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Imagine walking into an MBA classroom, where the professor is at the board, sketching a 2x2 matrix to break down a complex concept. (I remember those days well, having been one of those profs myself.)

You sit up and pay closer attention. Why? Because this visual framework can lay out relationships — especially causes and correlations — so clearly.

Meet the Message Box

In today‘s mini masterclass, I want to share a 2x2 matrix that lets you differentiate yourself from your competition. It will help you clearly identify yourself vs. them.

It’s called a Message Box, a baseline tool for every persuasive message. Political strategist Paul Tully developed it decades ago, but it’s a must-have framework for solopreneurs today.

Why is it important for us to have a solid understanding of our competitors? As Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s former financial partner, aptly put it: “I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything that I don’t know the other side’s argument better than they do.”

Let’s take a look at the four perspectives.

↗️ Us on Us​
This quadrant is about our perspective on ourselves. It prompts us to consider what makes our skills, experience, and offerings unique. The goal is to explore the aspects we provide that our competitors don’t. Our success stories, testimonials, and case studies are here.

↘️ Us on Them​
This is our perspective on the competition. We want to recognize their position while highlighting differences. What are their gaps, and how is our approach, service, or product better suited for our ideal client’s needs?

↖️ Them on Them​
In this quadrant, we want to understand the competitor’s perspective on themselves. Identify their strengths and customer attraction strategies, like pricing or unique features. How do they see their role in the market? For example, do they present themselves as a niche expert, budget-friendly, or premium service?

↙️ Them on Us​
Here, we consider the competitor’s perspective on us. Think about how they view our market positioning and what they might say about us to their clients. We can use this to refine our messaging, strengthen our products or services, and address any misconceptions.

It’s the art of persuasion

Mastering differentiation requires a deep understanding of both our own strengths and those of our competitors.

Using the Message Box to analyze each quadrant allows us to gain that understanding, and chart a comprehensive view of our market positioning.

As political advisor Dan Pfeiffer observes, “It’s the art of persuasion. You have to know what to say, to whom to say it, and how to make sure they hear it. The rest is just noise.”

Most of all, we can rise above the noise.

Coming soon: The Solo Business Canvas

I've been working on a special tool for solopreneurs for almost a year now, and I think it will change the way every one-person business runs their company.
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✅ Finally, you’ll understand the specific roadblocks holding you back in growing your solo business.
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✅ No more second-guessing about what to do next.
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✅ You’ll have a clear blueprint for your solo business success.
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I’ve shared a preview with a few solopreneur colleagues who have said:
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This looks AMAZING! It's so valuable for solopreneurs.”
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and
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This is fantastic. It's so visually clear and streamlined. It's going to help so many solopreneurs.”
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So, just a bit longer. I can’t wait to share it with all of you. I’ll be announcing details in SOLO soon.

❤️ My favorite visual delights

Here are this week’s gems from around the Web to help you build visibility, credibility, and authority:

📝 7 Copywriting Frameworks That Sell ​
Sometimes, frameworks are acronyms that guide us to structure content effectively. Here are seven to use in your sales and marketing copy to attract new clients and customers. Best of all, you’ll find examples of how to put the letters in each acronym to work.

📱 Clean Up Your Apple Notes​
Becoming an influential communicator begins with capturing notes. If you’re an iPhone user, Apple Notes is one of the go-to tools for note-taking. This YouTube video helps you set up folders and an organization structure so you can find what you saved, quickly and easily. (Android users, let me know which notetaking tool(s) you find valuable. Google Keep? Simplenote?)

🔡 What font is that? ​
Ever see a web page and wonder what specific font or color they’re using? Now, that info is only a click away with Fontpair, a free Chrome extension that reads the page and instantly gives you the details. You can also head over to their main site for free fonts and a monthly font newsletter.

Did you miss these?

Catch up on some recent popular issues of SOLO you may have missed.
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✅ When is empty space not empty?​

✅ Is your typeface telling the right story?​

✅ Meet the visual philosophers​

✅ Where geometry meets genius​

Want to check out other past issues? Visit the SOLO Newsletter archive.

Thanks again for being a SOLO reader and coming along on this journey of visual exploration.
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If you enjoyed this newsletter, please share it with another solopreneur! And if you received this issue from a friend, I invite you to subscribe.

See you next week,