Unf*cking Your CX Strategy: Stop Obsessing Over Competitors and Start Leading

The Competitor Obsession is Killing Your CX

If your CX strategy is based on copying what your competitors are doing, you’re not leading—you’re falling behind. Worse, you’re handing over control of your customer experience to people who don’t know your customers and don’t care about your brand. Let’s be real: Your competitors aren’t your north star. They don’t have a clue about your customers, and they sure as hell aren’t going to build your business for you.

Chasing competitors isn’t just a weak move—it’s a self-destructive one.

It makes you reactive, unimaginative, and stuck in survival mode.

This newsletter is your wake-up call: stop benchmarking, stop copying, and stop chasing the competition. It’s time to lead with a bold, customer-first strategy.

Let’s unf*ck this once and for all.

The Competitor Obsession: What It’s Costing You

The constant comparison to competitors isn’t helping your brand grow—it’s holding you back. Here’s how:

1. You’re Playing the Copycat Game: When your CX strategy is based on what someone else is doing, you’re just copying their weaknesses, not building on your strengths.
2. You’re Trapped in Reactive Mode: Instead of proactively solving customer problems, you’re waiting to see what your competitor does next. This keeps you two steps behind.
3. You’re Following the Wrong Metrics: Competitor benchmarks are irrelevant to your customers. Your focus should be on customer-centric metrics that drive real business outcomes—not on outperforming someone else’s NPS score.
4. You’re Missing What Matters Most: Your customers don’t care what your competitor is doing. They care about how you meet their needs, solve their problems, and exceed their expectations.

Why Competitors Can’t Be Your North Star

Competitors don’t have the insights you need to lead in CX. If anything, they’re as lost as you are, trying to navigate shifting customer expectations with outdated strategies. Here’s why chasing competitors is a dead-end:

• Competitors Don’t Know Your Customers: Every brand’s customer base is different. What works for them won’t necessarily work for you.
• Competitors Aren’t Innovating—They’re Imitating Too: The CX leaders of tomorrow aren’t copying what’s already been done—they’re redefining the entire customer experience. Innovation doesn’t come from imitation.
• Competitors Can’t See Your Brand’s Unique Value: If you’re constantly benchmarking against someone else, you lose sight of what makes your brand unique. The future of CX belongs to those who build something competitors can’t replicate.

The Future of CX: Lead, Don’t Follow

The brands that will win in the future of CX are the ones that stop looking at competitors altogether. They’ll be obsessed with their customers, not their competition. They’ll lead by focusing on business outcomes, not vanity metrics.

So, what does that look like?

Player Tips: How to Unf*ck Your Competitor Obsession

1. Player Tip 1: Ditch the Benchmarking Game Today, stop comparing your CX metrics to your competitors. Benchmarks don’t drive innovation. Instead, create your own benchmarks based on customer feedback and business outcomes.

1. Player Tip 2: Make Customer-Centric Metrics Your North Star Instead of chasing industry metrics like NPS, shift your focus to customer lifetime value (CLTV), churn reduction, and retention rates. These are the metrics that will move the needle for your business.

1. Player Tip 3: Build Your CX Strategy Around Strengths, Not Competitor Weaknesses Focus on what your brand does best. The CX leader of the future knows that innovation comes from leveraging strengths, not copying the competition’s weaknesses.

Framework 1: The Customer-First Strategy Model

This framework ensures that your CX strategy is built around customer needs, not what your competitors are doing.

Step 1: Identify customer pain points using direct feedback from surveys, support tickets, and social listening.

Example: Customers are frustrated with delayed responses to support requests.

Step 2: Prioritize solutions based on business impact, not industry trends.

Example: Instead of copying your competitor’s chatbot implementation, focus on improving first-contact resolution rates.

Step 3: Set internal benchmarks based on customer outcomes, like reducing churn or increasing CLTV.

Example: After optimizing the support response process, set a benchmark to reduce customer complaints by 25%.

Framework 2: The Strengths-Driven CX Model

Stop chasing competitor weaknesses. Instead, build your strategy around what your brand does best.

Step 1: Conduct a brand audit to identify your core strengths in delivering value to customers.

Example: If your brand is known for personalized service, make customer personalization the cornerstone of your CX strategy.

Step 2: Design customer experiences that amplify these strengths.

Example: Invest in personalized recommendation engines that reflect your commitment to understanding each customer’s unique needs.

Step 3: Track success by measuring customer satisfaction in the areas where you deliver the most value.

Example: Increase repeat purchases by 30% by doubling down on personalized customer touchpoints.

Thought-Provoking Question:

"Are you chasing competitors because your exec leadership team is constantly talking about their experience, or because you’re afraid to lead with your own vision?"

Stop Following the Competition—Start Leading the Future

It’s time to unf*ck your CX strategy. If your entire approach is based on what your competitors are doing, you’re already behind. The future belongs to the CX leaders who innovate, create, and lead with their own vision—not someone else’s.

Start focusing on customer needs, business outcomes, and brand strengths. The competitors don’t matter. Your customers do.