Business communications constantly obsesses over the latest buzzwords and technological jargon. Here’s a novel idea. What if businesses cut through the noise, talking instead about what truly matters in a direct way. I’ll use the term “marketing” exactly once in the following post — and only to dismiss it — because actual advantage comes from something far more fundamental.

Competitors will take apart your product. They’ll reverse-engineer your process. Almost overnight, they’re going to duplicate your innovations, match or beat your price, mimic your services and (sometimes) even improve on what you’ve built.

But the one thing they can’t copy: You.

Your company. The way you do, what you do.

That Thing Your Company Does stands as your most powerful competitive advantage precisely because it flows from something impossible to recreate — the unique way you and your team operate.

It isn’t the logo. It’s the people in your organization,

and how they do what they do.

The Thing doesn’t live in your logo either, or in your name.

Instead it exists in every customer interaction, every decision, every moment someone connects with you and your organization.

A customer calls with an unusual request. Does your team respond in a static, by-the-book way, or with attentive, creative problem-solving, specific to the request? That response shapes your Thing more than any visual identity ever could. Ever will.

Your Thing — and who you are — emerges from the distinctive culture, relationships and heritage woven into the fabric of your entity. Others may try hard to copy what you do, but they will fail when trying to duplicate the How.

Nobody can repeat that, and once you understand this you’ll have freed a huge chunk of psychic RAM. You’ll feel liberated.

 At its core, Your Thing exists as a perception — what people think about what you deliver and, far more importantly, how they feel about you while you deliver it. Customers feel about a service the same way they feel about its provider. As Tom Peters writes, “competence wins and superior competence always wins,” but only when paired with your distinctive approach.

These feelings don’t come from something called, “marketing.”

They emerge from real experiences with your work, your process and your demeanor throughout every interaction. They’re built on consistent delivery and authentic moments that leave exactly the impression you intend to make.

Building a powerful Thing demands an insiders-first strategy. Your team must understand and embrace It before customers ever will.

Place that Thing at the center of recruitment. First, clarify what makes you distinctive. Then translate that focus into organizational values. Identify the characteristics needed in your people to exemplify these values. And then hire based on seeking those traits in candidates.

Successful companies don’t just perform better — they perform differently. While competitors follow predictable paths, your opportunity lies in delivering experiences that feel refreshing, distinct.

Think of Uber’s real-time tracking, cashless payments, and on-demand rides that eliminate traditional taxi hassles.

Grok stands out from competitors by integrating real-time data from the X platform, offering advanced reasoning modes and delivering witty, human-like responses; Ritz-Carlton, with its anticipatory, intimate service where staff remember preferences and consistently exceed expectations.

The common denominator: distinct experiences that diverge from the predictable.

This distinction springs from attitude, not expense. Strip your experience down to brilliant basics, then add touches of spontaneity that surprise and delight. These moments don’t demand additional budget — they require people, empowered, who understand the soul of your organization. 

Or to put it another way: Your people have to Get the Thing.

Your CEO’s true job — Embody the Thing daily, demonstrating this again and again, through action. When the leader fails to embody It, everyone else gains permission to ignore It as well. Success demands full buy-in by the person at the top.

For example, Marc Benioff embodies Salesforce values with the 1-1-1 model, integrating giving into the corporate DNA, and Tim Cook drives Apple’s innovation and excellence by advancing AI and committing to 2030 carbon neutrality.

People don’t want loyalty to you, or your Thing; they’re true only to themselves. You merely provide the venue. The strongest attachments occur when someone merges his or her personal story with yours — when someone believes he’ll “become more” because of the presence of the Thing in his life.

Without clarity about what makes you distinctive, you risk losing your advantage without even noticing. This requires confident knowledge of who you are — and equally important — who you are not.

Lastly the success of the Thing depends on outthinking, not outspending, your competitors. 

Now get out there and do The Thing.