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(This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /home3/retailp1/public_html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6114It\u2019s been called the first rule of modern warfare \u2013 \u201cnever bring a knife to a gun fight\u201d.\u00a0 Although I\u2019m not certain who coined the phrase, I can almost assure you it wasn\u2019t <\/em>the guy who brought the knife.<\/p>\n And as obvious as this idiom is, every day I see independent retailers walking into fights they can\u2019t win.\u00a0 It happens every time they focus marketing efforts on business attributes which they can\u2019t possibly dominate in.\u00a0<\/p>\n I use the word dominate<\/em> and not compete<\/em> because frankly, competing is a\u00a0nebulous term and doesn\u2019t really carry any assurance of success.\u00a0 Domination\u00a0signifies that you maintain an own-able position in the mind of the public, distinct from competitors and truly remarkable<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0For example, all professional athletes compete but the ones that really stand out actually dominate<\/em> in their sports.<\/p>\n That said,\u00a0 independent retailers sometimes have difficulty identifying how<\/em> they can dominate in their chosen market.\u00a0 They struggle with isolating the aspects of their business where they can consistently reign supreme.\u00a0 As a result, they attempt to be good<\/em> at everything, which usually renders them exceptional at nothing.\u00a0\u00a0In other words, by trying to be good at everything, they actually weaken their competitive position.<\/p>\n Stop trying to be the good at everything<\/strong><\/p>\n The 2001 book by Fred Crawford and Ryan Matthews titled The Myth of Excellence<\/a>, is an account of an extensive study examining the competitive attributes of a wide range of highly successful businesses.\u00a0 Although almost a decade old now, I\u00a0think the findings are even more relevant today than they were then.<\/p>\n The key discovery\u00a0from the research was that none<\/em> of the\u00a0best businesses were the best at everything.<\/em>\u00a0 However, all<\/em> of them clearly dominated in something<\/em>.\u00a0 Almost without exception, there was a single competitive attribute\u00a0<\/em>on which\u00a0the best businesses stood head and shoulders above the competition.\u00a0<\/p>\n With this information in hand, any business can begin to map out a coherent competitive strategy.<\/p>\n Start with your dominant attribute<\/strong><\/p>\n There are 5 basic competitive attributes across which a business can compete.\u00a0 First pick the one that your business can realistically dominate in relative to other players in your market.\u00a0 And although it might seem obvious, make sure that the dimension you choose is both relevant and tangible to consumers.<\/p>\n Now you need to select another\u00a0attribute where you\u00a0can be good<\/em>, relative to competition.\u00a0 You don\u2019t have to dominate but you should noticably excel in this attribute.<\/p>\n Lastly, you need to be at least average<\/em> with respect to the remaining attributes. \u00a0Not necessarily excellent but acceptable.<\/p>\n Here are some examples<\/strong><\/p>\n Starbucks is highly regarded as being dominant in store experience while having a good product.<\/p>\n Dollar General dominates\u00a0on price and offers good convenience through numerous locations.<\/p>\n Apple dominates on product, while offering a good store experience.<\/p>\n So, it doesn\u2019t matter how you dominate \u2013 only that you do.<\/p>\n Now tell them<\/strong><\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve established your ideal mix of attributes, build all marketing messages around it.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Don\u2019t waste energy talking to customers about what you\u2019re average at.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Focus the message almost exclusively on what you dominate<\/em> in and why that\u2019s worth caring about.<\/p>\n Using\u00a0this approach will create clarity on all fronts.\u00a0 Customers will be clear on why they should shop you.\u00a0 Staff will be clear on what they should be delivering to customers.\u00a0 And you, the owner will be clear on what you\u2019re taking into your next gun fight.<\/p>\n ____________________________________________________________________________________________<\/p>\n The Road to Remarkble<\/em> is an interactive workshop aimed at assisting retailers in deveoloping own-able competitive positioning.\u00a0 If you would like to schedule a session of the Road to Remarkable for your group, contact us<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s been called the first rule of modern warfare \u2013 \u201cnever bring a knife to a gun fight\u201d.\u00a0 Although I\u2019m not certain who coined the phrase, [\u2026]<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[53,39,24,15],"class_list":["post-4684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-competition","tag-independent-retail","tag-retail","tag-retail-marketing"],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n
\n To Dominate In<\/strong><\/td>\n You need to be remarkable for things like…<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Product\u00a0<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Price\u00a0<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Service\u00a0<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Convenience\u00a0<\/td>\n \n \n
\n Store Experience\u00a0<\/td>\n \n \n