Are You Competing or Leading?
A CX Leader's Guide to Market Dominance
Make the Leap with the “Inch Wide, Mile Deep” Strategy
Why do some businesses seem to effortlessly dominate their markets while others exhaust themselves, fighting for scraps of attention?
Well, here's a truth that may hurt: It will likely hold you back as a CX practitioner, and your "better" strategy will probably fail.
And you may be enabling this failure without realising it.
The ‘Better’ Trap: Why Excellence Isn't Enough
Many say it’s about having the loudest brand or the big marketing budget. Conventional wisdom says that success comes from being ‘better’. But look around you. How many "better" products and "new or innovative" solutions have you scrolled past today?
‘Better’ becomes a commodity when you play in everyone else's sandbox.
So the problem isn't your execution—it's your strategy.
A Different Approach: Inch-Wide, Mile Deep
It's not about being better; it's about being different in a way that matters.
Think of it as the difference between being a general practitioner or the world's leading expert in a specific type of surgery. Who commands the higher fees? Who has patients travelling across the country for appointments?
Let's talk Miguel Gonzalez. While most produce suppliers try to be everything to everyone, Miguel makes a radical choice: Mile Deep expertise.
In perfect avocados. He’s known as "The Avocado Guy."
He does nothing else. But he does it perfectly.
His consistently perfect avocados are delivered to some of America’s most demanding chefs who demand perfect avocados.
He has often been asked to add meat or dairy to his lineup. This would mean more width and potentially more profit, but more complexity and less depth.
Instead, he sacrifices breadth for depth. The result? He’s the undisputed king of avocados across the US.
His experience strategy is simple. Everything from touchpoints to interactions to processes is designed around one goal: delivering the perfect avocado.
His competition is stuck shouting for attention.
It’s not always about more choices, the loudest brand, or the most significant marketing budget.
Success can also be about changing the game.
Ask yourself: Would you rather be an unnoticed player in a crowded field or the go-to name in a game you created?
This is the power of the “inch wide, mile deep” strategy.
The Cost of Being “Better”
You’ve been lied to.
For years, experts have sold us the idea that the best product wins or that you just need to market your brand better than your competitors.
Think about it: How many ads for soft drinks, soaps, or fast food do you scroll past daily? These companies spend billions competing just to grab slivers of your attention in their established categories.
To remind us that they exist, Pepsi spent $3.8 billion on marketing in 2023. Coca-Cola spends an average of four billion dollars annually.
It’s a fight to stand still. The return on investment? My guess? Marginal.
Why? Because they’re stuck in the better trap of tastier, cheaper ads—"better" forces you to compete in a category full of noise. If you spend your resources trying to outshine competitors on their turf, you lose before you even start.
What Is “Inch Wide, Mile Deep” and Why Should You Care?
Don’t underestimate the power of being number one, even when you’re a niche.
It can be the way to grow.
You're the leader in that space. You develop thought leadership. You create a voice in the market. People will want to talk to you, and partners can start to emerge.
Here’s how it can work.
A Powerful Strategy for startups and small/medium brands.
An “inch wide, mile deep” strategy aims to create, own and dominate your specific niche so well that you become synonymous with it. Instead of being one option in a crowded market, you become the obvious option.
Let’s break it down:
Inch Wide: You focus narrowly on a clearly defined market. The tighter your niche, the easier it is for people to understand what you do.
Mile Deep: You go all-in. Develop deep expertise, tailor your customer experiences to match it, and create a strong presence no one else can touch you.
1. The problems you solve?
This one is clear from The Avocado Guy’s story. Many brands try to provide everything. Just one more product. One more service. So, they become one of the many all-in-one providers in the market. And maybe very good at it.
But guess what?
First, it dilutes the focus of their business.
Second, it kills believability.
Would you believe a lawyer who claims he is the best at divorce, real estate, and employment lawsuits? Maybe. But if he tells you he has 15 years of experience in real estate lawsuits and doesn’t handle anything else, he’s instantly more credible.
The messages you deliver
There are many things you can say about your brand.
