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Member You - Sun Zi Art of War - Pre-empting Rival's Strategies
"Time is money". We've all heard that, right? But does your company operate that way? Many times, I've seen companies succeed wildly simply because they do things faster than their competitors - usually, a LOT faster. This works simply because all of us, as consumers, would prefer to have whatever we want whenever we want it. In many cases, we are prepared to pay a huge premium to someone who can save us just a little time - sometimes even paying this premium for a product or service of inferior quality.How can you use this? First, you need to understand the time performance standards of your industry. Do 90% of your competitors turn around a customer order in a week? A day? An hour? Obviously, this can vary a lot, depending on the business you are in. But, whatever that standard is, you need to ask the question, "Are there many customers who would find it valuable to be served in half the time?". Usually - but not always - the answer is yes. In many cases, customers will be willing to pay a premium of 10-20% to get the same product or service in half the time.It can pay to understand exactly WHY customers will pay a pr
The first step to formulating out your preemption strategy is to firstly, have knowledge of the trends in the markets. The technology, consumer preferences, demographic or social trends are some information we can look at before formulating our preemption strategies. Once we have information on all these, we can then figure out what are the new potential markets we can move into before our business rival does.
For example, Sony anticipated growth in the 3.5 inch disk in 1984, so it announced a fivefold increase in production capacity. It made this move even before IBM announced its intention for the next generation of personal computers would be. As such Sony was able discouraged would-be rivals from setting up their own plants since Sony could manufacture in big bulks due to its extensive capacity.
Searching for signs of movement from business r
I used to believe marketing was antithetical to my personal values of honesty and integrity. Now I write marketing materials for a living. Did I sell out? No, I just realized my view of marketing was lopsided.You can hardly blame me. MacDonald’s heralds its fat-laden salads as healthy. And how often have you received an authentic-looking “check” in the mail that’s really a dubious discount from your local car dealership?It took me a while, but I finally discovered the shocking truth: honesty is an excellent marketing method!Until I came to this astonishing realization, I wrote stories, humor columns, and news articles and edited dry technical material, for little pay. Finally, I decided to face reality and try copywriting. But I couldn’t get comfortable with the idea of using my writing for marketing.Some time later, I started a little business offering music and movement classes for young children. I wrote calendar listings, press releases, and ads. I realized that marketing was no dirty deed, but simply the way to let families know about classes I was proud to offer. A few years after that I got a job wr
The ability to subdue the enemy without battle is a reflection of the ultimate supreme strategy. The supreme is to attack enemies' strategies and plans, by thwarting them. Next is to attack the enemies' strategic alliances with other nations. The next option is to attack enemy troops. The worst option is to attack the cities. (Chapter 3)
So how do we preempt our rival's strategies? In the context of war, firstly, you must be able to anticipate the moves of your enemy. Secondly, the reason behind all these moves and thirdly, coming up with a strategy to counter these moves with the least amount of resources. All these generally need a lot of intelligence to carry out.
1) Anticipating your enemy's moves.
Just by looking step one, we have an idea how difficult it is going to be. You need to have immense first-hand knowledge of your enemy's advisory group and the dynamics of the group too. Each strategist has its specialty and specific liking on employing certain strategy, some would always look to use fire and some would always prefer to destroy everything and so on. The reason why the dynamics of the group need to be understood is each ruler or general has his favorite strategist and it could change with time. Like Liu Bei in the Three Kingdom Era, he would prefer to listen to Zhuge Liang and Cao Cao, also from the Three Kingdom Era, in his early days, prefer to listen to Guo Jia. So you need to have all these knowledge at your fingertips so that you can anticipate, to a reasonable extent, the moves that will be taken by your enemy. This is why intelligence work is very important in the old days. This importance is seen by the fact that Sun Zi devoted one whole chapter on espionage alone (Chapter 13).
2) Knowing the motives behind each enemy's moves.
Step two is you need to know the reason why these moves are adopted. This is because you can then better understand why these moves are carried out and if there are changes in movement or direction in the enemy's camp, you can still anticipate to some extent, what they are doing. And also you would have a better grasp of which is the weakest link in their plans. If you thwarted their plans at the weakest link, you would stop the momentum or the success execution of their plan.
