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Marketing Strategies for Unfair Competitive Advantage
I’ve self-published seven books over the last 21 years to get more clients for my sales training and coaching business. Publishing—which includes being the author of the book—is what I consider an unfair marketing strategy.
Let me explain why it’s unfair, and why it’s such a powerful business-generation tool for experts, service providers, and really, any business owner who wants to stand out.
A marketing strategy is “unfair” when it creates an unlevel playing field—where the person using it gains an outsized advantage over competitors, generating results far beyond the time and money invested, and delivering multiples better than a typical strategy or tactic.
Publishing a book is exactly that. Used as an authority generator, a book elevates your positioning and differentiates you from the amateurs and low-fee providers. Most who publish don’t do it for the royalties (which, for most, don’t amount to much). You publish for positioning, credibility, and separation from the pack.
The truth? Many people who could benefit greatly from authoring a book never do it. They think they can’t, or it feels too far outside the norm. That discomfort keeps them from taking action—and that’s a terrible reason not to do something that could transform their business.
Authoring a book opens doors to higher-paying clients and better referral sources. It helps pre-sell you before you’ve even spoken to a prospect. It’s a lead generator, a door-opener, and a credibility-builder. A book can make you a viable option for a higher-quality, higher-fee client. Send it early in a relationship, or even before a meeting, and watch how it changes the conversation.
Being the Media vs. Being in the Media is a Major Marketing Leverage Point
Authoring a book is one unfair marketing strategy. Another is being the media.
There’s a difference between being in the media and being the media.
When you’re in the media, you’re at the mercy of others for how you’re presented and when you get exposure. But when you are the media, you retain full control—of your message, your medium, and who receives it.
Having communication channels you own—such as a newsletter, booklet series, or even a niche magazine—gives you an unfair advantage. You control your messaging, your frequency, and your format. You own your media pipeline.
Years ago, I worked with a small company in a brutally competitive industry. They held just 3% of the market; three dominant competitors controlled 85%. They were, by all measures, a “nobody” in their space.
But they had an unfair advantage: they published a magazine.
That magazine gave them access to CEOs and top decision-makers. They could call up movers and shakers for interviews and feature them in industry success stories. This opened doors that would have stayed locked if they were simply cold-calling as a small-market player.
They didn’t have to beg for media placements—they owned the platform. That one unfair strategy played a major role in them eventually becoming one of the “gorillas” in their industry.
Review an option to self publish a book
Speaking: The Most Misunderstood Unfair Strategy
The third unfair strategy is also the most misunderstood—and arguably the most powerful: speaking.
Speaking isn’t limited to standing on a stage in front of hundreds of people. Speaking can be a lunch-and-learn, an executive briefing, or a small group meeting around a conference table. If you can hold your own in a group discussion, you can speak.
When I started out decades ago, I used my first book to land free speaking gigs at small trade associations. I wasn’t working for free—I was promoting my book. Those talks generated business and gave me bragging rights. I could honestly say I had been invited to speak to dozens of organizations, which boosted my authority and helped me land higher-paying clients.
To further leverage those talks, I recorded them with a $50 lapel mic and a pocket digital recorder. Back then, I put them on CDs and mailed them to prospects. People listened—and I built authority without even being in the room.
The Power of Combining Strategies
Authoring a book, owning your media, and speaking are powerful on their own. But when you combine them, you don’t just create separation—you create a moat. You position yourself in a category of one, eliminate price competition, and make yourself the obvious choice.
These strategies create assets—authority and positioning—that give you leverage your competitors can’t match.
If you’re fighting an uphill battle for good clients, stop playing fair. Use unfair strategies. When you do, your competitors will be the ones pushing uphill while you’re already at the top of the hill.
