Posturing is good, but you must follow it up with positioning

In business warfare, competitors are at the door ready to throttle your neck. You cannot shoo them away. So the option is for you to do a threatening posture. How long this can last?

As you are aware posturing is time bound. By using threat or announcing that you will make counter strike against opponents you get only temporary respite. There are two ways to do posturing: one that attempts to impress them that you are serious in hitting back; second that tries to mislead them that attacking you will spell doom for them. Whatever you do, you are gaining little time before you make your final move.  

Posturing has a short shelf life. Your next level is to opt for positioning. This is done in three ways: place, product or brand. All these must be combined in a business strategy that gives you competitive advantage, such that your competitors will think twice before attacking you, next time around.

Select one major market place where you can do well and where there is less competition. Once selected the place you have to come out with value proposition that understands specific needs of customers and a solution by way of an excellent product. At the risk of repetition I must tell you the area you have selected has little competition or competitors already there are not ready with a suitable value proposition similar to yours.

Your product strategy must take into count cost leadership, quality leadership and pricing leadership all of them present in a basket of one or more products that convey to the customers that:

a) They are getting value for money

b) They have not got any alternatives in the market for products with similar features

Finally, you have to take competition to the next level that is to build an image of your product along with the name associated with it. Here comes the aspect of branding. The ultimate success of a firm is not that its products are excellent but these products are associated with a name and identity of a brand that imprints in the minds of customers notions such as superior quality, seamless techno features, reliability, utility value along with remarkable satisfaction in using products associated with that brand!

 

Cheers!

 

Muthu Ashraff Rajulu

Business Strategist

Mobile: + 94 777 265677

E-mail:   cosmicgems@gmail.com

Blog:   Business Strategist