Different capabilities.
Different benefits.
Or different brand associations you want to build.
But in today’s noisy world, only sharp messages get into customers’ minds.
After reading this, you’ll probably think about the avocado guy the next time you see an avocado.
Because it’s so specific.
Positioning requires choices. It requires sacrifice. So, defining the things you won’t do will be as important as what you will do. Like the problems you won’t solve, the customers you won’t serve, and the messages you won’t convey…It' ’s hard.
It takes some courage. But intentional focus is a shortcut to building a winning brand.
What’s the Difference Between Competing and Creating?
Competing means you’re trying to win in a game someone else created.
Creating means you’re inventing your own game with your own rules.
Competing:
Google+ tried to compete with Facebook. Look how that went.
Pepsi and Coke compete over ‘better’ with each other. In an endless, expensive war
Creating:
Tesla doesn’t compete with gas-powered cars. They redefined their category as “electric vehicles.”
Netflix didn’t try to beat Blockbuster’s DVD rental model. They invented the verb streaming.
Ryanair developed and owns the low-cost airline category (in Europe). Legacy airlines now compete with them on no-frills experiences. Still, two things have happened: Legacy airline branding has been diluted, and Ryanair has become the largest carrier in Europe.
See the difference? Create your niche, and your bigger competition will struggle.
Instead of saying, “I’m better,” you say, “I’m distinctive—and this is why.”
How to Create and Dominate Your Niche
If you’re ready to leap in, here’s how you can create and own your niche:
1. Frame the Problem
What’s the issue you’re solving?
Why does it matter?
I’d encourage you to see this video (10 minutes long) from Strava co-founder and executive chairman Mark Gainey. Do workouts even happen if it's not logged on Strava, the part-fitness app and part-social platform? Starting just for bikes, they’ve grown to support over 50 activities, including kayaking, swimming and yoga. Strava is about the athletes, not the data, so don’t sell user data or use targeted advertising. They make their money by offering premium features like a detailed analysis of workouts or live tracking for an annual fee.
Another example: Pepper Bras doesn’t just sell bras—they solve the frustration of poorly fitting bras for small-busted women.
2. Name Your Category
Give your niche a name that sticks.
Keurig coined “single-serve coffee,” making their solution instantly clear and memorable.
3. Claim Your Space
Use “languaging” to educate your market.
Think of how Netflix made “streaming” a verb or how iRobot positioned itself as the pioneer of “robot vacuums.”
4. Build the Flywheel
Once you’ve claimed your niche, build momentum.
Leverage customer feedback, data, and referrals to strengthen your position, not as a one-time effort—but as an ongoing process.
Why Customer Experience Is the Linchpin
Don’t forget the human element.
A well-designed niche is only as good as the experience it delivers. When you align your customer experience with your niche, you create a virtuous cycle:
Positive Expectations: Customers come in expecting expertise. If you meet those expectations, you will turn them into raving fans.
Memorable Interactions: People remember how you made them feel, not just what you sold them.
Evangelism: Happy customers spread the word. A clearly defined niche makes it easier for them to explain why you’re unique.
The Niche Scorecard: Are You Winning?
To know if you’re succeeding, ask yourself these questions:
Do you have a clear Point of View (a POV)? Are you solving a problem in a way no one else is, or a few others are?
Are you radically distinctive?
If your answer is “we’re better,” try again.
Are your customers engaged? Do they recommend you without hesitation?
If you’re missing any of these, it’s time to rethink your strategy.
Final Thoughts: Own Your Inch, Dominate Your Mile
The “inch wide, mile deep” strategy isn’t just a tactic—it’s a mindset.
You can stop competing and start leading by narrowing your focus and deepening your expertise. Combine that with category design, and you’ll create a market that revolves around you.
So, what’s your inch?
Define it. Frame it. Name it. And then go deep, more than anyone else. Ultimately, maybe you’ll own the game.
There you go—bold thinking for small and medium-sized brands, actionable insights, and real-world examples.
What’s your next move?
Some good thinking here helps me as owner of an SMB