Connection is the New Competitive Advantage

I was lucky enough to spent time this week at the Learning Technologies Fair in London. It’s always a useful place to get a feel for where the industry’s heading and what’s getting attention.

No surprise – the big theme was AI. And I’m sure that’s the case across countless industries right now. AI has thrown a grenade into established ways of working, shifting things faster than most could have imagined.

But here’s what stood out: almost every major tech vendor was doing the same thing with AI. Different logos, same story. It was hard to see anything truly distinct in what one vendor offered versus another.

Even for the pioneers, what used to be standout features are now just standard inclusions. Product ‘moats’, based on functionality alone are disappearing fast. Features are no longer differentiators – they’re just the cost of entry.

Expertise Is Facing the Same Challenge

This got me thinking about subject experts and knowledge-based businesses – especially those operating in broad areas like leadership or management.

Swap out “features” for “expertise” and the same thing applies. If your business competes on general expertise alone, you’re in a race to the bottom. And in a commoditised market, the lowest price wins.

AI is making standardisation easy. As markets fragment, people stop looking for the generic and start seeking the specific.

At the exhibition, the stands that really worked had something different.

They weren’t trying to appeal to everyone. They knew their audience.

The tech behind them was often similar – but the pitch, the language, the feel – it was clearly built for someone. And that’s what made people stop.

The Power of Focus

Trying to be everything to everyone? It’s a dead end.

The real opportunity lies in knowing a specific group so well, you can create something just for them. Something that doesn’t just work for them – it speaks to them.

This isn’t just good design, it’s smart strategy. Tailor your offer, even slightly, and you create a position that others can’t easily copy. People choose the solution that “gets” them over one that doesn’t. Every time.

This is how you win.

Cultural Lock-In

Differentiation isn’t about having more expertise. It’s about relevance. About connecting what you know to what matters most to your clients.

When you build for a niche:

• Your messaging feels personal.
• Your language resonates.
• Your solution fits like it was made for them.

You’re not just fixing problems. You’re fixing their problems. This creates loyalty – why would they look elsewhere when they’ve got a product or service that feels like it was designed just for them?

So here’s the big question.

What group could you serve so deeply, so well, that you become irreplaceable?

Niche differentiation isn’t a luxury anymore.

In the AI era, it’s going to be about survival. The future belongs to those who focus, who build for tomorrow, and who lead their niche – not those chasing the crowd.

Andy Jack

Andy loves helping subject experts, authors, speakers, coaches and key persons of influence to monetise their expertise with online learning. When not on his laptop, he'll usually be found up a mountain!