• Who are you going to sell to?
  
• What are you going to sell?
  
• How do you beat, survive or avoid competition?

• The aim is to find an ADVANTAGE over competitors.
  
• You beat competitors by providing a BETTER product or service.
  
• You survive competition by providing a similar product or service that is CHEAPER to produce. This gives you the opportunity to compete by offering low prices if you choose.
  
• You avoid competition by providing a DIFFERENT product or service. It's easy to compare two apples of the same variety, more difficult to compare different varieties and it's a different game altogether to compare apples with oranges.  

Strategy Is Not Just A Marketing Slogan

Everyone claims to be customer focused and committed to customer satisfaction. 

Too often these are just words with little intent or commitment.

Strategy is much more than a marketing slogan because an effective strategy focuses the resources and capabilities of the company on delivering the salesman's promises.

Your current business can be defined as a complex system providing products to customers using the current business capabilities and delivering a particular level of financial performance.

Your products (and services) are the way that your business aims to satisfy the needs, wants and desires of the customers. These products are the tangible demonstration of the underlying skills and abilities that the business has developed.

For example a customer may buy a service guarantee of 99% on-time delivery for products of the required quality. The supplier provides this assurance because of their confidence in their production planning, purchasing and quality control staff and procedures.

It is business strategy that provides this consistent fit between the promises made to customers and the service that the customer eventually receives.

But strategy is more than competing in today's markets and business environment. It is about preparing the business to compete effectively next year and in five years time.

The future is coming whether we are ready or not.

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory"
(W Edwards Deming)

To prosper we need to identify possibilities for future products to sell to future customers and we have to do this quickly because it takes time to develop those capabilities necessary to do it successfully.

To do this we need to look at the way that the industry is changing and how it is being influenced by the wider business environment. We need to look at the way that customers are changing and what competitors are doing.


Our Role Is Supporting Your Business Strategy

We're not experts in your industry but we don't need to be because you are.

Our role is to bring structure to all those thoughts that you and your managers have about the future of the business.

You already have these thoughts, perhaps when you're shaving or driving home after work or when you are lying awake in bed.

Sometimes you'll go over previous ideas in your mind, perhaps taking them a little further than you did before and other times you'll have new insights.

The problem is to see the idea through to its logical conclusion, to get it clear in your mind and to share it with your colleagues.

We do this by taking you through a structured process that allows you and your managers to focus on the important issues that are likely to affect the future of your business. The outcome is a short action plan that focuses on the main issues.

When there is a plan people feel in more control and with a plan it's easier to respond to some opportunities whilst having the confidence to say no to others. But without a plan priorities are unclear. To quote Confucius, "the man who chases two rabbits catches neither."

We remind you that we said that the emphasis should be on creative thinking and purposeful action.

Unless the work is being used to support a request for finance, the written plan is of secondary importance to the careful thought and consideration of:

• Where your company is
  
• Where you want it to go
  
• How you move from one to the other.

We guarantee that you will find that the best way to get these thoughts clear is in properly structured planning sessions working with a facilitator who is an expert in strategic planning.

But a good plan isn't enough. It must be put into action and be flexible enough to respond when the harsh realities of the real world of customers and competitors interferes with the structured logic of the plan.

We recognise the issues and difficulties of putting the plan into action and we'd like to support you during the implementation phase.

We do this by holding regular review meetings to monitor progress and discuss changes to the plan including different tactics to achieve the same end result and by providing telephone advice and support whenever you need it.

Things change and don't work out as expected. Perhaps there's an unexpected new competitor. Perhaps two major customers merge.

The plan needs to be a living document that adapts to these new situations. That's the way that it stays relevant and helps you move towards your goals.

Now is the time for action

If you think our approach to strategy makes sense and you want to arrange a workshop for your senior managers or you need to put together a busines plan to raise finance I'd love to hear from you.

Call me, Paul Simister on 0121 554 4057 to find out more. There's no cost in finding out what's involved and no obligation.

Register of Part Time Finance Directors

If you are based outside of the Midlands and you want to know more about strategy, business planning and financial control, you could benefit by contacting one of the part time Finance Directors on the register.

Each is a qualified accountant who now works with small and medium sized businesses after a senior management career in industry and commerce.