Competitive Advantage

What does it take to outmaneuver the competition?

Outmaneuvering the competition has never been more challenging, thanks to shorter product and service life cycles and ever-increasing numbers of competitors. To outperform rivals today demands even more than the traditional requirements of cost advantage and superior resources and capabilities.

Three requirements are:

1. Customer-Centric Differentiation. A clearly defined and compelling customer value proposition - one built on quantifiable results the customer desires that exceed what the competition can deliver. We are in an era of customer-driven competition, and products and services can appear remarkably similar. The name of today's game is differentiation in terms of perceived customer value.
   
   
2. Decision-Maker Focus. Focus on reaching the true decision-maker or a key influencer, and the decision-maker's definition of value.
   
   Unless you build relationships with business decision-makers, you'll find yourself at the mercy of purchase managers. They may have titles like vice president of a function that doesn't mention purchasing, but, in fact, these people are not responsible for solving business problems - they simply execute solutions the decision-makers have determined. They get their bonuses for stripping value from your offering to get the lowest price.
   
   Relationships with decision-makers enable you to understand a prospect's fundamental business needs, to shape expectations for solutions, and to sell on value, not price.
   
   
3. Market Presence. Marketing communications is fundamental to building a market presence that can develop brand awareness as a basis for a positive reception by decision-makers and brand credibility. Today's sophisticated customers tend to be skeptical of paid media advertising and self-serving claims in any form. To win credibility, you need the implied third party endorsement that can accompany public relations activities - major news stories, speaking engagements, and business events.

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