3) Coming up with a counter strategy that can be executed within constraints.
Step three is a matter of working within constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
So how do we apply all these to business?
Making reference to the book, Wharton on Dynamic Competitive Strategy Ed.by George S. Day & David J. Reibstein on Chapter 11.
In the chapter, the writer Jerry Wind from Wharton School, Dept of Marketing, wrote that preemption is risky because if you anticipate the wrong move, it could prove costly to you. Like seizing the wrong potential market that never materializes may cost you a lot in expanding capacity and so on.
The first step to formulating out your preemption strategy is to firstly, have knowledge of the trends in the markets. The technology, consumer preferences, demographic or social trends are some information we can look at before formulating our preemption strategies. Once we have information on all these, we can then figure out what are the new potential markets we can move into before our business rival does.
For example, Sony anticipated growth in the 3.5 inch disk in 1984, so it announced a fivefold increase in production capacity. It made this move even before IBM announced its intention for the next generation of personal computers would be. As such Sony was able discouraged would-be rivals from setting up their own plants since Sony could manufacture in big bulks due to its extensive capacity.
Searching for signs of movement from business ri
This is the beginning of the fourth and final quarter of the year. Today is the day to make your move forward. The time for excuses, the time for waiting is over. It's now or never. If not today, then when?"People are always blaming their circumstances for
what they are. I do not believe in circumstances. The
people who get on in this world are the people who
get up and look for the circumstances they want, and
if they cannot find them, make them." ---George Bernard ShawHas this year been all that it could have been? Have you left some on the table because you lacked certain skills or the energy, courage and persistence you needed to practice those skills?Are you getting the results that you really believe that you are capable of? Have you done all the things you need to do to reach the level of success that you dream of?There are valuable lessons to be learned with each and every setback or temporary challenge we encounter. Are you getting all you can from these challenges? Are you learning and taking steps to benefit from those learnings? Are you taking action?Success comes to those t
2) Knowing the motives behind each enemy's moves.
Step two is you need to know the reason why these moves are adopted. This is because you can then better understand why these moves are carried out and if there are changes in movement or direction in the enemy's camp, you can still anticipate to some extent, what they are doing. And also you would have a better grasp of which is the weakest link in their plans. If you thwarted their plans at the weakest link, you would stop the momentum or the success execution of their plan.
3) Coming up with a counter strategy that can be executed within constraints.
Step three is a matter of working within constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
So how do we apply all these to business?
Making reference to the book, Wharton on Dynamic Competitive Strategy Ed.by George S. Day & David J. Reibstein on Chapter 11.
In the chapter, the writer Jerry Wind from Wharton School, Dept of Marketing, wrote that preemption is risky because if you anticipate the wrong move, it could prove costly to you. Like seizing the wrong potential market that never materializes may cost you a lot in expanding capacity and so on.
The first step to formulating out your preemption strategy is to firstly, have knowledge of the trends in the markets. The technology, consumer preferences, demographic or social trends are some information we can look at before formulating our preemption strategies. Once we have information on all these, we can then figure out what are the new potential markets we can move into before our business rival does.
For example, Sony anticipated growth in the 3.5 inch disk in 1984, so it announced a fivefold increase in production capacity. It made this move even before IBM announced its intention for the next generation of personal computers would be. As such Sony was able discouraged would-be rivals from setting up their own plants since Sony could manufacture in big bulks due to its extensive capacity.
Searching for signs of movement from business r
An Adventurous way of making money in the bank is through the purchasing of money making funds - stocks, bonds, and mutual funds (Mutual Funds are technically known as the open end investment company.)Each Investment Company must state its objective whether it be to preserve principle so its purchasing power keeps up or beats inflation. The investment company might have as its objective to speculate in new companies with great upside potential for growth, while others invest in blue chip common stocks and high grade government bonds. Whatever their objective is it must have its mission statement expressed and the company can not later change its mission in its mutual fund.Open End Investment Companies and Closed End Investment Companies are the two types of investment companies. With Open End Investment Companies or Mutual Funds, the shares of their fund are available for sale or purchase at all times and the price is usually valued after the close of the market each day. Closed End Investment Companies sell their shares over the counter and the purchase price is based strictly on the principle of supply and demand. Ope
2) Knowing the motives behind each enemy's moves.
