AliveAdvantages fade without attention.4
- How rivals catch up
- Customer needs that shift over time
- A quarterly check with five customers
- Listening for what customers praise a rival for
Exercises owners do in the session
- Prepare five questions to ask customers and decide whom to call
- Write what they believe their advantage is, then compare it with what customers say next week
- Apply the three-question test to each candidate advantage
- Write the two-sentence statement of what they offer
What participants leave with
- A customer interview guide
- The three-question test sheet
- Their two-sentence statement
- A quarterly check-in routine
What this session is not
- A branding or advertising workshop
- A promise that there is a hidden advantage to be found
- A substitute for knowing your numbers
How the session runs
A facilitated conversation of about two hours, in a small group. A practitioner who has worked on business strategy explains the test and shares how owners have approached customer conversations. Owners then prepare their own questions and, in a second short session or by agreement after a week, return to compare what customers said with what they expected.
What your students leave with
- Evidence from real customers on why they chose and stayed with the business
- A distinction between what customers expect of everyone and what is special here
- A simple test of whether an advantage is valuable, hard to copy and lasting
- One or two advantages chosen to build, with the steps involved
- A habit of listening to lost customers
- A statement of what the business offers that its owner can say in two sentences
Scheduled sessions
Nothing scheduled yet
Sessions are arranged with a college once a date is agreed. Ask us and we will find the right person for it.
A student rather than a college? See what is coming up, or ask your placement team to host this.
Ask customers why, test what you hear, and build on what is truly yours.
Tell us who your students are and what stage they are at. Sessions are free for participants.