Brand Differentiation Workshop Kit

PRE-WORKSHOP PREPARATION

Participant Pre-Read (Send 1 Week Before)

Workshop Purpose: Define what makes us meaningfully different from competitors in ways that matter to our customers.

Pre-Work Assignments:

1. Customer Interviews (for customer-facing teams):

   • Ask 2-3 customers: "Why did you choose us over alternatives?"
   • Capture exact quotes

2. Competitive Review (for marketing/product):

   • Review top 3 competitor websites
   • Note their positioning and key claims

3. Reflection Questions (for everyone):

   • What do we do better than anyone else?
   • What do customers love most about us?
   • What would make a competitor impossible to beat us?

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Pre-Work Survey

Send to all participants:

1. Complete this sentence: "We are the only company that _______"

2. What 3 words should customers associate with us?

   • Word 1: _______________
   • Word 2: _______________
   • Word 3: _______________

3. What is our biggest competitive weakness?

4. If a competitor wanted to beat us, what should they do?

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WORKSHOP AGENDA: HALF-DAY (4 HOURS)

Time	Activity	Duration
0:00	Welcome & context setting	15 min
0:15	Exercise 1: Current state assessment	30 min
0:45	Exercise 2: Competitive landscape mapping	45 min
1:30	Break	15 min
1:45	Exercise 3: "Only we..." brainstorm	45 min
2:30	Exercise 4: Customer proof mining	30 min
3:00	Exercise 5: Prioritization & synthesis	45 min
3:45	Wrap-up & next steps	15 min

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EXERCISE 1: CURRENT STATE ASSESSMENT

Instructions: Rate our current positioning (1 = weak, 5 = strong)

Criteria	Rating	Evidence/Notes
We can clearly articulate what makes us different	1 2 3 4 5
Our customers can articulate what makes us different	1 2 3 4 5
Our differentiation matters to buyers	1 2 3 4 5
Competitors cannot easily copy our differentiation	1 2 3 4 5
Our differentiation is consistent across touchpoints	1 2 3 4 5

Discussion Questions:

• Where did we score lowest? Why?
• Where did scores differ most between participants?

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EXERCISE 2: COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE MAPPING

Instructions: Map competitors on the axes below

                    HIGH PRICE
                        |
                        |
    FEATURE-RICH -------|------- SIMPLE
                        |
                        |
                    LOW PRICE

Our position: _______________ Competitor A: _______________ Competitor B: _______________ Competitor C: _______________

Discussion Questions:

• Is there white space on this map?
• Are we differentiated from the cluster?
• Should we move to different position?

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EXERCISE 3: "ONLY WE..." BRAINSTORM

Instructions: Complete as many of these as possible (10 minutes silent brainstorm, then share)

"Only we..."

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

4. ---

5. ---

6. ---

7. ---

8. ---

9. ---

10. ---

Consolidation: Group similar ideas and vote on top 3-5 strongest "Only we" statements.

Rank	"Only We..." Statement	Votes
1
2
3
4
5

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EXERCISE 4: CUSTOMER PROOF MINING

Instructions: For each potential differentiator, find customer evidence

Differentiator	Customer Quote	Case Study	Metric

Discussion:

• Which differentiators have the strongest proof?
• Where do we need to gather more evidence?

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EXERCISE 5: PRIORITIZATION MATRIX

Instructions: Rate each potential differentiator

Differentiator	Importance to Buyer (1-5)	Our Strength (1-5)	Competitor Weakness (1-5)	TOTAL

Sweet Spot: High importance + High strength + Competitor weakness

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SYNTHESIS TEMPLATE

Primary Differentiator

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Why it matters to buyers:

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Proof points:

1. ---

2. ---

3. ---

Secondary Differentiator

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Why it matters to buyers:

---

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POST-WORKSHOP NEXT STEPS

Action	Owner	Due Date	Status
Synthesize workshop outputs into positioning doc
Test positioning with 3-5 customers
Update messaging hierarchy
Brief sales team on new positioning
Update website copy

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