THE DIFFERENTIATION INDEX™

At SHIFTPOINTS, our mission is to help organizations create a Differentiating Competitive Advantage (DCA).

Our Differentiation Index^TM is a proprietary survey that accelerates the Decide One Thing process.

There are hundreds of organizational surveys. Some measure employee satisfaction. Some measure employee engagement. Others measure organization health.

In contrast, the Differentiation Index gathers perceptions and insights about the organization’s current level of differentiation and source of competitive advantage.

Our first question is: “We have a clear, compelling, and truly differentiating competitive advantage.”

While the survey is anonymous, respondents are asked to identify their role in the organization, such as senior executive, sales, customer service, etc. (These categories are customized for every client.)

Survey participants answer questions using a five-point scale, ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

In addition, respondents are prompted with a follow-up question to capture additional insights.

If they responded Strongly Agree or Agree, we ask them to describe the organization’s competitive advantage.

If they responded Strongly Disagree or Disagree, we ask them to provide suggestions about what the organization’s competitive advantage could be.

Clients have complete discretion about who should participate in The Differentiation Index process. Some will only survey executives who will be participating in The Pit Stop Program, while others may decide to survey everyone in the organization.

A special version, called The Differentiation 360, extends the survey to external participants, such as customers, potential customers, former customers, partners, and more.

SHIFTPOINTS first analyzes the results by looking at the overall score.

Next, we look for dispersion among the responses. For example, we are able to identify where the executives and the salespeople disagree about the level of differentiation.

Finally, we analyze the text responses and perform pattern matching to identify key trends.

This kind of information provides critical insights that accelerate the Decide One Thing process.

SHIFTPOINTS^® helps organizations create a Differentiating Competitive Advantage.

WHY TAKE THE DIFFERENTIATION INDEX?

Most CEOs believe their company has a competitive advantage.

The reality? Very few do.

The Differentiation Index helps you discover the truth—and gives you the clarity you need to build a stronger, more valuable business.

Key Benefits:

• Assess and Quantify Your Competitive Advantage. The Differentiation Index provides a clear, data-driven score that shows exactly how differentiated your company really is. You’ll see where you stand today on a 0–100 scale and gain insights into which areas are strong—and which ones need urgent attention.

• Crowdsource Ideas from Your Team. The best ideas don’t always come from the top. By engaging your executives and employees in the survey, you’ll capture perspectives from across the team. Their collective input surfaces hidden strengths, overlooked opportunities, and new ways to win in your market.

• Identify Misalignments Before They Become Costly. A high-performing company requires alignment at the top. If your leaders aren’t on the same page about your Differentiating Competitive Advantage, that confusion filters down to employees, customers, and investors. The Differentiation Index doesn’t just measure differentiation—it reveals where your team is aligned and where critical gaps exist.

• Benchmark and Track Progress Over Time. Your Differentiation Index Score becomes a baseline. Repeat it quarterly and you’ll have a powerful way to measure progress, track improvements, and prove that your strategy is working.

• Build the Case for Action. Every CEO knows that sharpening competitive advantage is important. The Differentiation Index makes it urgent by turning vague perceptions into hard numbers. When the score is lower than expected, it creates the wake-up call leaders need to take action.

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