Step two is you need to know the reason why these moves are adopted. This is because you can then better understand why these moves are carried out and if there are changes in movement or direction in the enemy's camp, you can still anticipate to some extent, what they are doing. And also you would have a better grasp of which is the weakest link in their plans. If you thwarted their plans at the weakest link, you would stop the momentum or the success execution of their plan.
3) Coming up with a counter strategy that can be executed within constraints.
Step three is a matter of working within constraints. Most of us have work under constraints before, for example not enough time, money or sleep. So you would understand what a strategist is going through having to come up with a strategy that must have a high chance of counter the enemy's move and does not cost the nation.
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
So how do we apply all these to business?
Making reference to the book, Wharton on Dynamic Competitive Strategy Ed.by George S. Day & David J. Reibstein on Chapter 11.
In the chapter, the writer Jerry Wind from Wharton School, Dept of Marketing, wrote that preemption is risky because if you anticipate the wrong move, it could prove costly to you. Like seizing the wrong potential market that never materializes may cost you a lot in expanding capacity and so on.
The first step to formulating out your preemption strategy is to firstly, have knowledge of the trends in the markets. The technology, consumer preferences, demographic or social trends are some information we can look at before formulating our preemption strategies. Once we have information on all these, we can then figure out what are the new potential markets we can move into before our business rival does.
For example, Sony anticipated growth in the 3.5 inch disk in 1984, so it announced a fivefold increase in production capacity. It made this move even before IBM announced its intention for the next generation of personal computers would be. As such Sony was able discouraged would-be rivals from setting up their own plants since Sony could manufacture in big bulks due to its extensive capacity.
Searching for signs of movement from business r
"Get into selling and make your fortune" the headline shouted at me from the classified page. It went on to explain how anyone could become rich by learning how to sell.As a gullible young man just out of the Air Force and looking for a job, I was hooked on the idea of a sales career despite suffering from a general lack of confidence. On top of that my near panic at the thought that now I had to survive in the big outside world on my own. No morning bugle call to kindly let me know that breakfast was being served.No more shouting in my ear about the condition of the nice suit of clothes they give you to wear. No more marching in parades to a destination unknown, you need only follow the leader and wait until you hear the order to halt.Worst of all, no more free meals and a bed, the reason I joined up in the first place. I had become institutionalised. From that point forward I would need to think for myself for the first time in years.Solely on the merits of my Air Force discharge papers, I landed a job as a trainee salesman with a well-known office machine manufacturer. They kindly sent me to sales train
All in all, as mentioned above, it is a battle of wits. The intelligent one will always prevail. And if you are able to thwart your enemy's plan quite often, chances are you would be able to subdue him without going into battle because they know it is useless to go against you since you can 'attack' their strategies so well.
So how do we apply all these to business?
Making reference to the book, Wharton on Dynamic Competitive Strategy Ed.by George S. Day & David J. Reibstein on Chapter 11.
In the chapter, the writer Jerry Wind from Wharton School, Dept of Marketing, wrote that preemption is risky because if you anticipate the wrong move, it could prove costly to you. Like seizing the wrong potential market that never materializes may cost you a lot in expanding capacity and so on.
The first step to formulating out your preemption strategy is to firstly, have knowledge of the trends in the markets. The technology, consumer preferences, demographic or social trends are some information we can look at before formulating our preemption strategies. Once we have information on all these, we can then figure out what are the new potential markets we can move into before our business rival does.
For example, Sony anticipated growth in the 3.5 inch disk in 1984, so it announced a fivefold increase in production capacity. It made this move even before IBM announced its intention for the next generation of personal computers would be. As such Sony was able discouraged would-be rivals from setting up their own plants since Sony could manufacture in big bulks due to its extensive capacity.
