News Flash: The Spouting Whale Gets Harpooned. (Translation: Don't dare to be different. Don't make waves. Don't stand out in a crowd.) Corollary: The whale that doesn't spout, drowns. Many experts and articles have espoused the importance of having a uniquely competitive edge to succeed in business. I'd offer a more specific observation: that all successful businesses dominate their marketplace in four or five distinct ways, not one.

The fact is, domination in only one or two strategies can be catastrophic. Ask Peoples Express Airlines, which focused only on Price (No. 3) as its point of difference. Or Sears, which has struggled for years to be known for something besides its Signature Brand (No. 23) — Kenmore.

Here is an array of 25 alternative strategic points of difference (SPODs):

Our mission is to …
Have the Freshest Products Have the Greatest Variety of Products Be the Low-Price Leader Be Price Competitive Be the Easiest to shop Be the Most Community-Involved Be the Cleanest, Most Sanitary Have the Highest-Quality Products Have the Most Knowledgeable Staff Be the Best Place to Work Be the Most Kid-Friendly Be the Most Savvy Niche Marketer Have the Fastest, Most Efficient Checkout Be the Most Fun (i.e., Treasure Hunts) Be the Friendliest Place in Town Have the Most Convenient Location Have the Greatest Selection of Services Be the Most Cost-Conscious Be the Most Technologically Advanced Be the Most Unique and Creative Operator Be the Best Meal Marketer (Foodservice) Have the Most Personalized Service Have the Strongest Controlled Label/Signature Items Be the Most Socially Responsible/Environmentally Friendly Be the Most Promotionally Exciting
Think of a business you and your family love to patronize. Now, ask yourself, "What does this company do better than all of its competitors?" Watch how the points of difference (or points of greatness) begin to flow from your mind. I guarantee you won't only think of just one difference. More likely, you'll come up with three or four.

Now, think of a business that you frequent only because of habit or its convenient location (No. 16). Try to identify its unique points of difference besides being conveniently located. You'll be lucky to come up with two reasons for that business' being.

Finally, think about your store. Can you make a case for market dominance in three, four or five of these 25 SPODs? Being as honest and objective as you possibly can, try listing your unique points of difference. If you're like many, you'll be quick to write down that you are undoubtedly the "Friendliest" store (No. 14). Then, you'll write down "Freshest" (No. 1). After that, you struggle. How about the "Cleanest"? And, oh yeah, "Community"?  Torn between your pride and your objectivity, you sit looking at a very short list of dubious advantages. Are you really the best at cleanliness (No. 2)? If your store is 10 years older than the newest place on the block, that's a hard image to win. Are you really the best at community relations? Just because you dole out money to every needy cause doesn't make you an active community participant. Your toughest competitor up the street rewards all of its managers with time off and company-paid membership dues for joining and participating in any local civic organization. So, who's really committed to the community?

Bottom line: You might have one convincing SPOD and two "maybes."  But all of the evidence suggests you must have three fully developed SPODs to survive, and four or five to thrive.

Of course, selecting your five strategies is relatively easy. Effectively executing them to market dominance is an entirely different matter.

The selection process can take anywhere from five minutes, if you do it by yourself (the wrong way), up to two days (the right way).

The right way involves inviting 15 to 30 of your most involved, dedicated and wisest folks from all levels to a strategy meeting. The process of choosing your five SPODs should occur right after the group has reviewed and signed off on your mission statement as one that is inspiring and provides clear direction. (See www.progressivegrocer.com/haroldlloyd for more information on crafting an effective mission statement.) The next step is for each person in the group to take the list of 25 SPODs and ask themselves these three questions about each strategy:

Is being the "________-est" something you truly want to achieve? Yes ?   No ? Is being the "________-est" something the customers in your marketing area really want? Yes ?   No ? Is your company physically, financially and intellectually capable of achieving the "_________-est"? Yes ?  No ?
If the strategy being tested receives three "yeses," it qualifies as a legitimate option for your company's five SPODs.

The next step is to invite all participants to compare their top five selections. Then, get the group's consensus as to the top five most relevant SPODs. This empowering experience will reward the participants with the feeling that they helped determine the company's direction and future.

Looking at a few recent issues of Progressive Grocer, I spotted five companies that were mentioned in high regard. If you know these markets or have ever shopped in these stores, you'd agree how easy it is to pick their unique sets of SPODs:

Publix's five SPODs (No. 6,  No. 7, No. 8, No.10, No. 22) Wegmans' five SPODs (No. 1, No. 8, No. 9, No. 10, No. 21) Costco's five SPODs (No. 3, No. 8, No. 14, No.18, No. 23) HEB's five SPODs (No. 3, No. 6, No. 8, No. 9, No. 20) Dorothy Lane Markets' five SPODs (No. 1, No. 8, No. 9, No. 21, No. 22)
Now, pick a company that you know has fallen on tough times or was recently merged with or purchased. Look for what you might guess their SPODs to be. Odds are, you'll come up with only one or, at most, two, but no more. This realization supports my hypothesis that if you develop five SPODs, you're relatively impervious to competitive incursions and economic downturns. With only one or two legitimate SPODs, your months are numbered.

Lesser leaders might be discouraged to learn that earning the distinction of being the best at anything takes time. The companies mentioned above didn't earn their five SPODs in a couple of periods. But with an unwavering commitment, you can count on achieving market supremacy with regard to your three to five SPODs a few years after you get started, and long before it's too late.

Finally, in order to get noticed, you must stand out. A church marquee said it best: "Stand for something or you'll fall prey to anything."

Harold Lloyd is a retail specialist, author, teacher and presenter. He was the president and CEO of a 14-unit retail enterprise and more recently the owner of a three-unit family-restaurant franchise. He has a Bachelor of Science degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA with Honors from the University of Chicago.