I have heard this a couple of different ways in the past few weeks. One company, a distributor, was talking about this from the standpoint that the value they bring to their customers – both the manufacturers they distribute for, and the retailers they deliver to – is in the information they provide to help each grow their business in a smarter manner. Anyone can deliver product, but their unique value is the information they can provide on how the manufacturer or the retailer is doing relative to pre-defined metrics.
I also saw a slightly different version of this in a tweet on twitter where someone (I can’t remember who) said “Go ahead and share your ideas publicly, the value is in the execution”.
I would propose that both of these comments are either side of the same coin. If your company (or role) is about ideas, then you create differentiation (and marketing advantage) by demonstrating your ability to execute on those ideas. If your company (role) is about production – taking physical action against a tangible product – then you can create differentiation with information that helps others in your value chain get outstanding results or learning.
The core of great marketing is the ability to declare, and then support, a remarkable (or unique) difference. If you don’t know what yours is, ask your customers. If they don’t know what it is, then it is time to really look at how you can use information and/or execution to create it. Be unique or become extinct.