Searching for signs of movement from business r
The interviewing process is a common form of filtering candidates for a job, and used by almost every company in the world. This process can also cause many people to experience anxiety, fear, and many other quite unpleasant feelings. Well, we know exactly how that feels, and for this reason – we’ve decide to provide some guidelines to help you achieve success and impress your prospective employers:The PreparationThe interview is, at many times, as simple as a game. It is a matter of preparing yourself as much as you can, and using that preparation to back you up in every moment of the interview. Having knowledge will also equip you with the required confidence to clearly communicate with the interviewer:Research
The first step is to find out about the position you are applying, the company and the industry. Review your job application guidelines, and ensure you know every function required for the job. Determine the main qualities and skills you possess which are aligned with job requirements, and then you’ll have an idea as to why you’ve been selected for an interview. Find out about the comp
The first step to formulating out your preemption strategy is to firstly, have knowledge of the trends in the markets. The technology, consumer preferences, demographic or social trends are some information we can look at before formulating our preemption strategies. Once we have information on all these, we can then figure out what are the new potential markets we can move into before our business rival does.
For example, Sony anticipated growth in the 3.5 inch disk in 1984, so it announced a fivefold increase in production capacity. It made this move even before IBM announced its intention for the next generation of personal computers would be. As such Sony was able discouraged would-be rivals from setting up their own plants since Sony could manufacture in big bulks due to its extensive capacity.
Searching for signs of movement from business rival's
So after determining the trends, the next or concurrent task (depending on your objective) would be to determine also how your competitors will react. Now you may say that information like this are hard to get, but if you look carefully, there may be some hints or signals that tells you of their intentions.
a) Competitive signals - Do a patent search and see what type of patent your rivals have filed, you would then have a general idea what technology they are currently developing on. Look out for news of planned strategic alliances. You would be able to anticipate which area they are moving into.
b) Competitive Analysis - Look at how your competitors react in the past and also their strength and weaknesses. In this way, you would have an idea how your competitors would react to your next move. (Please refer to point 1 & 2 above)
c) Distribution Channels - Look at all the available distribution channels, what are their strengths and weaknesses. Match them with the information you have on your competitors and you may be able to anticipate what type of distribution channels your competitors may used to attack the potential market.
d) Environmental Analysis - Have an understanding of the changes in forces of the environment, like socio-economic, political, cultural and technology forces. These forces would be useful in formulating your preemption strategy because as mentioned in the later chapters of Sun Zi Art of War, a general can use environmental or external forces to generate a strong momentum to aid his troops in attack or defense.
With all these information, you are able to formulate out what moves your competitors are likely to adopt. Make a list of the moves your competitors may adopt. Using this list, you can then create specific preemption strategies for each expected or potential competitors' move.
Factors that affect formulation of preemption strategy
Please note here that when you create each specific preemption strategy, there are several factors you need to look at.
a) Your current objectives - Is the strategy you formulated aligned with your company's current objectives? But even if the objectives are not met, you could continue to carry out your preemption strategy unless it takes your company far astray from your path. Do you need to give up your niche market for a while when carrying out the preemptive strategy?
c) External and Internal Environment - Does the current trends that exist in the industry and market you are operating in helps your implementation by giving momentum or provides hindrance to your implementation? What are the risk of these trends changing? Is the corporate structure suitable for the implementation of strategy? Any blurring of roles and responsibilities would create confusion.
b) Magnitude and duration - You need to look at the magnitude and duration of your competitors and your own preemption strategy. Will it be temporary or permanent?
c) Costs - Carrying out each strategy has its costs. So you have to look at the costs together with magnitude and duration of rival's and your strategy. Is there a need to shift resources from one point to another? Do you have the resources to preempt or does it take a long time to find the resources? In measuring costs and resources, try to look for a partner or ally to leverage on, and he too can leverage on you as well to, maybe to stop a bigger rival.
e) Risk Level - Any implementation of strategy involves a certain level of risks. Is your company able to bear that risk during impleme
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