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“No one who has ever changed the rules of the game has done so with reason.”
Will Guidara, Unreasonable Hospitality
It’s not the fault of competitors who lower prices.
It’s not the algorithm that changes.
It’s not even the customer who asks for the discount.
It’s your strategy that’s unsustainable.
The ability to stay focused on a single thing for long enough has become rare.
But often it’s not our attention’s fault.
It’s the fault of strategies that cost more than they yield .
You’re looking for your uniqueness in the wrong place.
We try to be better than others at things that cost everyone a lot.
More marketing, more content, more features, more everything.
But if it costs you a lot, it also costs your competitors a lot.
And it becomes a war of attrition that no one can win.
You can win an impossible race
Teams working with MAKE PROGRESS® internalize this concept:
“Sustainable superiority is something that distinguishes the company from competitors, that does not involve additional costs for them, and that competitors cannot or will not copy.”
It’s something you can do for so long that it’s easier to win because competitors will destroy themselves.
- It becomes so much a part of you that it would cost you more to stop. It’s not just that “it’s cheap to make.” It’s that after a while, it becomes your identity. And changing your identity is very expensive.
- It’s not just adding, it’s also taking away. You become very good at eliminating what your customers don’t value. While competitors continue to add complexity, you subtract. And simplicity scales.
- Competitors can’t or won’t copy you. Sometimes they could, but they don’t want to . Because it’s too off-brand for them. Too far from their history. And that gives you a head start.
The question becomes: how do I find this sustainable “edge”?
Think the unthinkable
One of the books that has fascinated me most in recent years is Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara ( Italian / English ).
Guidara is the former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, the New York restaurant he led to become the #1 in the world in 2017 (World’s 50 Best Restaurants) and to earn 3 Michelin stars.
Why am I talking about a book about hospitality? Because every business is a hospitality business.
I also talked about it in newsletter #186 , where I collected the strategies for differentiation through customer experience: how to exceed expectations, personalize every interaction, and why small gestures create a big impact. If you haven’t read it, catch up.
Every time a customer enters your world—be it a website, an app, an office, or a call—you’re hosting them. You’re giving them an experience in your space. And that experience determines whether they’ll return or not.
The book is powerful because it doesn’t (just) talk about catering. It’s about creating experiences people won’t forget. And how to do it sustainably.
But today I want to talk to you about a different concept, which I discovered while rereading the book.
The concept is the “reverse benchmark” .
We usually look at competitors to copy what they do well.
Guidara suggests the opposite: look at what they do poorly (or don’t do at all) and go all-in on that (if you’re good at it).
It seems counterintuitive. But if your competitors ignore a detail because it’s “hard” or “doesn’t scale,” and you build a system around it, magic happens.
You can pay so much attention to that detail that everything you do immediately becomes of enormous quality.
When Guidara decided to eliminate the classic “no”s of luxury dining and serve a street-style hot dog on a 3-Michelin-star plate, he found his uniqueness.
It was cheap (a hot dog).
It was differentiating (nobody did it).
It was sustainable (they could do it forever).
This is the best way to find your sustainable uniqueness.
Don’t try to be better everywhere.
Look for where others are lazy, distracted, or bored.
And plant your flag there.
Forever.
Examples of Reverse Benchmarking
See how the giants used the reverse benchmark to destroy the competition.
They didn’t try to do what others were doing better . They looked at what others were doing poorly (often profiting from it) and did the opposite.
1. Dyson vs. Vacuum Cleaner Manufacturers
What competitors were doing wrong: Vacuum cleaner manufacturers made money by selling replacement bags. But the bags clogged, smelled bad, and caused the vacuum cleaner to lose power. Customers paid more for a product that performed worse.
The Reverse Benchmark: Dyson eliminated bags. It invented cyclonic technology that never loses suction. It forgot the recurring revenue from bags to offer a product that always performs at its best.
Result: Competitors couldn’t copy it without destroying their consumables-based business model.
2. IKEA vs. Traditional Furniture Manufacturers
What competitors were doing wrong: Furniture manufacturers sold furniture either pre-assembled or with paid assembly. It was expensive, required complex deliveries, and the customer had no control.
The Reverse Benchmark: IKEA had its customers assemble furniture. What seemed like a flaw became an advantage: when you build something yourself, you add value to it. It’s called the “IKEA effect.”
The result: lower prices, simplified logistics, and customers who love their furniture because they put in the work.
3. Moxy Hotels vs. Traditional Hotel Chains
What competitors were doing wrong: Hotels focused on large rooms and room service. It was expensive for them and their guests. But most guests only used their rooms to sleep.
The Reverse Benchmark: Moxy has stripped down rooms to a bare minimum and transformed the lobby into a social hub: a bar, games, and 24/7 workspaces. Check-in takes place at the bar counter.
The result: lower costs, more accessible prices, and an experience that business travelers and young people love. Traditional hotels can’t copy this without distorting their brand.
Be strategically unreasonable
What is the one thing your competitors are neglecting that you could do better than anyone else, at next to no cost, for the next 10 years?
Write to me, I’m curious.
ALWAYS MAKE PROGRESS ●↑
Antonio
