Worksheet: Finish the sentence "customers choose us because…"

"Service and relationships" is what every competitor says. This sheet tests each claimed advantage against evidence you already hold. It builds the Competent step of the check:

The advantage is named and supported by evidence and share, margins, retention or win rates prove it.

Step 1. List the claims

Write every reason leaders give for why customers choose you. Tag each one:

Cost: scale, cheaper inputs, more experience, a better plant or process.
Difference: product features, quality, service, brand.

Step 2. Test each claim

Claimed advantage	Cost or difference	Evidence we hold	Measure	Us	Best competitor	Real, or table stakes?
e.g. Next-day delivery on nearly every order	Difference (service)	Delivery records; lost-bid notes	Win rate where delivery was a buying criterion	X%	Y%	Real if X is clearly above Y

A claim with no measure, or where the best competitor scores the same, is table stakes.

Step 3. Ask customers

Ask ten customers to rank what they buy on, then rate you against their next choice on their top three.

Buying criterion	Average rank	Our rating	Next choice's rating

Step 4. Write the sentence

"Customers choose us because ________, and ________ shows it."

If you cannot fill the second blank, building that advantage is your strategic priority.

Done when: the sentence names the advantage and at least one measure (share, margin, retention or win rate) that shows it.

Adapted from our own strategy reference (PSP, 2010).